BenK wrote:
Why I check the trailer brakes (how warm/hot, how they sound rolling to a stop,
manually adjust the self adjusters, etc) at every stop
Even carry rebuild kits and have had to rebuild them out there
Now that is just plain silly...
I can not imagine that anyone is willing to tear apart or roll under the trailer and "adjust" the bakes manually.
I would suggest that you stop this practice, rest stops, parking lots and the such are a TERRIBLE place to attempt these kinds of preventative maintenance items. It is an extremely dangerous to do this even while on level land without adding public traffic.
Your brakes even if you don't have auto adjusters WILL not require any adjustments to be done for 10,000-12,000 miles or one year. This IS the industry standard.
Adjusting them needlessly using the "inspection" hole only will wear out the shoes at a faster rate at the least and at the worst OVER TIGHTEN the shoes causing extreme heat and possible loss of brakes.
The ONLY WAY to SAFELY "adjust" the brake shoes is to REMOVE the drum.
Simply put, you want only a SLIGHT amount of "resistance" felt when removing the drum. The brakes should not drag on the drums very much, only VERY SLIGHTLY. There is no way you can perform that while using the inspection cover and not jacking up the wheel.
I have many years experience with drum brakes, cut my driving teeth on 1970s vehicles with DRUMS on ALL FOUR WHEELS. You learn in a hurry to ensure the front brakes are set CORRECTLY dead on EVEN, otherwise you WILL be pulled left or right when you stomp on the brakes...