Brakes sticking

Never towed in winter/salt conditions. Race season was long over before winter so we always had the rig parked and out of service during that time period.

If you ever towed the trailer in road salt, that might be the problem.

Hello gang,

I am experiencing a similar issue in that the trailer brakes seem to remain activated after completing a turn and releasing the brake. A quick tap of the brake pedal would release the braking. I noticed this as the rig continued to slow and the brake booster still showed the brakes being active. I could not replicate the condition in a straight line. Would a brake sticking fool the booster into thinking the brakes are still being applied by the driver?

The trailer had been sitting until last evening since October in outside in northern Indiana. 6 mile drive home ..

2006 Raptor 2617 triple axle.

Thanks in advance

Also the symptom I speak of does not occur if the vehicle comes to a complete stop before a turn. Turning into my subdivision does not require a full stop. Trail braking is the only time I notice this.

Drum brakes that are severely out of adjustment can do the lockup as you are describing. You could try adjusting them up and testing again. But at this point if it was me, I'd probably be pulling drums to make sure nothing was wrong.

So I took it out today and as soon ask hit my brakes it locked again. It worked loose and I took it down the road about 8 miles. Periodically I hit my booster and it would grab. I got out and checked all tires and lugs for heat. All felt the same. I took it back home and while in my neighborhood I hit the brake booster a few more times, backed it in my driveway checked tires again. Right side right much hotter than the left. Is it possible that one brake needs adjusting?

I will try and give it a test run today, I may even go ahead and check all the hubs and see what's going on, I hoping it was from sitting up for the winter here on the coast and everything is ok. Thanks for the input !

Aside from the obvious (checking brakes for problems), a trailer that has been sitting a while can get rust or other debris built up.

If a brake is sticking after a long period of non-use, back up the trailer to free the brake, then drive forward slowly. Then apply a little manual braking while moving forward to "clean" the braking surfaces.

Not a bad thing to do for non-sticking brakes, too. That way your brakes are ready to apply proper braking when needed.

It's very strange for one to stay "on" and make me wonder whats going on in there. I would pull the hub and make sure something hasn't come apart and caused a binding condition.
I once checked brakes for a friend and when I pulled the drum a bunch of parts just fell out! She said they'd been "weak" lately..

Before yearly 1st time pull, I always remove each wheel hub, inspect and if needed, remove winter rest time rust using steel wool and brake cleaner fluid, replace worn out brake parts / wheel bearing parts, re-assembly and re-pack with fresh marine wheel bearing grease (that take natural moisture exposure). IMO, this "remove, clean and re-grease and adjust before one pulls" be mandatory for all trailers coming out of their winter storage months. If wondering, I do this task in storage yards as well - before towing trailer on the public roads. And, never had sticky brakes on any of my trailers.

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