Brakes locked on Holiday Rambler

[KPruitt]

RV has only been setting for about two months
Air brakes will not unlock
Have hit drums with hammer
Have rocked RV back and forth
What can I do next to unlock brakes???

[fcooper]

KPruitt wrote:
Mechanic came over, spent about 4 hours working on getting brakes free. Pulled rear tires to get brakes to release, told me to block tires and not use parking brake when RV sets for a period of time. So after all that and 400 Dollars to repair I am now fixed.......

Unfortunately, the parking brake will still set when air bleeds down.

Fred

[KPruitt]

Mechanic came over, spent about 4 hours working on getting brakes free. Pulled rear tires to get brakes to release, told me to block tires and not use parking brake when RV sets for a period of time. So after all that and 400 Dollars to repair I am now fixed.......

[JetAonly]

FWIW since I started doing the Air Brake System checks I've not had stuck shoe.

[midasman]

My 2006 Holiday Ambassador has drum brakes. If it sits a month or more with high humidity, the shoes (metallic I think) do rust to the drums. I gas it in D, gas in R, and back and forth till the rig will go! Haven't broken anything YET! Brakes are probably slightly warm when I park.

[KPruitt]

Still stuck, have will call in Mobil mechanic to help fix

[Executive45]

Wonder if the OP is still stuck???:h

[Ivylog]

Bobbo wrote:
Going forward pulls brake shoes tighter. Going in reverse pushes them looser.

This is true if it's a floating mounting system... usually has an adjusting mechanism opposite the activating mechanism. Class 6-8 drum brakes are usually pin mounted... not floating so no difference in direction.

[Bobbo]

Going forward pulls brake shoes tighter. Going in reverse pushes them looser.

[imgoin4it]

Have a much better chance of breaking them loose by hitting the accelerator pedal while in reverse. Not "drive". Tough to do but always worked for me.

[cmeade]

When you apply and release the parking brake do you hear the air exhausting?? If not then could be tiny diaphragm in emergency quick release valve has stock.

[Ivylog]

Because of the info above, caging them will not help. If you are not willing to rock it back and forth more aggressively I would chock the wheels, release the brakes, and hit the drums with a large hammer in as many places as you can. If this does not do it then I would take a long chisel and wedge it under metal end of the brake pad at the S cam that applies the brakes with them released. A normal pry bar might just fit and if all else fails a small sharp chisel into the end of the lining at the drum surface will but you will mess up a little of the pad but not enough to hurt the braking.

Your parking brake is on the rear axle only.

[KPruitt]

Yes have required air pressure, have set and released parking brake several times.

[wolfe10]

The best "preventive" is to use them/warm them up immediately before you park.

Parking "cold" and even worse cold and damp is a receipt for "brake shoes will not release".

Your hammer and rocking gently are the proper actions. I don't think caging them will have any impact, as I don't think it a failure in the air cans, but just that the shoes are sticking/rusting to the drums.

[MrWizard]

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