Forum Discussion

dockmasterdave's avatar
dockmasterdave
Explorer
Jul 09, 2018

drum brakes need adjusting ?

Do I need top crawl under and adjust them, or will the self adjusters tighten them after a couple uses in reverse ?

I figured I would ask the question before boring everyone with the details. I also knew some would ask for the background details.
Thanks in advance.

We have had our 21'TT for about 4 years, with no real problems.
Before a summer trip to NC mountains last year I replaced all bearings and checked brakes.
Despite having put about 10,000 miles on it and knowing the brakes work great, they showed almost no loss of lining. So I put the new shoes on a shelf.
Getting ready for this years trip, bearings looked great, and brakes shoes still show no sign of pads wearing.
I changed them anyway.
Tested them out yesterday, just around the block a few times. Had to turn my brake adjuster up from 5.5 to 9, to get partial locking up.
Seeking Advice
  • RAS43's avatar
    RAS43
    Explorer III
    Jul 09, 2018
    fj12ryder wrote:
    F-TROUP wrote:
    "self-adjusting will work when braking forward":h
    The old ones would only self-adjust when you reversed and used the brakes. The newer style will self-adjust whenever you apply the brakes.


    X2 the best thing I have done about brakes was changing to self-adjusting brakes when I replaced everything 2 years ago. They work great and I only check them in the spring and have found them adjusted fine.
  • dockmasterdave's avatar
    dockmasterdave
    Explorer
    Jul 09, 2018
    Thanks for the replies. Looks like I'll be going under and adjusting them closer this week.
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Jul 09, 2018
    F-TROUP wrote:
    "self-adjusting will work when braking forward":h
    The old ones would only self-adjust when you reversed and used the brakes. The newer style will self-adjust whenever you apply the brakes.
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    Jul 09, 2018
    You should turn the drums when you replace the shoes.

    While they are apart you should have seen if there was an automatic adjuster or just manual. Even if automatic you still need to initially adjust them slightly tight at the start.

    Disk brakes keep sounding better all the time ;)
  • Lynnmor's avatar
    Lynnmor
    Explorer
    Jul 09, 2018
    You should not replace brake shoes that were not worn or defective. New shoes will have much reduced braking power for a long time till they are "burnished." Burnishing is a word that the manufacturer uses and is a bit misleading, actually there will be a film built up on the surface of the shoes and drums. Turning up the controller will accelerate the process at the expense of increased magnet wear and possible grooving of the armature. You should test for a wiring fault if the braking has decreased with no other changes.

    Self adjusting will work on forward braking, but be aware that the adjustment will not be correct if the drum has too much run out.
  • BB_TX's avatar
    BB_TX
    Nomad
    Jul 09, 2018
    Some newer year models do have self adjusting brakes. My 2007 does not. So, yes, I do check the adjustment.
  • mike-s's avatar
    mike-s
    Explorer
    Jul 09, 2018
    Do you know that your's are self-adjusting? Some are, some aren't.

    Self-adjusting ones, unless broken or seized up, will adjust during normal forward braking. No need to brake in reverse to adjust them. That's true of all the modern, common ones (Dexter, Axletek, etc.). Older or oddball ones may be different.
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Jul 09, 2018
    Trailer brakes are finiky. To correctly adjust them I have found I need to turn the star wheel to lockup and back off three, no more than 4 clicks. Any more and I experience what you found. Have done it this way for years with no problems.
    And yes, you should adjust your brakes every year before the first trip. And depending on how many miles you do a year, maybe once or twice a season too.
  • naturist's avatar
    naturist
    Nomad
    Jul 09, 2018
    Most trailers I know of do not have self adjusting brakes. Unless you have something unusual, you need to adjust them by hand, the old fashioned way.

About RV Tips & Tricks

Looking for advice before your next adventure? Look no further.25,110 PostsLatest Activity: Feb 16, 2025