Trailer Brakes HOT after adjustment

[Baja_Man]

Hello all-

Recently completed a bearing pack, bearing seal replacement, and brake adjustment. I can't imaging the heat being caused by the bearing grease packing.

Hub adjustment:

Hubs were tightened, then loosened a little so that wheel spun freely and there was no play in hub when moved in/out.

Brake adjustment included:

Backed out shoes from adjustment port to where the brakes locked up. Then backed out about 5-7 clicks to where there was a mild scrape/sound feel.

I tested brakes by driving around under tow for approx. 5-10 miles braking hard and also using my Tekonsha brake lever to brake hard (not at the same time). I did hard braking doing 30-40mph. I did this to adjust my Tekonsha gain setting and to be sure brakes did not lock up on a hard stop.

After the drive, I pulled over near my home and went back to touch brake drums. They were very hot to the touch...all 4.

Can the slight drag from adjustment be the cause of the excessive heat?
Is it from the hard braking several times?

If drums are hot from not adjusted properly (tad too open), would the 5-10 miles of hard braking and hot drums have caused damage to anything?

Thanks!

[opnspaces]

Baja Man wrote:


ALL 4 drums (and measured at each shoe area - 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock) were between 92F-93F except for one shoe area on one wheel. The secondary shoe (3 o'clock position) on right rear wheel measured 99F-100F

NOTE: They were all warm to the touch, but no where near as hot as yesterday.

Thoughts?

I would put the temperature gun away you are over thinking this. Seriously though, there are many things that can cause a slight difference in temperature between drums. 5 degrees is nothing. 50 degrees maybe start to worry a bit.

[Huntindog]

Grit dog wrote:
Go do the same routine and timing with just your car or truck and stick your finger on the rotor. If you burn your finger, your trailer brakes are fine. If you don't then they may need backed off a tad, especially since you need to be economical with your brake linings.

Just a thought... A post like this really needs an emoji, such as ;):R:E etc. just to let people know it is a joke....
It is a joke right?

[12th_Man_Fan]

I think you are good to go. the heat was from excessive braking and I would not worry about a 7 degree difference. I think the slight rubbing you was hearing was the magnets and not the brake shoes.

[Baja_Man]

Did anther run today...

About the same ambient temps...78F

5-10 miles with normal braking.

ALL 4 drums (and measured at each shoe area - 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock) were between 92F-93F except for one shoe area on one wheel. The secondary shoe (3 o'clock position) on right rear wheel measured 99F-100F

NOTE: They were all warm to the touch, but no where near as hot as yesterday.

Thoughts?

[dedmiston]

:B Don't do that. ^

[Grit_dog]

Go do the same routine and timing with just your car or truck and stick your finger on the rotor. If you burn your finger, your trailer brakes are fine. If you don't then they may need backed off a tad, especially since you need to be economical with your brake linings.

[WayneAt63044]

For a while I had some self-adjusting and some manual adjust brakes. The self-adjusting drums would measure 120 degrees while the manuals were around 90 degrees after a 2 hour run. I since have gone to all manual adjust brakes to keep the temperatures down. You really don't want to adjust them to rub a bit like the self-adjusting always do.

To test bearings & braking I would jack up one wheel at a time and check for just a very slight wobble in the bearing and then pull the emergency brake cable to engage the brakes. Then spin the wheel forward to determine how far it rotates with the magnet energized before the brakes apply. Never got over 1/2 turn before the brake shoes stopped rotation by hand.

No need to have things so tight you get unneeded friction and heat.

[Krusty]

I always adjust mine to the point that I feel light drag. I think the heat you felt was just from the hard braking. If it makes you feel better, take it for another drive without the hard braking and recheck the temp

[Baja_Man]

I did not check temps with a temp gun.
Truck brakes work fine and trailer towed and stopped well.
I did not check temps under normal use (without hard braking).

Should wheel be turned and spin freely with NO brake shoe even barely touching?

I know brake adjustment may be by feel, but I want to be sure there is no brake dragging and/or premature shoe wearing. How can I adjust accordingly....just barely scraping or spin freely?

[klutchdust]

I carry one in my tow vehicle. Check things when taking a break, stretching the new knee. It takes the guesswork out . What was your tow vehicle like?

[MitchF150]

I tested brakes by driving around under tow for approx. 5-10 miles braking hard and also using my Tekonsha brake lever to brake hard (not at the same time). I did hard braking doing 30-40mph. I did this to adjust my Tekonsha gain setting and to be sure brakes did not lock up on a hard stop.

After the drive, I pulled over near my home and went back to touch brake drums. They were very hot to the touch...all 4.

I know if I did this with mine, they would all be hot?

If you drive around without hitting the brakes that much or hard on the trailer, how hot are then then?

Unless I missed something in your post?

Mitch

[MFL]

Baja Man wrote:
That was my first thought......I'll re-adjust with no rub and drive test it again

....wonder if any damage occurred?

I don't think any damage, and likely drums were hot from applying brakes repeatedly.

I normally can hear a slight drag after adjusting brakes. As to turns backed out, MINE usually amounts to 3-5 turns out, from a setting of hard to turn wheel, with one hand. Turns out can vary, one trailer to the next, but I go by how easily the tire/wheel spins, for correct adjustment. With a light spin of wheel, I like to see it rotate about one and a half turns before stopping.

With your wheel in the air, grab it at 3 o'clock and 9, try to make it wobble. A barely noticeable wiggle is good. Now give it a light spin, how many revolutions does it go before stopping on it's own? I like to see more than one turn, but more than 2 turns, means there is no drag.

Jerry

[bucky]

After that hard braking it's not surprising that they were hot. No different than your car or truck after repeated hard braking.

[Baja_Man]

That was my first thought......I'll re-adjust with no rub and drive test it again

....wonder if any damage occurred?