Brake Installation on 1960s Custom Trailer

Question:

I have spent some time checking the brake drum depth and brake shoe width with dial calipers. Everything seems to be compatible, although the armature plate does run close to the outer edge of the brake shoe backing plate. With the drum/hub in place their is a lot of drag on the armature/armature plate which would make it extremely difficult to set the bearing preload. If the armature rides in constant contact with the armature plate - it would get hot. I did look at the Dexter bearing option you mentioned. But to use the dexter hubs means I would have to change axles to suit their hubs - and may still have the the same problem. Any suggestions - such as electro hydraulic or maybe return to surge brakes. thanks for your time

asked by: Bob G

Expert Reply:

It is normal for an electric brake assembly to put drag on the hub. When brake tension is adjusted properly the hub should have slight drag when the wheel is rotated. You should both hear and feel this slight drag.

Hadco makes many different series of hub/drum assembly. If you have their 84 Series, these use bearing set 25580 and LM67048. We do offer hubs that fit this bearing set and these can be seen on the provided link. The thing is that all of these hubs are 12- x 2-inch diameter, not 10- x 2-1/4-inch. They are also rated for 5200- and 6000-lb axles, not 3500-lb which is the rating for the brakes you selected.

Given the age of this custom trailer and these compatibility issues you may be better off starting fresh with a new axle. To do this you will need to know the actual weight of the trailer.

expert reply by: Adam R