Brakes lock on in reverse

[hadd]

Hi all, iv'e Just put new brake cable,s on my trailer & cleaned all the brakes free from rust ,been out on a test run & all works well , but when i reverse the trailer i can feel the brakes locking on , would this be the damper, on its way out ?

[PeterM]

An obvious question , but it is an auto reverse without a reversing latch?

[hadd]

Originally Posted by PeterM

An obvious question , but it is an auto reverse without a reversing latch?

Hi peter, its a bradley hitch , i think its auto reverse , the damper seam,s to push in to easy ,not by hand but when i reverse thats why i,m thinking the damper could be on its way out.

[Richard Selman]

I would have thought it more likely that the auto reversing mechanism inside the drum is sticking and not allowing the shoes to back-off.

4wd lo ratio is a useful work around.....

Richard

[Pikey Dave]

Andy,you might have adjusted the cable up too tight, the auto reverse mechanism needs room inside the hub to work. Try slacking off the adjuster on the cable a tad.

[Trailer Guy]

1. everything back in the right way round? i.e. if knott, is leading shoe, with drum rotation indicator, facing the right way.
2. adjusted the brakes correctly?
3. are you reversing up a slight incline with a heavy load?

[hadd]

Originally Posted by Trailer Guy

1. everything back in the right way round? i.e. if knott, is leading shoe, with drum rotation indicator, facing the right way.
2. adjusted the brakes correctly?
3. are you reversing up a slight incline with a heavy load?

On the flat with the rib on the trailer , when i reverse the damper is going right in as if its a pushing the brakes on again , the brakes don't lock on all the way, i can still reverse with the trailer but the brakes are coming on.

[Trailer Guy]

The damper will go all the way in, that's normal, but the trailer should allow you reverse without any issue, once the shoe cams have activated.

It sounds like it may be down to adjustment. Did you adjust the shoes at the drum? A lot of people make the mistake of adjusting at the cable (as Pikey suggested).

[C-NUMB]

Originally Posted by Trailer Guy

A lot of people make the mistake of adjusting at the cable .

So what goes for any brake adjustments on trailers, a no go to touch the nuts on the cables, only drum work?

[Erin]

I think you're meant to tighten the nut on the back plate until the shoes just start to bind and then back it off a bit. The nut pulls a wedge between the ends of the shoes and opens them out to operate them, a bit like the brake cable does. As Trailer Guy says, if you take up the slack using the brake cable instead then it affects the anti-reverse operation on that type of shoe.

[hadd]

Originally Posted by Erin

I think you're meant to tighten the nut on the back plate until the shoes just start to bind and then back it off a bit. The nut pulls a wedge between the ends of the shoes and opens them out to operate them, a bit like the brake cable does. As Trailer Guy says, if you take up the slack using the brake cable instead then it affects the anti-reverse operation on that type of shoe.

I will try that & see what happen,s

[Trailer Guy]

Spot on Erin. If you've got Knott brakes (likely) then there'll be an adjuster nut on the back / inside face of your backplate, probably near the top.

You'll need a 17mm spanner (ratchet one's useful, if you have one of those) or a 3/8" ratchet and 17mm socket.

With the handbrake off, coupling head pulled out to full extension (forwards), wheels up off the deck, and your cable adjustment corrected as previously discussed, do the adjuster up (i.e. clockwise) until you can't turn the wheel anymore.

Only turn the wheel in a forward rotation! (if you start adjusting and turn it backwards you'll engage the auto-reverse function).

Then slacken off the adjuster nut by two full turns (i.e. 2 x 360 degree anti-clockwise revolutions).

This should be about right. Obviously, there's variables - amount of meat left on the shoes, surface pitting on the drums etc etc, but that should see you ok.

Happy fiddling

PS. C-NUMB - you've got Alko brakes, so you have a star wheel adjuster. Do the same as above, except you should find a green blanking plug on your backplate (which may have fallen off over time!). In fact, you should see two - one is near the outer edge, this is to check how much pad is left on your shoes and one slightly further in towards the centre, this is the adjuster one - which is the one we're interested in. If the green plug's still there then pop it off to reveal the adjusting hole.

Use a small, flat bladed screwdriver and adjust the star wheel in the direction of the arrow and letter 'C' stamped next to the hole, until you can't move the wheel in a forward direction (same as above - don't turn it backwards!), then adjust the star wheel so it releases the wheel and it can turn freely. Hopefully that should be yours sorted too.

[Chris]

Having just done a load of Alko Drums I can offer one piece of advice that an Alko engineer gave me a while back.

At the ends of the cables that go into the bracket on teh axle put some small zip ties around the cable just where it comes out of the rubber gland.

After you have set all the adjusters on the drums as described above then put on the handbrake and check the zip ties in relation to the rubber glands to see how far the cables have come out of the glands. Ideally you want them all the same and coming out about 8-10mm. If any are coming out to far then go back that drum and open up the shoes a bit more with the adjuster or close them up if the cable is moving less than 8mm.

Once you have done this take the trailer for a spin then come back and recheck / adjust. Having done this on all my previous trailers and the current one I have always ended up with perfectly balanced brakes...

I now leave yellow zip ties on the cables all the time so that I can occasionally and easily check to see how much wear on the shoes.

My one piece of advise on trailer brakes is strip, re-grease and rebuild every 6 months. Leave it a year and you will be breaking out the heavy artillery !

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Chris

Having just done a load of Alko Drums I can offer one piece of advice that an Alko engineer gave me a while back.

At the ends of the cables that go into the bracket on teh axle put some small zip ties around the cable just where it comes out of the rubber gland.

After you have set all the adjusters on the drums as described above then put on the handbrake and check the zip ties in relation to the rubber glands to see how far the cables have come out of the glands. Ideally you want them all the same and coming out about 8-10mm. If any are coming out to far then go back that drum and open up the shoes a bit more with the adjuster or close them up if the cable is moving less than 8mm.

Once you have done this take the trailer for a spin then come back and recheck / adjust. Having done this on all my previous trailers and the current one I have always ended up with perfectly balanced brakes...

I now leave yellow zip ties on the cables all the time so that I can occasionally and easily check to see how much wear on the shoes.

Good tip Chris

[hadd]

Originally Posted by Chris

Having just done a load of Alko Drums I can offer one piece of advice that an Alko engineer gave me a while back.

At the ends of the cables that go into the bracket on teh axle put some small zip ties around the cable just where it comes out of the rubber gland.

After you have set all the adjusters on the drums as described above then put on the handbrake and check the zip ties in relation to the rubber glands to see how far the cables have come out of the glands. Ideally you want them all the same and coming out about 8-10mm. If any are coming out to far then go back that drum and open up the shoes a bit more with the adjuster or close them up if the cable is moving less than 8mm.

Once you have done this take the trailer for a spin then come back and recheck / adjust. Having done this on all my previous trailers and the current one I have always ended up with perfectly balanced brakes...

I now leave yellow zip ties on the cables all the time so that I can occasionally and easily check to see how much wear on the shoes.

My one piece of advise on trailer brakes is strip, re-grease and rebuild every 6 months. Leave it a year and you will be breaking out the heavy artillery !

Nice one Chris , I will give it a go at the weekend & let you know how I get on

[hadd]

Originally Posted by Chris

Having just done a load of Alko Drums I can offer one piece of advice that an Alko engineer gave me a while back.

At the ends of the cables that go into the bracket on teh axle put some small zip ties around the cable just where it comes out of the rubber gland.

After you have set all the adjusters on the drums as described above then put on the handbrake and check the zip ties in relation to the rubber glands to see how far the cables have come out of the glands. Ideally you want them all the same and coming out about 8-10mm. If any are coming out to far then go back that drum and open up the shoes a bit more with the adjuster or close them up if the cable is moving less than 8mm.

Once you have done this take the trailer for a spin then come back and recheck / adjust. Having done this on all my previous trailers and the current one I have always ended up with perfectly balanced brakes...

I now leave yellow zip ties on the cables all the time so that I can occasionally and easily check to see how much wear on the shoes.

My one piece of advise on trailer brakes is strip, re-grease and rebuild every 6 months. Leave it a year and you will be breaking out the heavy artillery !

Just managed to get my brakes sorted on the trailer today, i've done everything you said chris & now they are working fine thanks for the tip mate,cheers Andy.