Locked Trailer Brakes

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GreekYiannis

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Help! My boat trailer went into the sea in November 2012. It has lain unattended ever since - but with the handbrake OFF. It's brakes and wheels are new(ish). But now the brakes seem to be 'locked'. What I mean is that the wheels won't turn and when I jacked one up and removed the wheel, the drum seems to go half an inch and 'clunks' to a stop. It's the same when I turn it in reverse. Does anyone know if there's an auto lock or something in there? Any other suggestions? Many thanks.
 
How are the brakes activated, cable or hydraulics? If cable, I would look at the fulcrum to see if it needs freeing off. If hydraulic, how actuated? Is the "plunger" stuck at the tow bracket end?
 
GreekYiannis said:
Help! My boat trailer went into the sea in November 2012. It has lain unattended ever since - but with the handbrake OFF. It's brakes and wheels are new(ish). But now the brakes seem to be 'locked'. What I mean is that the wheels won't turn and when I jacked one up and removed the wheel, the drum seems to go half an inch and 'clunks' to a stop. It's the same when I turn it in reverse. Does anyone know if there's an auto lock or something in there? Any other suggestions? Many thanks.
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Surprised that has happened with the hand brake off
Back off the adjustment if you can and set any reversing latch to allow reversing

Hitch up to car and rock back and forth.
That is how they usually release them in the boat yard......... but if they dont release they then just drag then along with the wheels locked.
 
Cable. Where is the fulcrum please? When i pull up the handbrake, the drums lock tighht and when i release the handbrake the drums free but won't go round weither way more that 1/2 inch.
 
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I have had this before a few times. Not usually all the wheels but certainly one or two of them, even though I have left it with the handbrake off. I usually managed to free them up by towing it backwards and forwards a little. Couple of time I had to bump it up and down a kerb at the same time. When I bought a new trailer I vowed never to dunk it. I sold it ten years later looking like new for pretty much the same money I paid for it.
 
GreekYiannis said:
I tried hitching and pulling and reversing but the wheels skidded both ways.
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Was there any weight on it?

Sometimes it works but generally doesnt on an empty trailer.

Why is it you can leave the hb off all winter, jack the trailer up, remove the wheels and yet they are still locked up solid the next time you use it..............:mad:

I suppose it is easier to plan the inevitable strip down before you want to use it.....
 
Try the cables going from the middle of the axle to the back of the brake plate , they rust soild and leave the brakes locked on . The last time you used it , it would have been backed in or the hitch would have closed when you last braked therefore pulling the brake cables on tight.
 
had the same with my trailer, handbrake off wheels won't turn, tried a lott.....only 1 solution after all, take off the wheel and wheel disc, spray wd40 into the cable tube, from the wheel end and from the handcable side, and make sure the inner cable can move easy.
with sand paper make the wheel disc smooth, also the 2 brake pads, clean everything, put some grease on the joints, and all works fine, but is is a little bit of work
 
I had a very nice 22ft power boat with a new Yamaha 225 on the back on a trailer which used to lock its brakes if not used for some time, fortunately this prevented some nasty b**st**ds from stealing it, as one day I went to the boat yard and found the wheel clamp cut off and the hefty hitch lock cut off which would need a diamond disc cutter. In front of the boat were two big holes where they had hitched it up and spun their wheels trying to tow it away, they very nearly got away with it.
So in future I always wound up the brake adjusters to LOCK the wheels so if they tried again it would never move, it just neede them unwinding and a smart blow with a hammer and it was ready to roll, I figured the few minutes of work were better than having it stolen.
Ironically I sold it to a mate and guess what, it got stolen!
 
Solved! Rust, our old enemy, was the trouble. I'd backed the trailer into the sea when launching the boat and then left it standing for months - not in the sea! On the quay. So it was my own fault that the brake shoes had rusted to the drums. When I got the drums off, I could see clearly where the rust had formed and the exact lines where the brake shoes were binding. So a good scrub with sandpaper, WD40 into the drums and a good scrub with emery paper, a wee rub to take off the leading edge, a good flush out of the bearings and new grease pressed well in and they all went back together (all four wheels) with ease. For good measure I also notched each brake adjuster back one notch. Silly of me to leave it like that, but I was exhausted after getting the boat into the water. Now I'm just exhausted from working on the boat.
Many thanks for all the tips guys.
 
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