Trailer Brakes

About the important piece of kit under your Cape Cutter 19 when on the road.....

Trailer Brakes

Postby Chris Wicks » Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:38 pm

Hi, I have a UK Honnor Marine trailer. It is only used once each spring and autumn for seasonal launch and recover. The road journey from my regular launch site is only about 10km, albeit with a 400 meter drop in height hairpin bends etc...

Last year I found the brakes had seized. Before that I only thoroughly hosed down the trailer after salt water immersion. But how do you hose down the brake internals without stripping the hubs?

I replaced the brake cables with new ones from HM (now in stainless steel aparently). I put the brakes back together and they worked sufficiently, but not correctly, one side is operating much more than the other. Should they not self adjust when in use.

Now I'm about to recover for the winter. I shall probably jack up the trailer (with boat loaded) and wash out the drums, but it's a difficult job if not really necessary.

Can anyone offer some good practice guidance to cover these issues.

Thanks

Chris

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Postby Dennis » Thu Oct 15, 2009 5:06 pm

Hello Chris

My HM trailor has a hub (brake) flushing system. A pipe is permanently fitted to each hub and terminates (via a tee piece) at a hose connector on the chassis forward of the nearside wheel. You simply connect a garden hose after a (salt water) dunking to flush the hubs out.

It is probably contacting HM to see if the system can be retro fitted.

Cheers

Dennis
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Trailer Brakes

Postby Simon Head » Fri Oct 16, 2009 5:19 pm

I have a HM trailer.

The best thing to do- even if you have a flushing system (I do not but flush the hubs out once launched) is once you have launched in salt water, park the trailer but DO NOT put the handbrake on (chock the wheels). I learned this lesson in Scotland-the brakes seized even after a flush out- fortunately by rocking the trailer to and fro with my truck I managed to free it off.

Since I have adopted this method I have never had a problem.

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Postby Chris Wicks » Sat Oct 24, 2009 2:47 pm

Hi,
Thanks for the suggestions. I have now serviced the trailer and recovered the boat to my driveway for the winter.

Firstly after a good soaking of WD 40 the brake self adjusters worked following successive operations of the hand brake. This reset the shoe adjustment correctly after I fitted the replacement brake cables. Before applying WD 40 (via the brake back plate flushing holes) I made sure the brakes were 'on' to avoid contamination of the braking shoe surfaces. I applied w/p greece to the exposed cable ends, repacking the rubber caps that protect the cables.

After immersion I applied the hose to the flushing holes with the wheels chocked and hand brake off. After they dried thoroughly, I re applied the brakes and generously deployed WD 40 through the flushing holes. Then every now and then I release and reapply the hand brake during the winter.

Hopefully that should do it!
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Postby Dennis » Sat Oct 24, 2009 7:32 pm

Hello Chris

I am pleased that you seem to have it sorted.
I never(?) leave the trailer parked with the handbrake on for the reasons you have experienced. I would rather the brakes siezed off rather than on. My previous boat trailer was a bugger in this regard ( a Winkle Brig sitting on an Indespension Hallmark Roller Coaster), many is the time I have had to shunt the trailer back and forwards with the car to release the brakes, even though the trailer had been parked with the brake off.
I am hoping for better things from my HM trailer.

I also have just removed my boat from the water for the season and I am in the process of emptying it prior to putting it in storage for the winter.

Looking forward to next season already.

Cheers

Dennis

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Postby David Hudson » Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:48 pm

With cars, "the hand brake off, leave in gear," generally solves the problem: or in the case of a trailer, hand brake off and leave the wheels well chocked, especially during the winter.
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Trailer Brakes

Postby Sarah » Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:49 am

I was curious if anyone has installed electric brakes on a trailer before, and if so how difficult it was. The real issue I can see with my trailer is that it has mobile home axles rather than honest to goodness trailer axles, so I am not even sure it would be possible.
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Replacement trailer brake shoes

Postby Chris Wicks » Wed Sep 18, 2013 3:37 pm

Several years have passed since I replaced the seized brake cables on my HM trailer. I have followed all the advice given above and have had no problems... Today in preparation for taking Kaliope out of the water for the winter I decided remove the brake drums and inspect the brake shoes. The brakes have never worked properly since I replaced the cables years ago... The drums came off OK. But I found one brake shoe with detached friction material from the metal shoe. The other 3 brake shoes are all partly unstuck... I phoned a local boat dealer and trailer manufacturer to find Al-co parts are not available in Greece. I doubt I'll get them here in time so I have glued the detached friction material to the shoe and put it all back together for now. I don't trail Kaliope other than on local lanes in second gear at 10mph back home for the winter, so I'm not too worried about road safety.
I need to get the correct shoes so will ask HM to supply them I guess. But I don't know why the brakes have not worked correctly since I replaced the cables years ago. There are self adjusters which I guess are not working. The hand brake does operate the brakes on both sides, they just don't really retard the trailer much!! Any advice on the above please??:confused:
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Postby Dennis » Wed Sep 18, 2013 5:48 pm

Chris Wicks wrote: The hand brake does operate the brakes on both sides, they just don't really retard the trailer much!! Any advice on the above please??:confused:


Hello Chris

Possible contamination of the brake linings with WD40 ?

Just a thought, bearing in mind your earlier post.

The type of useage you are giving the trailer is also most likely a factor. I assume that after you launch (in the spring) that you tow the trailer the short distance back to your residence. This will be presumably uphill thus not requiring much action by the brakes after a dunking in salt water. This could allow the brakes to become stuck in the off position due to corrosion in the moving(?) parts.

Is there any sign of corrosion?

I know that I am tempting providence by saying this but, after five seasons use my HM trailer is still performing perfectly. Brake performance is good and use of the handbrake has never resulted in the brakes locking on.

I am surprised that ALKO spares are not available locally, as ALKO are (I believe) the largest manufacturer of caravan chassis/axles in Europe. It might be worth checking caravan dealers/workshops.
Cheers

Dennis

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Postby Chris Wicks » Sun Sep 22, 2013 11:09 am

Thanks for the suggestions. I doubt it is the WD40 because after flushing I always let them dry, then applied the hand brake then the WD40 then 24 hours later released the brake. I suppose the lack of use of the trailer is the biggest factor. The actual moving parts of the brake inside the drum were all in good clean working condition... and they moved... But good suggestions. And Dennis, may you brakes never seize... I reckon you will be OK because unlike me you sound like you are properly mechanically minded!

Cheers:D
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