Weird brake assembly.

[kamby]

Hello,

I just acquired a trailer off craigslist its a utility trailer but thought i would ask here. Its a double axle. When i pulled the drum off the brakes i saw a setup i never seen before the magnet is a giant ring. The rings in it are all wrong. The magnets and rings inside the hub seem ok. The shoes are 10"x2" which i cant seem to find anywhere and the magnet ring i never seen before either. While im not new to trailers i am new to this setup. Any ideas on what it is or where i can get parts for it the smallest shoes i can find are 10x2/14". Its not titled or anything so i dont want to put much into it until i get it inspected and licensed.

Here is a couple photos

Break shoes and spindle

Inside the hub / Drum

Thanks for any advice and info and have a happy new year!!

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

That looks like an old Warner style braking axle from an old camper trailer. They were common back in the late 40's to possibly the early 60's.
I have three of them still in use on my triaxle trailer.
I've seen several types of brake springs, yours looks improvised.

Parts are out there but it's a matter of mix and match in many cases. I've also seen those on some old horse trailers.

That appears to be a later version as the early one's used a single brake shoe which wrapped all the way around.

Try checking with a few older RV places or do a web search for old or vintage travel trailers.

 

[kamby]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

Thanks for writing quickly.

I heard different things the axle could be: boat axle, camper axle, and mobile home axle. The frame looks like an old camper frame, solid c chanel metal 2 5/16th ball older style ball clamp. Im gonna take pics but i am not sure if i can post my progress on here with it not being a boat trailer.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

Its not too likely that any of those made it to boat trailers, at least not by any manufacturer.
They weren't bad set ups, just different. The small magnet on a lever style used more conventional parts and was lighter which is most likely why it took off and the old style died out. Is there any sign of the coil voltage on that set up? I'd think that if it were old enough, it could have been still a 6 volt system. Keep in mind that 12 volt electrical systems didn't surface in most cars till the mid to late 50's. Most likely since it does use two brake shoes with modern hold downs, its probably a later version and uses 12v.
Those are the type of axles common on those old tear drop campers from that era.
That center magnet probably also wasn't as direct or didn't have the mechanical advantage that the magnet on the arm style does on more modern electric brakes too, most that I've seen like that were pretty well stuck or binding. I did have to special order bearings for pair of axles I had here of that era, mine was a 1957 camper chassis that had been turned into a car trailer. The bearings were available, just not a size anyone stocked anymore locally.

 

[kamby]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

Im not sure the voltage there is a small box on the front of the trailer that the wire runs into then one out of the box to the axle. Im running into the same problem with the LM12749 bearing which are in amazing shape so will just repack them. I can find them but they are spendy and not sold in a kit. I was kinda hoping a modern brake assembly kit would fit in it but i think the mounting holes are wrong and the shoes are too wide for the drum in that tight of area 1/4" is a lot. Thanks for all your advice, tips and info, i'll snap some more shots of the trailer.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

Those shoes look familiar.
Go to Autozone and get a set of rear brake shoes for an early CJ5 Jeep.
They are 10" x 2" and look to me just like that picture.
They might have more notches in the center rib for other stuff but they maight fit right in.
And if not you can take them back.

I went to Autozone website and 1973 and earlier (at least 10 years back) Jeep CJ5 rear brake shoes are 10"x2".

Here is a pic of what the spring(s) setup should look like:
http://books.google.com/books?id=kc...page&q=warner electric trailer brakes&f=false

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

The shoes may well be the same as on an early Jeep as they used Warner brakes for years, but the spring set up will be specific to trailer brakes. The shoes also have to contact the magnet's spreader bar or cam at the top. When the magnet is turned by the drum, that cam is what spreads or applies the corresponding shoe. Since these don't use an equalizing bar as on a car, they favor one shoe in each direction. Thus why the front shoe is always the one worn out.

You might even try NAPA auto parts as they probably still have a listing for these parts. I've gotten far older parts from them in the past. Sometimes they really surprise you. If not they may know someone that will stock them. An older RV dealer would also have access to these parts.

When I see those old set ups, I don't look at them as being all that strange compared to today's brakes, there were far stranger brake set ups out there back then.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

As old as that setup is, I bet the lining is riveted on.
Might hunt for somebody somewhere that will re-line the old shoes ?
If the steel is not rusted too bad.

 

[rbh]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

I think if you dissasemble the shoes from the coils/magnets, and clean them up you should find the mfg's name and a serial number.

 

[kamby]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

Hello

Thanks for all the responses and tips. I will try and compare the jeep brake shoes my closes napa is a good distance away, these are not riveted on and the shoes are falling off real easy. I didnt see any manufacture name or anything like that on the shoes.

For those that had to do a home made trailer title where did you take your trailer to get a certified empty weight. About all i can think of is the near by truck stop.

Here is some more photos, a lot of the metal on the front is gonna get cut off and ground down. 2 more cross beams are going to get added for another anchor point for the decking, and a fresh coat of paint, lights, dot stickers, and wiring.


Here is the front coupler (need to figure out how to tighten it, it fits sloppy on a 2 5/16 ball)

Over all shot

Old actuator box

Side shot

Leaf Spring shot

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

If you look up into where the ball fits into the coupler there should be a large square nut.
Tightening that nut will adjust how tight the coupler fits on the ball when the latch is engaged.
Might take a few days of soaking in PB Blaster.
You might get a weight slip at your local bulk feed, bulk farm supplies and/or fertilizer, bulk landscaping supply, etc. also.

You might also want to eyeball compare the leaf spring eyes to see if new eye bushings are needed. If you look at the center of the eyebolts and compare the bolt center to the other parts that the bolt goes thru, you can tell if the bushing is worn pretty easy.

 

[indy440]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

I've seen several types of brake springs, yours looks improvised.

i lol'ed when I read that...

thanks.

 

[kamby]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

i lol'ed when I read that...

thanks.

I did too when I read that. Going by the article from pop science I'm guessing is in the 70's the trailer was made. I can find shoes from a 73 Ford fairlane right size but the notches are setup for hydraulics otherwise right fit and hole spots. I'm gonna give a couple trailer shops a call. No one had the breaks for the willys jeep size


Thanks

 

[cr2k]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

If the metal of your brake shoes is ok, look up friction materials in the yellow pages. Most shops can grind off and re cement lining to your old shoes.

If not a nut under your hitch, the little bolt behind the latch may loosen up and slide forward to tighten. I have seen both ways.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Weird brake assembly.

You can try a truck brake shop, many can do custom linings on the spot but the right fix would be to glass bead and repaint those shoes, as well as reline them.

The big difference in those springs will be where the magnet's cam makes contact with the shoes. You sort of need to find a trailer supply that has those parts just to get some new springs. I've seen those with twin upper springs as well as a single spring connecting both shoes across the top.

NAPA Auto parts used to have a picture ID book to compare shoes and different features, you might want to try looking through such a book with one of those shoes in hand to see what they correspond too. They are most likely from something automotive, it just may be really old. Getting them relined locally may just be the easiest way to go about it.

I don't doubt that someone still makes or stocks those shoes, its just going to be a matter of finding them. I looked in all three of my trailer parts catalogs, none of the regular suppliers list those shoes but they list the shoes by brake types, and that center magnet style is just no longer listed.
Here's a link to some sources: http://www.ccis.com/home/mnemeth/rvsalvage.htm
If not look locally for a camper dealer that's been there for a while or one that does repairs. They will have most certainly dealt with those older brakes. Airstream may be one dealer to check as they tend to keep up on parts availability for older models.