frozen trailer brakes

If you're hooking to a dropped trailer, there's not much you can do to prevent...

If you are pulling the trailer & parking, there's a few tricks. First off, don't pop the red valve. Leave air supplied to the trailer. If the brakes aren't set, the shoes won't freeze to the drums.

If you are dropping a trailer and the roads are wet, you can ride the brakes...lightly apply them to put a little heat in the drums and dry them out.

If you're parking on home time, heat 'em up a little on your way into where you are parking, and then leave the brakes released while you sit & do your paperwork. Let them cool down before you set the trailer brakes.

Basically, you're trying to make sure wet shoes don't press onto a wet drum and then freeze. If you can dry them (with heat), it makes life easier. If you let the moisture freeze before the brakes set, they might still stick, but it won't be AS bad (unless it warms up, thaws, and refreezes)

 

Release trailer brakes, hit drum with hammer until you hear a 'ping' instead of a dull 'thud'.


No way to avoid it, just part of life.

 

first two post pretty well covered it.

only thing i would add is in a situation where you have been running threw loose dry powdery snow and your drums are full of snow heating them up only makes it worse as you you will actually make them wetter by adding heat but in rain or wet but not snow covered roads heating them up helps.

i will only pull the tractor brakes and once the truck looses air pressure it will set the trailer breaks for you, they will have plenty of time to to cool off and dry up before they set.

iv always used the hammer method to unstick frozen brakes. hit the drum not the shoe. sometimes if there not stuck too bad backing up a foot before pulling forward will break them loose.

 

If they are frozen internally, Heat (the brand) or air line antifreeze in the glad hands and pumping the brakes. I do this to all trailers I hook to when it starts freezing.

 

Spring brakes typically apply about 90 psi or so of pressure to the shoes .. If I hook up to trailer and a brake or two are frozen often by applying full brake pressure with the spike I can break the shoe loose if not out comes the hammer.. When dropping a trailer in winter I like to do my paperwork and whatever else I need to do then roll forward and backwards a few times that way everything has cooled down and it's less likely to freeze ... If it's a valve freezing you need to drain air tanks when you are in warmer climates or in a shop to get moisture out

 

I put methyl hydrate or air brake antifreeze in a spray bottle and keep er in my jockey. When I freeze up I give a few squirts and let the hammer if justice attack begin!

Jim the hammer shapiro! !!!!!!!!!!

 

if you are going to be beating on your trailer brakes make sure your tractor brakes are applied,truck drivers make really bad chock blocks. b safe out there oh yeah make sure trl brakes are not applied before beating