Advice on how to unfreeze trailer brakes

Always check for frozen brakes In the winter. Here's what I do if hooking to a trailer to check. Hook everything up. Release all brakes. See if truck rolls a bit. Put it in gear and move a touch see if you feel resistance. Look in your mirrors. Turn a little left and look. Turn a little right and look. If its dark just mark a line on the top of a 4 tires. Move a foot or two and see if your line has moved. No excuse for flat spotting tires.
I followed a guy about 10 miles down a snowy road that didn't have any tires turning on the passenger side.

Get a squirt bottle with antifreeze in it and spray a little on brake shoes before parking if they are wet and cold

 

I have had tractor slip on ice, set up as your describing. You have to be careful.

 

do none of these trailers have dust shields?

 

We seem to all be assuming we're talking about break linings frozen to brake drums. While this is typically the case for any truck who has an air dryer that works reasonably well, some issues may be the cause of water in a trailer brake system valve that is frozen. And assuming one condition, when the other may be the issue is an exercise in futility.

If 3 wheels sets are turning and one isn't, you have a frozen brake drum, easy fix with a hammer. If nothing wants to roll after several trailer supply air recycles, and it wasn't "wet" when you parked, you may well have a frozen valve, not so easy to fix ... or, you could have all four frozen up to the drums if it was a particularly wet situation when you stopped. It helps to know what the issue is before beating senselessly on all your trailer brake drums.

Point is, in trucking, many will assume one thing, but the one more common is not ALWAYS the case, so be prepared to consider a few different possibilities and understand the vast differences.

 

wait for it to warm up

 

It takes a few times , but the sound is different hitting brakes that are free then ones that are frozen . But yes if all are locked up , brake line antifreeze works, unhook the red line , hold it up as high as you can , pour it in the line and rehook the line. Release the trailer brakes, that will shoot the antifreeze through the system , repeat couple more times.
This will also prevent the valves from freezing in the first place. Hope this helps.

 

BTW for the new guys ... if you're going to get under your trailer to try and "beat the (or a) drum linings loose" ...
1: make sure you have the red trailer air supply button IN
2: make sure you have the yellow tractor brakes SET (button out)

The tractor brakes rarely freeze and stay locked up unless you have a frozen valve issue. If the drive drums freeze, the torque of the engine/drive train will break them loose. You don't have this aid on the trailer side.

This should go without saying, but more then 1 frustrated driver has managed to break the last brake drum free, only to have the entire rig begin rolling with him still under it. It does no good to try and free frozen brake linings while the brakes are set, they need the force of the air pressure (relaxing of the spring brake) to help "pop them loose" with the hammer, so make sure the equipment you're NOT working on has the brakes set!

 

When I encounter a frozen shoe(s), the first thing I do is put the truck in reverse, and while letting the clutch out to force rearward pressure, set your tractor brake. This maintains a rearward load on the frozen shoes/linings.
Then I build up my air pressure to governor cut out, then apply heavy brake pedal (~100 psi application pressure) and hold the pedal for a few seconds. Repeat a few times. Often this in itself will "stretch" the drums and "crush" the linings just enough to break the ice bond on the shoes/drums.
Even when it doesn't completely break the bond, when you get under there to whack the shoes with a hammer (tractor brakes set, trailer brakes released), they will usually break free without having to pound on them.

 

Yep, I carry a big sledge hammer with me and pound the hell out of the rim if they are steel and not alloy. If they are alloy I don't wanna beat them all up so ill crawl under and pound on the outside of the brake drum the best I can and eventually they let go.

 

Backing up works better because the shoes are designed to have the torque going forward, not backwards. They flex more easily going in reverse.

If that does not break them loose, no need for a big hammer or any pounding on expensive equipment, just take a flat screwdriver and put between the shoe and drum. Usually a light tap will knock them loose. Make sure the tractor brakes are set, and as stated not on an incline or ice. It will slide if loaded.

There is never a reason too flat spot a tire. I know drivers that have squared off several hundred dollars worth of tires all because they did not bother to look. If you can not turn to see if all are spinning, get out and look at your tire marks.

In Alaska, all the trailer tires have a white painted strip to be able to see them turning easier, especially at night.....