Hello everybody. First use of caravan this weekend-great short stay in Kessingland. Delighted to find everything in working order despite the harsh winter-two bottles of tonic had exploded in the cupboard presumably when they froze solid (note to self: drink ALL the gin and tonic this summer) but other than that no bother.
On the way home though, travelling on A14 at 60 mph and over an hour after setting off, there was a sudden tug on the tow bar without warning. By an incredible stroke of luck, we were only 200 yards from a layby. When I checked the van, the brake lever was fully off, but one of the nearside wheels on my twin axle Elddis Crusader Sirocco 2000 was smoking. A quick response from a local breakdown company (arranged through Insurance Choice-cheap and efficient and I would recommend them) and a friendly mechanic removed the offending wheel and brake drum. Inside he found that one of the brake linings had come detached from the shoe, and had been carried round inside the drum to lodge between the opposite brake shoe and drum-hence the sudden braking effect. The brake shoes are a mess, but because the incident occurred so close to a layby and I was able to stop almost straight away, the drum and backplate are undamaged.
I've looked in the Haynes Caravan Manual (John Wickersham) and I'm put off doing what should be a simple replacement of all four sets of brake shoes by the one-shot hub nut, and John's advice that getting the right torque setting with a "normal" torque wrench is (a) critical, and (b) impossible because it "requires a special tool". The brake assembly itself is almost identical to many car drum brakes I've repaired over the years.
What do you think? Should I have a go or leave it to the local dealer, and how easy is it to get the necessary parts?
Thanks for any help or advice.
On the way home though, travelling on A14 at 60 mph and over an hour after setting off, there was a sudden tug on the tow bar without warning. By an incredible stroke of luck, we were only 200 yards from a layby. When I checked the van, the brake lever was fully off, but one of the nearside wheels on my twin axle Elddis Crusader Sirocco 2000 was smoking. A quick response from a local breakdown company (arranged through Insurance Choice-cheap and efficient and I would recommend them) and a friendly mechanic removed the offending wheel and brake drum. Inside he found that one of the brake linings had come detached from the shoe, and had been carried round inside the drum to lodge between the opposite brake shoe and drum-hence the sudden braking effect. The brake shoes are a mess, but because the incident occurred so close to a layby and I was able to stop almost straight away, the drum and backplate are undamaged.
I've looked in the Haynes Caravan Manual (John Wickersham) and I'm put off doing what should be a simple replacement of all four sets of brake shoes by the one-shot hub nut, and John's advice that getting the right torque setting with a "normal" torque wrench is (a) critical, and (b) impossible because it "requires a special tool". The brake assembly itself is almost identical to many car drum brakes I've repaired over the years.
What do you think? Should I have a go or leave it to the local dealer, and how easy is it to get the necessary parts?
Thanks for any help or advice.