Urgent Help Needed Please!!!

[kay4]

Hello

We are hopefully going away later today, however, this is the first time since last Oct that we have used our caravan. It appears that the brakes/wheel have seized on. The handbrake has been off all year, we can turn the wheel backwards and when using the motormover it seems to fight against moving?

Any suggestions what to do would be most appreciated.

Kay

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

Make sure the tow hitch is not pushed in.

It could still be pushed back from reversing the van.

Make sure it is pulled out and see if pulling parking brake up and down free's up the wheels.

We never leave the parking break on when not in use.

Ria

 

[Darce]

Kay this happens regularly on my TA trailer - never on my caravan because I do not leave the break on! - but I think you have realised by now that leaving it on is not a good idea!! My trailer gets used infrequently.

Take a hammer and give a few good taps round the wheels - tap hard every inch or so round the wheel rim near the nuts (if you have alloy wheels you will have to take these off first and tap the drum) - Then try to move it. If not free tap harder!!

The taping frees the brake mechanism inside - and you may want to have the breaks overhauled ASAP.

 

[Darce]

Sorry Kay - when I say ASAP - I mean in the next month or so as a good clean and overhaul will get everything back to normal.

What I suggest above works every time we have a wheel jam on a trailer or on a caravan but the problem is usually a build up of rust on the inside of your brake drum.

A good tap with a trusty "tapometer" (hammer) sorts it out in the short term but taking the drum off and a good clean will be best of in the longer term.

If you look at a cars brake disc through the spokes of the wheel the morning after a rainy night you will see the disc is covered in rust. On a disc brake the rust just gets rubbed off as soon as you apply the brakes, but on drum brakes all the rust builds up and gets trapped inside.

So imagine how much rust builds up inside after months of storage?

REMEMBER TO CHOCK THE WHEELS AND HAVE THE BRAKE OFF WHEN TAPPING THE WHEELS! - YOU DO NOT WANT THE BRAKES SUDDENLY FREEING AND YOUR CARAVAN GOING WALKIES WITHOUT YOU!

 

[kay4]

Sorry Kay - when I say ASAP - I mean in the next month or so as a good clean and overhaul will get everything back to normal.

What I suggest above works every time we have a wheel jam on a trailer or on a caravan but the problem is usually a build up of rust on the inside of your brake drum.

A good tap with a trusty "tapometer" (hammer) sorts it out in the short term but taking the drum off and a good clean will be best of in the longer term.

If you look at a cars brake disc through the spokes of the wheel the morning after a rainy night you will see the disc is covered in rust. On a disc brake the rust just gets rubbed off as soon as you apply the brakes, but on drum brakes all the rust builds up and gets trapped inside.

So imagine how much rust builds up inside after months of storage?

REMEMBER TO CHOCK THE WHEELS AND HAVE THE BRAKE OFF WHEN TAPPING THE WHEELS! - YOU DO NOT WANT THE BRAKES SUDDENLY FREEING AND YOUR CARAVAN GOING WALKIES WITHOUT YOU!

Managed to get the wheels free and went away and had a great time. Thanks for your help.

Kay