I took my Trailer yesterday to see about getting the slack adjusters, cam bushings replaced and the mechanic told me that to do the brake job he would have to pull the wheel seal off to get to everything????

When I asked him why, he told me that my trailer was an older model and that to even change brake pads, this would have to be done (Replace the Wheel Seal) every time???????

He told me that the brake drum for this type cost a good bit more because it is made together with other parts, and not just a brake drum??

He told me that I have what they call a Inboard system and it had been phased out several years ago due to the problems that I now face of having to replace the wheel seal just to do general brake work.

Has anyone heard of this, and if so does this sound right.

 

Inboard drums were very common on older equipment. I hated to see them with a passion. In order to change the brakes you do have to change the wheel seal and it does suck. With an outboard drun setup a good mechanic can do a set of brakes in around 2 hours that being all 4 sets on a 2 axles trailer on a inboard drum figure on around 5-6 hours since you have to pull the hub and seals on all the axles then repalce the seals and PRAY like hell you do not damage a bearing knocking it out or cock a seal and damage it. Basically they suck to work on from a mechanics standpoint.

 

I never minded working on inboard drums. I actually prefer them to the outboards.

Why? Less lifting to do a brake job. Pull the hub cap, remove nuts, and slide the tandems, brake drum, and hub right off the spindle all in one piece with a wheel dolly. I could easily do a full brake job on a trailer in 1 1/2 hours, sometimes less if everything fell into place.

With the outboard drums, have to rattle the lugs off, remove tires one at a time, then get help or find a lift to slide the drum off. Sure, can lift a drum off myself but those puppies are heavy.

 

[quote="SilverWulf"]I never minded working on inboard drums. I actually prefer them to the outboards.

Why? Less lifting to do a brake job. Pull the hub cap, remove nuts, and slide the tandems, brake drum, and hub right off the spindle all in one piece with a wheel dolly.

The same thing can be done with an outboard drum system... if you can sell them a wheel seal. you don't have to pull the wheels off the hub

I could easily do a full brake job on a trailer in 1 1/2 hours, sometimes less if everything fell into place.

*in my opinion* ... an outboard system allows for a quicker shoe/lining swap... unless any problem is encountered, i.e. - seized lug nut, wheel seized on hub pilot, etc. then, it would have been quicker to pull the hub (and change the wheel seal)

With the outboard drums, have to rattle the lugs off, remove tires one at a time, then get help or find a lift to slide the drum off. Sure, can lift a drum off myself but those puppies are heavy.[/quote

the advantage of pulling the hub is that the wheel bearings will (can) be inspected. if the wheels/drum is pulled to do a brake job, the bearings cannot be inspected... should be an easy sell?

 

[quote="bob h"]Where I'm working now, even if a truck has unimounts with outboard drums, we pull the hub, check the bearings and install a new seal.

We've found that frequently the wheels seal doesn't last thru the life of another set of brakes, so we might as well just put in a new one at every brake job, rather than end up with a set of brake shoes covered in oil.

 

That's what I think too.

I don't see the point in "reusing" wheel seals either. If the hub comes off, the seal gets changed.

 

So, how do you go about changing the brake drum? Or are you one of those that thinks the drums can make it through 3 sets of linings? :roll:

 

you guys when you are talking inboard drums are talkin like the dayton style wheels???

 

Yeah, or the old type Budds with the inboard drums.

 

So I guess this guy was on the up and up with what he was explaining to me. Does the brake drums for this Inboard cost more than the outboard??


I think I asked him this and he said yes they were more expensive.