So I brought the frame and axles back from the cabin to start adding things like an engine and transmission...

And I remembered a problem that I had when I parked the chassis out there, but the problem is not what I thought it was at the time.

I can rotate all the hubs easily by hand.  With the brake drums on, they're only very slightly harder to turn--the difference is more in sound.  But when I put the wheels on and tighten down the lug nuts, they're quite hard to turn.  (I can turn them, though.)  Previously, I had thought that the drums were too deep and this was causing them to contact the backer plates.  But now I'm reasonably sure that this is not the case.

So what is going on?  How can tightening the lug nuts make it harder to rotate the wheels?  Any ideas?  Or is this just normal and will loosen up when it gets on the road?

Thanks,

-Paul

Sorry--should have given more info...

Almost everything on the brakes is new--using the kit from Walcks.  The brakes are the aftermarket style where the drum mounts outboard of the hub.

I forget how I originally adjusted the brakes--it was a while ago.  But they are currently loose enough that I can slide the drums on and off fairly easily.

-Paul

If it helps, here's a picture of the brakes after I assembled them and before they went on the axles.

Tried the spray paint.  The only rubbing I can see is on the surface of the drum where the pads rub.  I tried to avoid getting much paint on that surface, but there was some and it's wearing.

Can the adjustment of the brakes change when tightening lug nuts?  I can't see how...

I've tried adjusting one of the brakes to see--but the same thing happens when the upper adjusters are as loose as they get.  I can't get the anchor pin adjustment at the bottom to move at all--is that normal?  The locknut is fully loose, but the anchor pin won't move.

I think I'm going to pull one of the brake assemblies off and have a look at at it.

-Paul

My only guess, and it's a guess, is that the linings are too wide....can you measure them?

I don't have a brake shoe handy to measure and check against....and I'm sure you have the book measurement of 1.75"...

They would not have to be off by much...

And maybe post a picture of the hub and drum....

You could try to call or email Carl and see if he has a suggestion....

The linings seem to be about 1.77" and the metal part is around 1.80".  So they do seem a bit wide, but the don't seem to be contacting anything they shouldn't be.

Just for the heck of it do the same thing without the drum, it may be something completely stupid that everyone is missing.

specialty wrote on 07/14/16 at 13:37:56:


Not yet.

The brakes are loose if there's no drum on them, so the problem is the drum or the pads.  I still can't figure out why it only happens when the lug nuts are tightened.  The drum will easily rotate before the lug nuts are tight.  I can see this being an issue if the drum was too deep and being pulled onto the backer plate, but there is no evidence the backer plate is being contacted.  And there's no way the pads are hitting the front surface of the drum, either.

On one wheel I managed to loosen off the brakes (both top and bottom adjusters) and the wheel spins over part of its travel and binds on another part.  Makes me thing the drum is not quite true...  I've only tried loosening the adjustment on two wheels.  On the other it didn't help at all.

I'll be pulling the drums off in the next day or two so I can move the chassis more easily.  And I'll retrieve my old drums from the cabin on the weekend to see what happens with them.

-Paul