Here's 3 of the 4 bearings I've just replaced on my new to me car trailer. I think they've been well cooked! Kinda strange as there was no evidence of play or rumblings when doing the usual tests.
On purchase all seemed fine, handbrake held well so all must be good, right? Trailer is a quality brand and all seemed good until I noticed the brake compensator looked crooked on one side with the handbrake applied. I'd already performed a brake adjustment on the four wheels and all seemed good. One of the cables had been sawn into by the chassis as the protector on that side was absent, and the cable action wasn't great, so new cable ordered and fitted. I then found the cable on the same side as that with the new cable had significantly more travel than its adjacent friend which explained the ****eyed brake compensator. I'd been resisting taking the drums off because the stupid nuts on the Alko brakes are single use only and not exactly cheap at 30 odd quid a set. But the unequal cable travel indicated an internal problem, so in I went. Drum came off without a fight to reveal one brake shoe having no lining whatsoever, and no evidence of its existence except dust, and not that much! In for a penny and all that and the other three drums quickly removed to reveal in summary a total of 4 linings present of which one was fully detached and 4 MIA! Strange though as the brakes felt and sounded fine when adjusted up, how wrong could I have been! Having reached to point of no return and finding minor evidence of grease leakage from the sealed bearings, which didn't feel that bad, I pressed all the bearings out to find each thoroughly cooked, as pictured! Thankfully the drums were fine as we're the other components in the braking department so it all went back together and seems fine now, with the compensator in a happy place.
I guess there's a moral to this story and that's to not believe anything unless you've checked it out thoroughly yourself or someone else capable. This trailer had probably never been serviced properly and the brake linings can and will detach from the shoe at a certain age. How many have caravans that see no maintenance and are a breakdown waiting to happen? Be careful out there!
Chris
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