Locked drum

[timo]

Hey all, picked up a 73 CJ5 , and can't roll it off trailer due to a locked front drum.
Suggestions to break it loose without breaking the brakes?
I removed hubs, squirted some deep-creep, hammered "gently" with a twenty pound sledge (and a hardwood block) and the drum will now nudge forward and back, in and out...i suppose I could try crank engine and drop the clutch but it hasn't run in decades (60k miles) and its hard to work on stuff up on the trailer.

 

[caveman]

You may have to get a pry bar into the adjustment slot and pry the adjusting screw out of place. It won't go easy but can be done. Usually just beating on the drum and working it back and forth will break the rust bond that usually happens when they sit too long. I would throw the wooden block back on the wood pile and just use the big hammer. Those break drums are harder than you think. If every thing is that rusted, Then you should be buying all new break parts any way.

 

[HackFabrication]

Gotta ask: How did it get up on the trailer? Drag it on with a winch? If that didn't break loose the brakes, then I would go with tapping/smacking the drum with the BFH. The shoes are probably 'frozen' (rusted) in place

PS: Wear a respirator mask and eye protection.

 

[Hedgehog]

Possible solution for yeah. In a drum brake there are small bumps on the backing plate that the brake shoes or lining rides on. On vehicles as old as our CJ's the shoe often has warn ridges into those bumps that the shoes catch on. It would be easy enough to remove the brake shoes and polish the ridges smooth. Sometimes they have actual holes warn in the backing plates. These plates are hard to come by, so simply replacing them is not the answer. Weld'em shut and polish the weld smooth so the shoe can once again ride smoothly on the bump.

If I were you the first thing I'd try is simply slamming on the brake pedal a few times, this might loosen the shoes. If that didn't work have a buddy crawl under the jeep and hit the backing plate with a hammer while you aggressively exercise the brakes. This might loosen thing up.

Of course the real answer is to remove the wheel and look at your brakes. If you can't remove the wheel on the trailer attach a strong chain to the rear of the frame and drive the trailer out from under the jeep, essentially drag the darned thing off and then deal with the brakes.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Can you turn the star-wheel brake adjuster to back the shoes off from the drum?
LG

 

[timo2]

Used a back hoe to load onto trailer...this thing has not rolled in 29 years!
Kept spraying deep creep and hammering on drum with sledge and large slide hammer until springs and pins started to fall out. Drum is now off, and the Heep is on terra firma. Adjuster frozen, lines rusted out so no pedal-this thing languished its entire life in the Big Corkscrew....it has some sentimental value to me, hence the desperate attempt of resurrection and resuscitation! BTW only 60k on it...hoping drivetrain is still ok.

BTW how does one contact an admin here? It reports the "contact us" form email is disabled. I received no email from admin after registering. I had major issues registering (I am unable to log in with first account "timo" so created a second "timo2" with my other email account, and no, i did not forget my password). Can someone here help me out? Thanks! BTW have much experience as admin and mod on other sites, i"m thinking there are big bugs on the registration page.