Brakes are haning up.

[Eric McCarthy]

Brakes are hanging up.

Went to go use my B6100 today and the brakes kept sticking moving around my yard and would not let go. The parking brake lever was unlocked, they were binding up so bad it would stall the tractor. I can't make heads or tails of this because the tractor has sat unused for only a week or so. I've been using it alot this year mowing yards with it and today was the first problem I've had.

I could head a metal on metal grinding, and it would pull to the right side a little bit harder. I replaced the shoes on the tractor like 3 or 4 years ago and I have little use on the. I hardly used the brakes at all when I'm doing tractor work, and seldom do I unlock the lever and use the brakes independently.

Sooo thoughts, theories and suggestions would be nice cause this has me stumped. I reckon I need to jack it up and take a peak at things tomorrow.

 

[skeets]

Eric are those external brakes, I had a cub that would gald up just sitting the linkage was so close that rust,,, corrosion,, would expand between the links and bind the brakes up,,, just a thought

 

[GWD]

Sounds like a return spring or linkage somewhere has failed or is binding. Before breaking out the wrenches it may pay off to trace the brake engagement path.

As you drove around did the brakes grab more as they heated up? That would seem to indicate that they weren't retracting from the drum.

The metal on metal sound is a bit odd given that the feeling is that both drums are hanging up. A loose shoe or broken spring on one side might cause something like that but the odds on both sides going at the same time is extremely small.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I kinda poked my head under the floor board and took a peek Friday when I first discovered the problem. I can't figure out why the right side would grab harder then the left. I guess something must be out of adjustment inside the brake housing area. When it drys up a bit and stops raining I'll take a further peek at it.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I putted around on it a bit today and still seems like they are stuck, still hard pull to the right. It's as if the parking brake is on. I havent had a chance yet to pull the wheel off. I was hoping it was sticking with rust and would work itself loose but does not seem to be the case.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Keep driving it around, they'll quit dragging shortly!

Pulling it apart now might be cheaper in the long run!

 

[Eric McCarthy]

What I can't figure out is sometimes if I ride forward and tap the brake it will stick and hang up to the point where it'll bog the tractor and shut it off. If I go to back up a little bit that will basically free up the brakes and I can roll forward again until I have to apply the brakes and it does it again. I dont know what would cause it to bind up so bad that it would stall the tractor.

 

[ck21084]

Sounds like a broken drum spring not pulling the drum back to center.

 

[GWD]

Sounds like a broken drum spring not pulling the drum back to center.

That was my thought in post #2. Could be a spring just slipped off its peg.

Anyway, it appears my buddy, Eric, is going to have to dig into the brakes. At least he has done it before so knows the steps.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

As soon as I can get a couple days of dry weather I'll pull the wheel off and take a peak at it.

 

[phildac]

Eric, I had a similar issue on my B8200 when I bough it. The slightest tap of the brakes and they would lock up hard, both sides. I took the covers off and cleaned the drum housing and all parts very well and then put it all back together with a little dab of anti seize on the top spreader pin and made sure all parts moved freely in both directions and now they work like a champ. Hope this helps.

Phil

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Well I finally got around to tinkering with the breaks and it appears as it had gunk and rust around the drum and axle housing like Phildac mentioned. Cleaned it all up and seems to work so far.

Damn near killed myself in the process too, like an idiot I was working off a bottle jack and not a jack stand. Tractor fell off the bottle jack and right onto my legs... had me pinned for a while til dad could pry it off me.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Damn near killed myself in the process too, like an idiot I was working off a bottle jack and not a jack stand. Tractor fell off the bottle jack and right onto my legs... had me pinned for a while til dad could pry it off me.

Darwinism just about scored again with that move.

I would hope it's a lesson learned!

And your lucky to still have legs and feet to be able to push the brake pedal.

 

[cabu]

Maybe it is a good idea not to by a bigger tractor...

We reach an age, when we are not so young to do stupid things, we do stupid things against our knowlage. And we knew it before, but didn't care. Maybe we want to look young again...

carl

 

[Eric McCarthy]

If you're going to be stupid you've got to be tough!!!

 

[hillbillyss]

if mechanical brakes it sounds like the rotator cam that pushes the shoes out is rusted.
if washed alot or in rain gettin wet rust will build up after time and prevent springs from
pulling shoes back in on linkage type brakes. reversing tractor will move shoes other
direction and release somewhat. hope this helps,keith