Rear brake adjustment

[Mad Mac]

Originally Posted by Jim/GA

That is what it sounds like to me.

Many people will really bang the table "do not adjust the brake rod lengths" but I have found that sometimes that is what you need to get the 4 wheels braking the same amount without having the lining drag when the brakes are not applied. Having said that, I have always replaced both left and right shoes/linings on an axle at the same time, never just one wheel. You may be making it harder on yourself than it needs to be.

Acting on Jim's advice, I have now tried adjusting the clevis on the brake rod. Unfortunately there is not enough adjustment available before the threaded rod bottoms inside the clevis. Even after tightening the clevis up to its fullest extent, the shoes don’t expand fully onto the drum, so there is still no braking action. This is very strange, as the re-lined shoes must be thicker than the old shoes which used less of the available clevis adjustment. I must be almost there, because pulling the service brake lever slightly forward stops the wheel when rotated by hand.