Brake drum interchange

[ford35lh]

Was given this trailer but have 2 days to move it 15 miles to my barn.
I decided to add some grease to the bearings as it would also carry a
pto generator. The tires were shot and one drum had a broken stud
and a second stud was turning.
I found another drum in the barn but the bracket at the top of the
plate won't allow the drum to go on.
Will the drum in the picture fit with the bearings if I remove the bracket ???

[cas3]

It might...If its a 35 or later backing plate, yes. If a 32 - 34 they are a narrower drum.
If no fit you could remove the whole backing plate and then it would go on. You have a later 46-48 type drum shown, What came off ?

[itslow]

That's a late hub and an early spindle. Unless it's a '36 spindle you'll need a spacer for the inner bearing.

Since this trailer does not utilize the brakes, you could remove the backing plate or remove the drum from the hub. The former would be easier.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by ford35lh

Was given this trailer but have 2 days to move it 15 miles to my barn.
I decided to add some grease to the bearings as it would also carry a
pto generator. The tires were shot and one drum had a broken stud
and a second stud was turning.
I found another drum in the barn but the bracket at the top of the
plate won't allow the drum to go on.
Will the drum in the picture fit with the bearings if I remove the bracket ???

[ford35lh]

cas3 : are you referring to the drum that came off ???
It was a one piece spoked drum.

[rich b]

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You could always knock the two bad studs out of the original drum, bolt the drum onto the wheel using two bolts in the bad hole, and then put wheel/hub assy onto the spindle.

I once had to move a broken thing and this worked.

[cas3]

Ford35, one piece spoked drum would be a 32-35 style. In 35 they got wider shoes which may make the backing interfere if you have the skinny 32-34 type. 35's have ribs around them, 32-34 are smooth. Rich B's method will get you home too

[ford35lh]

I had never seen a pre-35 drum before. Its at the top in the photo.
The 35' stop shorts of seating as the axle end is barely flush with the nut.
I have the torch ready to cut off the top of the backing plate.
Any reason to save it by cutting the bolts instead ???

Also, when I mounted a wheel the lugnuts tightened about half way on.
I did notice that the old ones had about 2 more threads and the later
ones had threads that started about 2 threads in(counterbored).
I think they will hold for the 15 mile trip at about 30mph.

[cas3]

Its getting confusing here, but I'l try to help. 1st, there is no photo of a 35 drum in your photo or Pete's enlarged photo. The drum in your pic is a late 46-48 type, drum inside the hub, and they also have ribs on the drum. A 40 to 46 ? drum mounts to the hub from the outside, and has no ribs. Both of the above are made for 1 3/4 " shoes, as are 35's.
32-34 has 1 1/2" shoes. This is why a later drum may bottom out on the backing plate of a 32-34, I've never tried it as I usually know what parts I am dealing with.

Now, hard to say because I still do not know what exactly you are trying to do, just an idea here, but the early drums made for wire wheels, 32 -35 have a rectangular bump near each lug stud to support the wire wheel. Folks who put the later 40 & up wheel on there would grind off that bump if they knew about it, or they just crank the nuts tight and wait for the wheel to crack around the lug area.

[Lanny]

ford35,,,you mention that the lug nuts don't stick through the lug holes far enough.
The '40-'41 Fords have shorter lug nuts than the '46-'48 Fords do.

The 1940-'41 wheels have a different taper in the lug holes than the 1946-'48 wheels.
My two pics below show the difference in '40-'41 and '46-'48 ford wheels.

Click on pictures to Enlarge.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Lanny

ford35,,,you mention that the lug nuts don't stick through the lug holes far enough.
The '40-'41 Fords have shorter lug nuts than the '46-'48 Fords do.

The 1940-'41 wheels have a different taper in the lug holes than the 1946-'48 wheels.
My two pics below show the difference in '40-'41 and '46-'48 ford wheels.

Click on pictures to Enlarge.

[ford35lh]

I ended up removing the backing plate, surprising the cotters came out
easily and all 4 nuts were removed with little effort. Didn't seem right !!
A little fresh grease and the load , a 15 mile trip with no glitches.

The photo shows the nuts I referred to; 3 missing threads and 2 with
almost no thread in the same area.
If anyone wants the backing plate or early drum they are free for the shipping.

[cas3]

looks like your trailer axle is a 32-34, and now you have a 35 drum on it. Glad you got it home.

[Terry,OH]

The original front drums and backing plates are one year 1935. Note the fins on the outside of the drum and the lower brake wedge bolt appears to have been bolted in place.

[cas3]

I was guessing the backing plate to be 32-34 due to the roller tracks used pre 35, back to model A's