Hi, my name is John and I'm hoping someone can help. My son and I went out riding in August and he got his 07 Rancher stuck in water over the tires. I realize now that we should have pulled the red drain plugs on the hubs but did not do so. The front and rear tires would not spin...I got the rear ones working now but the fronts are stuck. I removed the wheels and center hub but cannot get the drum or brake cover off. I'm assuming the axle must need to be greased and its corroded inside the hub...the bike has 125 miles on it. Any help would be greatly appreciated! John

 

WHAT??? You mean Honda's "Triple-Sealed" drum brake system didn't keep the water out? HEAVEN FORBID!!! (ok, I hate Honda for screwing so many of us with their drum brake systems on some otherwise great ATVs)

your bearings have probably seized, or the brake parts corroded and set up, or both.

Get a factory service manual from Honda for that bike, should run you about $30-35.

It will illustrate the pieces inside the drum that will need to be adjusted for you to be able to pull the drums off...basically you will back the pads off of the drum so that it will slip over them and slide off, if it's not corroded into place.

Whatever you do, do not spray a lubricant into the holes, as that will cause the pads to swell and will compound the problem.

Then look at Highlifter's website to see if they offer a disc brake conversion kit for your Rancher. I know they used to, and if you are going to keep the Rancher, it is well worth the money to get the better brake system. It bolts right into plce of the old drum system, and you can enjoy crossing streams and not have to worry about your brakes

 

Uhhhh....pretty confusing description! If your Rancher is really an 07 it is a 420 and it has DISK BRAKES in the front!!! Most likely it is the older 350, and you bought it in 07???? There should be a tag up front that tells the year, or check the VIN.

The 350 is full time 4X4 and the front and back are tied together. So if the back is frozen up, the front should not move either (or the other way around). If it is actually a 420, putting it in 2wd instead of 4wd will disconnect the front and back from eachother.

I don't know why some folks have trouble with their drumb brakes. My 350 is 10 years old and my 420 is 3 years old, and we do a lot of mountain stream corssings and it has never been any big deal.....

 

There should be nothing needs replacing at 125 miles. A stripdown and freeing out isall that's needed.
First - try backing off the adjusters on the brakes - 2 on each hub. Pull off the red rubber plug- shine a torch in the hole and rotate the wheel until you see the adjuster - with a flatblade screwdriver push the adjusters a few notches in towards the center. Do that 4 times, that is for each adjuster.
Its best if you can get all the wheels off the ground.
Otherwise any mechanic can free out the system as they are simple drum brakes It could be that the calipers are rusted slightly - but it is nothing major.Just a good cleaning and you are rolling.

 

My bike is a 2007 AT that can either be fully automatic or ES shift. Its the 400 not the 420 FI and can either be 2WD or 4WD. I already sprayed lubricant into the plugs...my bad. I'll look for the front wheel adjustors but cannot rotate the wheels or hubs. I appreciate everyone's help, thanks John. Happy New Year!

 

I need to remove the drum, do any bolts have to be taken out on the inside of the drum as I removed the wheel and other two bolts near the wheel studs. My shop manuel will not be in until the end of next week.

 

Still, thousands of units out there with drum brakes, that have never and will never have a problem. Got to be something unique that you did!

 

Have never and will never? Thats quite a statement!

Highlifter (a major player in the ATV aftermarket parts industry, especially the mudriding segment) would disagree with your statement Recon...and I doubt very seriously they would develop an entire replacement disc brake system for the Honda drum brakes if they were only planning on selling it to just a few Honda riders with "unique" drum brake problems. They developed it because they constantly dealt with the riders who were having the drum brake corrosion problems that Honda couldn't fix, and saw an opportunity to help solve the problem and make some $$$ too.

The FACT is that no matter how many seals you put around a drum brake housing, it is going to flood at some point if it is moving(turning) while immersed in water. I presume that if you are vigilant and constantly remove your wheels and hubs to check and replace the seals you may NEVER have a problem, but what a hassle to have to endure because Honda wanted to keep costs low. And remember that the more seals you have, the harder it is for the water to drain back out. So the water/mud/crap that is trapped in the drum works it's evils upon your brake components to the point of where they fail to work...just like mine did, and just like the multitudes of folks who Highlifter is planning on selling the conversion kits to.

It's a crappy low-budget design. Period.

Take a look at this site for more information

Dillon Brothers Motorsports | Highlifter Disc Brake Kits For Honda ATVs

The interesting portion from the ad (and the part for Recon to read first) would be the first sentence

•When Honda drum brakes are exposed to dirt and water, the units trap moisture, corrode, and therefore deliver substandard brake performance
•This disc brake conversion kit delivers superior, reliable performance because it stays cleaner and runs cooler
•Contains high-performance dual-piston calipers, pads, rotors, mounting brackets, hub spacers, new studs and all hardware
•For the following ATVs with 12” wheels: Honda TRX300 FourTrax 92-99 (except EX models), TRX350 Rancher (all), TRX400 Foreman (all), TRX450 Foreman (all), TRX500 Rubicon (all) and TRX650 Rincon (all)
•Rear disc brake kit requires mounting kit for each of the following models: TRX500FA/FGA Foreman Rubicon 4x4, 450S/ES Foreman 4x4 and TRX350/400 Rancher 4x4 (all)
•Optional rebuild kit includes four pistons, four ring piston seals and two O-rings
•Must be used with 12” rims

Interestingly enough, when I googled this info I also saw an ad from a guy listing an unused kit for the Rancher for $275...that would be quite a bargain I think.

Unfortunately, Highlifter's conversion kit doesn't apply to 2wd Fourtrax 300s...if it did, I would have bought it years ago

 

If it were mine, and I rode in conditions where I had a problem within 125 miles, I'd also suggest doing the disk brake conversion. Then you would just be done with it.

 

Thanks to all that submitted responses...I ordered the conversion kit last week for the front. I need to order the shop/repair manuel for this bike as well. I'm assuming the kit comes with some type of instructions as I cannot get the drums off. There are bolts on the inside that must come off as well. Thanks again...John