Hi, My rear brakes seem to be sticking. Sometimes when I stop with my brakes and then try to use reverse, it just bogs down. I finally figured out it was the brakes. When it happens, I can put it in a forward gear and go okay. Then reverse works if I don't brake in between. Do I need to adjust my brakes? I tried to get into it this weekend to take a look, but I found that I needed a pulley puller to get the rear hub off. Is this the right plan?

All help appreciated!!

Thanks

 

I don't think you need a gear puller to remove the rear hub. I have had mine off after every run that I get into serious mud. There are some small slots if you look close on the outside cover ... they are for some sort of a flat pry device. Remove the small (10 mm I think) bolts around the cover and pry it off straight ... both sides at the same time. It is tight, but it will come off. Be careful as there is a large o-ring type seal between the cover and the mounting surface. It will seem fairly heavy too as the brake hub studs go out through that cover and therefore attaches the brake hub and cover as a single unit. Obviously you have to remove the axle nut as well and cotter pin to let the cover and hub come off the axle. The brake hub is inside the cover. The axle runs tightly into splines in the center of the brake hub. It is not necesary to separate the hub and cover assembly for normal maitenance and cleaning.

The book says this about new shoes:

NOTE:
If new linings are being installed, file off
the leading edge of each shoe a little
(Figure 37)so that the brake will not
grab when applied.

I take a bit off both the top and bottom edges with a mini grinder (lazy) and I have never had a problem with the brakes grabbing ... may just be luck. You may want to check and make sure the shaft going through the backing plate is free, which it likely is. It sounds more like the upper shoe is staying against the brake hub, or drum, (sticking on) for some reason. May even be a broken, or weak return spring ... could be just dirty who knows. Let us know what you find out.

Good Luck

 

Okay, I did get it off with a little prying and opened it up. There was minor dirt inside and a very small piece of one of the shoes had broken off. I removed it, thinking it was getting wedged in there and causing the problem. I cleaned everything inside with a wire brush and re-assembled. I ran it in the woods for a couple of hours and all was okay. The next time I started to unload it, the brakes were sticking again. I haven't opened it back up yet, but I'll bet I have more of the shoe crumbling off. If I do, I'm going to replace the shoes and do the file-off suggestion. aI'll probably get new springs too.

Thanks for the help. I'll let you know what happens next.

Terry

 

I just had a similar problem on a Yamaha. It was the shaft that sticks through the hub that spreads the brake shoes apart. I had to sand it down and grease it. Now the brakes seem fine. Good Luck!

 

newowner, gohl, is talking about the brake cam. It spreads the shoes to the outside when ever you put pressure on the hand or foot brake, for the rear. As I'm sure gohl and Wiley's know all too well, if you ride in mud alot, you have to take that part out to clean it along with the drum, springs, shoes and hub. When ever I put this brake back together, I use water proof grease on all the spines and mating surfaces. It's especially important to grease the cam and hole with this type of grease to prevent migration. I learned this trick from a Polaris owner, friend of mine. Wiley's, the brake linings I've been buying, already have the bevel cut on them. I will try to find out who the manufacturer is and post again.
Chuck