Surge brakes hot.......

I have a relatively new (2 yo)shorlander double axle pontoon trailer with surge brakes (drum)on the back axle only. Trailered the boat to the ramp about 35 miles away and launched the boat. Did not notice any problems. Later loaded the boat back up and drove back home. Again did not notice any problems. Backed it in the drive, and did not notice brakes hanging. However, when I got out of the car and walked to the trailer, I could smell hot brakes. Getting down and checking each wheel, no question, the brakes had been at least dragging. They smelled hot and the wheels were hot. On one of the wheels, the bearing buddies had lots of grease oozing out. The onther side was hot also but not as hot. It was still much hotter then the bearings on the axle without brakes. So I moved the trailer back and forth by hand and it seemed to roll with no effort or at least the brakes did not seem to be hanging.
Has anyone had a similar experience? Any help on what to look for or check would be greatly appreciated. Im pretty mechanically inclined, but have never had experience with surge brakes before.
Thanks!

Re: Surge brakes hot.......

Ayuh,... You just drove 35 miles,+ then backed up,....

Of Course the brakes are warm,... They've been Workin'....

Re: Surge brakes hot.......

Not warm, hot... as in greese is bubbling out of the bearing buddy and sizzling. They also had the burn't greese/oil smell on them that I have never smelled on these before.

We have used this trailer for 300 mile trip and the hub was never hot.

Re: Surge brakes hot.......

With trailer "at rest", jackup offending wheel.
You should be able to spin wheel with one finger on side wall.
You might hear/feel a slight brush of the brake shoe on the drum. Might even come and go if the drum is not perfectly round.
If it is not allowing you to turn the wheel with one finger on the sidewall, the shoe(s) may not be retracting like they are suppose to.
That might be from corrosion buildup on the backing plate surfaces that the shoes slide on.
Or a sticky wheel cylinder, or a weak or broken shoe spring.

Re: Surge brakes hot.......

Jack up the axle with the brakes and spin the wheel. Listen for any noise like the brake shoes dragging on the drum. If it's dragging at all, it will create heat. Back off the star washer adjustment a couple of clicks till the shoes are not dragging.

Another possibility, corroded brake wheel cylinders not allowing the brake shoes to fully retract.