Drum Brake Modification

Has anyone ever heard of drilling drums so that water can drain and water can be sprayed into the brakes so that they can be flushed?

Re: Drum Brake Modification

I would not recomend drilling into a casted drum especially numerous times if @ all just asking for stress cracks and or large pcs, breaking off the drum!!

Re: Drum Brake Modification

if you use the flush kits that are available, you can use a hole that's already in the backing plate. NO need to drill the drum.
If you really want them to last, when you put on new backing plates with all the hardware, take the pushrod out of the wheel cyl, and pack synthetic brake caliper grease under the rubber boot. If you really want to go all the way, seal the edge of the boot all the way around and where the pushrod enters it with 3m 4200. Then grease up the adjuster threads with OMC triple guard grease. If you keep water out of where the piston is, and fill that area with grease, and grease up the adjuster threads, you have eliminated the 2 main reasons why drum brakes fail and lock up....
the flush kits to clean out the salt water but do not help with the 2 areas above that I mentioned....

Re: Drum Brake Modification

Throw away the drum breaks and put on disk

Re: Drum Brake Modification

^+1 Roger that! Drums aren't worth the hassle compared to discs.

Re: Drum Brake Modification

Although disc brakes are much easier to service, the caliper can and will freeze up from salt damage in salt water if you do not do regular maintenance to clean out salt crystals and pack the area around the caliper piston with grease. Disc brakes are more prone to overheating on steep hills than drums on a surge system because the only thing that will release the brakes in a disc system is the return spring in the actuator and the inner seals in the caliper pistons. Drum brakes have stiff springs to release the brakes. I have read all the supposed advantages of disc brakes but if for a surge system, the constant drag of the caliper and pads due to the surge actuator constantly activating down hills is a problem. Now with electric over hydraulic brakes you would not have this problem, but that increases costs quite a bit.

Re: Drum Brake Modification

the constant drag of the caliper and pads due to the surge actuator constantly activating down hills is a problem.

Thats kinda the point. you realy dont want the boat pushing you down a hill . As with any thing if you dont take care of it it will FAIL..
I have removed more DRUM brakes and replaced with Disk on trailers with in the first year due to Failure.