Replacing brake lines - Question 1: Remove Brake drum with Bearing Buddies

joe_nj

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jun 14, 2009
Messages
88
Hi,

I have a 1998 Karavan single axle trailer that I bought about 3 years ago. It has drum brakes with bearing buddies (and an Atwood drum brake actuator). (See photo of drum.) The brake line rusted through and broke near the right wheel. Most of the visible line is rusted throughout the trailer so I'm planning to replace it with stainless brake line.

Since there's a good chance that salt water got into the broken line, I figure that I will have to rebuild or replace the wheel cylinders. I want to take a look at them to decide whether to buy new ones which brings me to my question.

I've grappled with removed rusty brake drums before but never with these bearing buddies attached. There doesn't seem to be anything on the bearing buddy to grab with a wrench so I'm not sure whether I need to do anything special with them.

Do I need to remove the bearing buddies before I can remove the brake drum or will them come off together? Any tricks to removing them or removing the drum?

Anything else I should plan to replace while I'm at it other than brake shoes if they appear to need it?

I'm guessing it's going to be a nightmare to bleed these brakes once I get it back together.
 

Attachments

  • right brake drum 1.jpg
    right brake drum 1.jpg
    140.3 KB · Views: 0

Thalasso

Commander
Joined
Jan 18, 2011
Messages
2,876
Re: Replacing brake lines - Question 1: Remove Brake drum with Bearing Buddies

Take a rubber hammer and while turning the drum just tap on the buddy bearing and it will come off the same way a dust cap does. When you bleed the brakes get a clear bottle. Put a few inches of brake fluid in the jar. Get a clear rubber line that fits on the bleeder. loosen the bleeder and pump the actuator until there are no bubbles in the jar. Make sure you keep the reservoir full. You don't give what model of Attwood so i can't tell you how to release the breakaway so you can pump it to bleed the lines.
 

joe_nj

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jun 14, 2009
Messages
88
Re: Replacing brake lines - Question 1: Remove Brake drum with Bearing Buddies

Thanks!

I don't see a specific model number on the actuator. Instead it says the owners manual number is 84778 which means that the actuator model is one of the following: 82542, 82543, 83153, 83154. 6000 LB. GVWR, MAX. TONGUE LOAD 900 LB.
 

Thalasso

Commander
Joined
Jan 18, 2011
Messages
2,876
Re: Replacing brake lines - Question 1: Remove Brake drum with Bearing Buddies

Thanks!

I don't see a specific model number on the actuator. Instead it says the owners manual number is 84778 which means that the actuator model is one of the following: 82542, 82543, 83153, 83154. 6000 LB. GVWR, MAX. TONGUE LOAD 900 LB.

Page #3 of the manual. (Bleeding brakes)
 
Top