Saltwater vs road salt on tow vehicles brakes-gctid811293

[CptCrunchie]

I hope I have this in the correct section.

I am not a car guy, so I could really use some help.

I have yet to extend my boat trailer hitch so my truck wouldn't have too back in so far. Well, when we splashed last Saturday, as I was backing it down the ramp, my truck brakes banged and jumped, and did some strange kind of grinding noise. I thought that sinking about 4" of the brakes had seized them, and possibly one or two if the springs had broken.

I took them apart today.



While they are definitely rusty, everything is where it is supposed to be, there is lots left on the shoes, and the inside of the drums where the shoes ride are as smooth and shiny as a mirror. I don't get it. The front has discs and they are in excellent condition, but the sounds are coming from the back wheels. Any thoughts?

Also, I removed two of the rubber plugs where the adjusters are. Should I replace them, or should I leave them off to let any water escape easier than out past the drum?



Which leads to my topic question: Is there any difference between what my brakes go through when the roads are salted and when backing into the ocean to launch the boat? Does one do more harm than the other, or are they about the same? Wish I could hose them off after each splash, but I'm not sure how.

[builderdude]

I'd guess a salt water bath is worse than road salt. The rubber plug keeps the road grime from entering that larger adjustment hole. Them suckers are pretty rusty, I'd do the wheel cylinders too.

[mwchase]

Its easy to hook a fresh water flush system up to any drum brake assembly, and cheap (about $25) as well. My boat trailer has a system that uses plastic hoses going to each brake assembly that flushes fresh water through the brakes to wash out the residual saltwater left behind after launching or retrieving the boat.

[CptCrunchie]

"mwchase" post=811314 wrote:
Its easy to hook a fresh water flush system up to any drum brake assembly, and cheap (about $25) as well. My boat trailer has a system that uses plastic hoses going to each brake assembly that flushes fresh water through the brakes to wash out the residual saltwater left behind after launching or retrieving the boat.

Wow! I need that for my truck! Might you have a photo to share? Did you buy it or make it?

[mwchase]

My trailer already had it installed, but when I re-did all the brakes I put all new hoses in since the old ones were starting to crack a bit. You can buy all the hoses and fittings at Home Depot for around $25, or buy a kit with everything marked up to twice that amount lol. Its really simple to install, just drill a 3/8" hole up high in the back plate of the brakes to insert the fitting to attach to your clear hose, then run that hose to a female hose fitting (that a garden hose can attach to) mounted to your frame rail, or if you're installing this on your truck just attach it under the rear bumper. I don't have any pictures of mine but here are a few links of the identical system I have.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tie-Down-...&wl13=&veh=sem

https://www.jamestowndistributors.co....do?docId=1062

[CptCrunchie]

"mwchase" post=811324 wrote:
My trailer already had it installed, but when I re-did all the brakes I put all new hoses in since the old ones were starting to crack a bit. You can buy all the hoses and fittings at Home Depot for around $25, or buy a kit with everything marked up to twice that amount lol. Its really simple to install, just drill a 3/8" hole up high in the back plate of the brakes to insert the fitting to attach to your clear hose, then run that hose to a female hose fitting (that a garden hose can attach to) mounted to your frame rail, or if you're installing this on your truck just attach it under the rear bumper. I don't have any pictures of mine but here are a few links of the identical system I have.

Simple system. Easy solution. Excellent! I can do that. Thank you.

I already switched my trailer from drum to disc brakes for this exact reason.

[hookemdano]

I had one of them brake flush setups on a prior trailer with drum brakes..BUT...they still rusted out and I finally just replaced them with disk.....the problem with that flush system is ya really dont know where the water is squirting the brakes nor how well it is being flushed...

with the disk brakes I can see where I am rinsing...and I also rinse my brakes after I launch the boat in the morning with a garden sprayer...otherwise it would sit all day with salt on the brakes...then rinse at home after retrieving the boat...this has/is working out great

sorry...I just re-read your post and I missed that ya where talking about your truck brakes...maybe if I had flushed the drum brakes after I launched in the morn...maybe they would have lasted longer? BUT...I never did till I got home using the garden hose hooked up to the brake flusher

[Redwngr]

I can't imagine that the rust in the picture is due to submersion 7 days ago.

[Alaskanmutt]

Washington uses salt on the roads? What the heck for?

Here they just spread gravel.

That almost definitely is from dunking not road chemicals.

[CptCrunchie]

"Redwngr" post=811573 wrote:
I can't imagine that the rust in the picture is due to submersion 7 days ago.

Who said 7 days ago? This is from 2 years of launching my boat in the briny. It just started acting up last Saturday, possibly before, but I only noticed it then.

[CptCrunchie]

"Alaskanmutt" post=811575 wrote:
Washington uses salt on the roads? What the heck for?

Here they just spread gravel.

That almost definitely is from dunking not road chemicals.

I grew up on the Canadian prairies, and they use sand and salt. I was asking which one was worse. I've had numerous cars and trucks and in all those years, lots of winter salted roads that were literally slush at -4C. While I rarely would do my own brakes, I've never seen them that corroded. Is there a difference?

[Redwngr]

"CptCrunchie" post=811589 wrote:

"Redwngr" post=811573 wrote:
I can't imagine that the rust in the picture is due to submersion 7 days ago.

Who said 7 days ago? This is from 2 years of launching my boat in the briny. It just started acting up last Saturday, possibly before, but I only noticed it then.

Original post was about 'splashing in last saturday and took it apart today'....

I guess we had to guess that you meant [strike]2 week[/strike]s or [strike]2 months[/strike] or 2 years or [strike]10 year[/strike]s......??????

[CptCrunchie]

"Redwngr" post=811605 wrote:

"CptCrunchie" post=811589 wrote:

"Redwngr" post=811573 wrote:
I can't imagine that the rust in the picture is due to submersion 7 days ago.

Who said 7 days ago? This is from 2 years of launching my boat in the briny. It just started acting up last Saturday, possibly before, but I only noticed it then.

Original post was about 'splashing in last saturday and took it apart today'....

I guess we had to guess that you meant [strike]2 week[/strike]s or [strike]2 months[/strike] or 2 years or [strike]10 year[/strike]s......??????

Seriously? What difference does that make? How about you simply look at the corrosion and figure it had to have built up for over a year or more. B)

That's all moot anyway. My question was if road salt soaking the brakes all winter would do as much damage as regularly submersing my hubs in 4" of saltwater. I thought they would both be about the same. Obviously they are not, and I was looking for opinions and options.

Besides, if I splashed on Saturday, why would I take it apart a week later unless I had a problem with it on Saturday? :S

[Jeffw]

Gentlemen, remember your mother's words... If you have nothing nice to say...

[builderdude]

Back to the breaks, did ya get them suckers rebuilt yet or you still fine tuning them drop fins? :silly: FWIW I've had a new set of rear shoes, drums, and wheel cylinders sitting in my shop for about 2 years now, not sure my rears are doing anything at this point inch: