Rear Brakes Locking Up

[Anime]

I'm not from the South, Neither is the truck. This thing has been through lots of NY winters, Colorado winters, and some of the worst snow and ice storms in the country. Never had the slightest problem, even when the brakes were neglected and before I got around to everything.

If anything, rear drum brakes are BETTER for harsh conditions like winter driving and even off-road. Part of the reason they are still so common, especially on trucks, is that they are enclosed, and all the crud kicked up by the front wheels gets thrown at the rear wheels and brakes.

You sure don't want proportioning issues for winter driving. Good brakes are twitchy enough, even with the ABS there. Get a front/rear proportioning issue in slick conditions and it could send a vehicle into a spin or otherwise cause a loss of control.

My other issue with the drum brake on the disc axle would be whether it's strong enough to stand up to use as an emergency brake. Not that the foot pedal parking brake is a whole lot of help, but at least they're big enough to handle such use. Not sure if the tiny drum brakes on the disc axle would hold up or be much use at all.

 

[huntman58]

Two thoughts here.
one I agree with the smallness of the disk brake drum and its also why I have not done this swap out my self along with the proportioning deference also and after having some disk brake lock up and cit rotors on the rear of a car every winter I like the idea of a covered brake . I may now like in Calif but both the truck and my self are from Idaho first and the truck also was in Alaska were it first was sold before going to Idaho were I bought it back in 97.

Number two about this topic and this is for any one running with the e brake removed or disconnected. You may think your okay now but things can change on you. As a youngster I removed the e brake on my first truck as it was in the way of something I wanted to mount there and I never used it (standard tranny) any way long and short of it was I was given a good lesson why there!

Lost the tranny on a small hill and had only the shoulder to stop / park on and it was on a curve. Well you got it I had nothing to hold the truck in place so it kept rolling down the small hill around the corner as I kept rubbing the guard rail hoping it would stop and hold the truck something it did not do. I also manage to blow a brake line (rubber hose at this same time Murphy’s Law) so I also lost my normal brakes. Let me tell you I wish I had never removed that E brake right then! From then on I have never remove another one or ever neglected one from then on. One time after that I had to use one but I was glad it was there and working when that need came. that first round coasted me a lot paying for the other auto as that truck rolled into traffic after I thought I had it stopped and had gotten out! . Ya it still rolled and I could not get back in it and if I had how was I going to stop it no brakes no e brake and no tranny!

So keep it hooked up and working as its there for a reason a very big reason that if that day comes you will be glad its there and working believe me!