MF 35 Utility right rear brake locking

littlebuddie · Apr 16, 2019

Hello!
Tractor has been sitting all Winter, yesterday I brought it out to go fuel up and the right brake locked up hard and fast but it would free-up until the next application. I am a 118 lb 67 y/o female so needless to say, I'd rather ask for suggestions on what might be going on before I have to remove a wheel that's nearly as tall as I am and weighs 2 1/2 times more than I do. These are mechanical drum brakes, I have worked on hydraulic drum style, Bendix, Huck, etc many times over the years so I know what I am doing. Any hints on what could be causing the lock-up? Broken shoe retractor spring? Linkage? Oh, the pedals are a little sloppy but I don't think that is the issue, I will tighten up that link rod. Thank you in advance!

DavidP, South Wales · Apr 16, 2019

Hello,first of all unlatch the pedals,
that's the little lever that connects the
two pedals. Press each one to check for
any tightness. By your description the rh
pedal may stay down. Operate it by hand
and observe the movement along the
brakerod. The rod is connected to the
brake-shaft drop arm by a Clovis pin.
Ensure that the rod can turn freely on
the arm. Next and quite likely look at
the inner end of the shaft where it
rotates in the axle housing back and
forth. This may be at the lelast partly
seized. Work some oil into it. If the
brake is free-ing until the next
application the problem is unlikely to be
in the drum. Try the linkage first and
let us know what you find. We are here to
help.
DavidP, South Wales

littlebuddie · Apr 16, 2019

Hello [b:026d7aeb49]DavidP, South Wales![/b:026d7aeb49] You were kind enough to help me in 2008 and 2010, the last times I had logged in before today. Thank you for your suggestion, good points you have made which I appreciate. I will try what you suggest and report back, thank you again!

Loren NC · Apr 17, 2019

I had exactly the same thing
happening with my 135. Had it
apart a couple of times before I
discovered the problem. Of course,
the first thing is to be sure the
shoes and drum surfaces are okay.
Mine were fine. The problem I
found was with the backing plate
behind the shoes. There are humps
in the plate at the outer edge of
the shoes to guide the positioning
of the shoes. Mine had severely
worn grooves into those humps that
kept the shoes from moving
correctly. Of course, the correct
solution would be to replace the
backing plates. I don't use mine
much and don't need a perfect
solution so I used a side grinder
and ground away the grooves.
Bingo! Back to working without
grabbing.

littlebuddie · Apr 17, 2019

Thanks [b:c4c6937ddf]Loren NC[/b:c4c6937ddf], I'll keep that in mind when I get the time to troubleshoot this problem.

MF 35 Utility right rear brake locking

littlebuddie

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DavidP, South Wales

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littlebuddie

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Loren NC

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littlebuddie

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