Horsebox Brakes - Getting hot, and even smoking

[db281]

Hi Guys!

Any mechanics on the forum at all? We would like to be your friend!!

We have recently purchased a 75e15 Ford Iveco 7.5t horsebox, that sailed through it's plating around a month or two ago.

However, when on our way to an event last weekend, around an hour into our jouney, when stopped at the traffic lights, I noticed a great deal of smoke coming from underneath the lorry.

Immediately pulled over to see one of the back brakes smoking away, very worrying! Luckly, I pulled in behind a HGV in a laybay, and the driver advised us it should stop smoking soon, and just to give it a short while to cool down.

After around 5 mins it stopped smoking, and 10 mins later we begun a worrying journey home, however, it did not do this again.

We've used this lorry around 8 times since we purchased it, and never had a hickup until then, although, this was the first time we ever took two horses at once.

Has anyone experienced anything like this on their lorry before?

We've had a very handy and knowledgable yard owner look over it, take the wheel off, who has informed us he cannot find anything wrong with it, no sticking, brand new pads and calipers! Any ideas???

*Forgot to mention, we took it for a drive unloaded today, no probs, although when we returned home, the brake that begun smoking originally, was noticeably more hot than the opposite.

 

[becca1305]

If the brakepads are new my guess (from motorbikes i will add not lorrys!) is that they are incorrectly adjusted meaning that particular brakepad is always or almost always just touching causing it to overheat and smoke. I may be wrong but hopefully if it is this (also happened to a car of ours) a quick trip back to whoever did the brakepads for adjustment should sort it . Hope thats all it is.

 

[db281]

Thanks Becca!

We too thought initially thought of this, but, the chap that took the wheel off and checked all over, said brake pads seemed fine, and caliper was working perfectly! Strange?? :S

Plus, when you take your foot off the footbrake, the lorry does roll.

 

[Honey08]

Hubby is a mechanic, but has just gone to bed!

A friend had a box that did this a few years ago. I can't remember the reason, but it did end in a nasty crash on a steep hill, so get it back to the garage and get it checked.

 

[becca1305]

Incorrect adjustment wouldnt necessarily show as 'sticking' because the calipers are working fine when you take them off to check but pads have just been positioned a little close to the wheel. Also if you havent done much driving yet its likely the ill adjusted brakepad wouldnt be worn noticeably more than the others particularly if it is just skimming. If all your other brakes are adjusted properly and back brake is *just* skimming it may not even be all the time I remember I first noticed in my dads car when going along a bit of bumpy motorway that the feedback from the back wasnt quite right and pulled up to find one brake hotter then it doesnt seem too surprising that a heavy lorry would roll forward. We couldnt do a roll test as its an auto! On a motorbike its different as the feedback from the front just felt completely wrong! Sorry typing on phone so its difficult to explain but essentially it might not be touching continually. I know my dads car was similar- didnt do it all the time etc but went back to the mechanics and thats what it was . I dont understand cars too well tbh, bikes are much easier!

 

[becca1305]

I could be entirely wrong of course but the best course of action is to start with the cheap and easy option! Although of course not to use it to transport horses until you are sure its fixed

 

[perfect11s]

Thanks Becca!

We too thought initially thought of this, but, the chap that took the wheel off and checked all over, said brake pads seemed fine, and caliper was working perfectly! Strange?? :S

Plus, when you take your foot off the footbrake, the lorry does roll.

You need to get this checked over as its a safety issue!!! however the most likley thing is the calipers are siezed or the hand brake part of them is faulty, maybe when its loaded the load sensing valve makes them work harder and then they stick on !! its also possible because they got hot the heat has freed them off !!!
The best thing would be to have someone remove the pads which maybe heat damaged and check the calipers and if all is well ,clean everything and copperslip as required,, otherwise its new calipers ... ouch ...or there is a slim posibilty there is a master cylinder fault... then a vist to a dealer with brake test rollers or you can go to a hgv test station for a volantary brake test .. it will also be worth checking the fronts!!! if they arnt working quite right and the backs are doing most of the work that could overheat them !!! and it is very dangerous as the front brakes should do most of the work...

 

[ladyt25]

We have been through this exact same thing with out Iveco recently - although it went on for blooming ages and it kept having to go back to the mechanics! We noticed the box losing power - this was the first indication and basically as said above the brakes are sitting on the wheel and causing drag, lack of power and of course eventually the brakes get hot and start smoking - not good!

Eventually the mechanics did get to the bottom of it but I couldn't tell you what they found the problem was - the pads were checked/changed, the brake pressure sorted and the calipers and it still would do it but evenually the chief mechanic got to the bottom of it.

Definitely get it to a mechanic. Also our wagon is sat outside and, certainly now, doesn't get used a lot but we need to make sure we take it out at leats once a week for a run otherwise things do seize/rust on and you can get a similar sort of thing happening if there's rust on the brakes.