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Fri Jul 18, 2025 9:59 am

A week or so ago I reversed off my drive, when I came to drive forward my rear drivers side wheel was locked up, I reversed a bit and it freed up. Today I was driving down a gravel drive at about 10mph and the same wheel locked up. I reversed for a while then it was ok. I took the drum off, There does seem to be a lot more wear at the top of the shoes by the adjuster but everything else seems ok.??????? I put the drum half on and spun the axle in neutral and that seems fine. Not sure where to go from here.

Fri Jul 18, 2025 10:08 am

Had you applied the brakes immediately before the lock-up? Or were you rolling when it locked up? I've had a brake lining come loose and wedge against the drum, locking up the wheel; in my case it locked in reverse and freed up going forwards. If it's locking up without applying the brakes, then it's either something loose in the trans or reduction box; I had a car once where the ring gear bolts had come loose and would momentarily wedge themselves - that was not a pretty teardown.

Fri Jul 18, 2025 11:59 am

If your brake shoes have uneven wear, they aren't adjusted frequently enough.
Adjust the brakes every 3K miles, same interval as valve adjustment.
Lube the beam/spindles/all zerks at the same time.

tranny oil should be checked/topped up every 6K miles (or every year if driven infrequently.)

Is this a bus that is driven regularly? Or had it been sitting for months?

I had a tranny which would freeze up momentarily in long drives in hot weather. My solution was to replace the trans.

Fri Jul 18, 2025 12:13 pm

thom wrote: Had you applied the brakes immediately before the lock-up? Or were you rolling when it locked up? I've had a brake lining come loose and wedge against the drum, locking up the wheel; in my case it locked in reverse and freed up going forwards. If it's locking up without applying the brakes, then it's either something loose in the trans or reduction box; I had a car once where the ring gear bolts had come loose and would momentarily wedge themselves - that was not a pretty teardown.

I was rolling

Fri Jul 18, 2025 12:13 pm

Clara wrote: If your brake shoes have uneven wear, they aren't adjusted frequently enough.
Adjust the brakes every 3K miles, same interval as valve adjustment.
Lube the beam/spindles/all zerks at the same time.

tranny oil should be checked/topped up every 6K miles (or every year if driven infrequently.)

Is this a bus that is driven regularly? Or had it been sitting for months?

I had a tranny which would freeze up momentarily in long drives in hot weather. My solution was to replace the trans.

The bus is driven regularly

Fri Jul 18, 2025 2:39 pm

Possibly a wheel bearing going bad?

Fri Jul 18, 2025 4:15 pm

Pull the other drum and see if you have a leaking axle seal. It can cause the dry one to lock up and grab. Backing up forces the brake pads back and allows it to roll.

Fri Jul 18, 2025 9:00 pm

Broken spring, shoe pin or maybe shoe lining separated from its backing

Sounds like the "front" shoe is catching and getting wedged then freeing up when reversing

Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:10 pm

PYE wrote: Today I was driving down a gravel drive at about 10mph and the same wheel locked up. I reversed for a while then it was ok.
Locked up like totally skidding?

I had a broken tooth in the top RGB and it would do that until a final catastrophic failure.