Frozen Brakes and Dragging Tires are Costly

One of the big problems we are frequently seeing in the winter is when our brakes lock up and then damage the tires as they drag along the pavement. Super single is about $800 and two trailer tires ends up being around $900. So every time this happens it ends up being quite costly and causes unnecessary delays.

The reason the tires will drag is because the brakes will freeze to the brake drums. A lot of the drivers will check their brakes before they drive by marking each tire. Then they pull their vehicle up then make sure each tire has rotated.

If you do have one locked up, you can usually rock the vehicle back and forth a few times to release it. In the worst of cases you will need tap it with the hammer to release the shoe from the drum.

There is no real way at this point to avoid it. Typically this problem will occur when it is wet and warm outside, then suddenly gets cold without warning. Some people will not set the trailer brakes but set the tractor brakes when its in that kind of condition to prevent freezing.

We would encourage you to always check for frozen brakes in your winter pre-trip inspection routine.