Inspecting RPod Brakes

Update - After pulling the wheel off and removing the nut & bearing I could not remove the drum. It would turn with a fair amount of drag but as I attempted to pull it off it locked up hard and now will not move.  I attempted to back off the brake tensioner but the angle of the teeth causes the brake tool to slip off. Anyone have any tips to ease the tensioner?  I did release the back-off safety when attempting to ease the tension so that was not the issue.

You need to reduce the shoe drag on the drum. Look in the adjuster hole. Do you see a star wheel with a lever on it? Using a small screwdriver lift the lever and using a brake tool or screwdriver turn the star wheel. It is best if you have help turning the tire. I leave the tire on when reducing brake setting, because hub is easier to turn with a tire on it. As you try to pull off the hub you could be hitting high spots on the inside of the hub that are holding it on. Make sure hub is all the way seated. The lever on the adjuster makes sure the star wheel can't back off.

There is a possibility it is stuck. Have you tried opposite direction? I know you folks have some rough winters in NH. Sounds to me like you have the process right. Give the drum a couple good whacks near the hub. It just sounds like shoes are not backing off. If you have no luck, take it to a brake place that does RV brakes. The noise concerns me, along with the star doesn't adjust.

Originally posted by offgrid Are you sure you're rotating the star wheel the right way? Rotating it upwards tightens the brakes IIRC., but my recollection could be wrong.  If the drum is just plain stuck on there then most likely your drum is scored and your brake shoes have become badly damaged so the drum won't slide off them. Mime were like that. I just ended up putting the wheels back on so I could get leverage and yanked it off a little at a time, followed by complete replacement of drums and brake plate assemblies. You can get them on Amazon for about $300 for the axle. An easy replacement at least. 4 bolts and two wires per brake plate.

The disconnected brake wires are common. Those insulation displacement connectors FR uses are crap. Change them for butt splices with self sealing heat shrink over them. Good luck with the adjustment stars.