Ifor Williams trailer problem

kk.man

This evening I was pulling my 8x5 trailer out of the shed. I attached the wire rope to the ball hitch and it activated the brake.
The hand brake is now in the 'up' position and is struck. There is no button on the hand brake to release it. The cable wire is very tight.

Any ideas of how I could deactivate the brake ?

It's the older version with the square lights on the rear.

sea12

kk.man wrote: »

This evening I was pulling my 8x5 trailer out of the shed. I attached the wire rope to the ball hitch and it activated the brake.
The hand brake is now in the 'up' position and is struck. There is no button on the hand brake to release it. The cable wire is very tight.

Any ideas of how I could deactivate the brake ?

It's the older version with the square lights on the rear.

Sometime mine needs a really strong push downward to release it. U might need to stand on it

rangler1

kk.man wrote: »

This evening I was pulling my 8x5 trailer out of the shed. I attached the wire rope to the ball hitch and it activated the brake.
The hand brake is now in the 'up' position and is struck. There is no button on the hand brake to release it. The cable wire is very tight.

Any ideas of how I could deactivate the brake ?

It's the older version with the square lights on the rear.

Handbrake usually just pushes down, but you'll have to loosen the wire if it's tight, it's only supposed to be tight if the trailer comes off. don't know why the brake won't go down apart from lack of use.
There's probably adjusters on the cables going back to the axle that will release the brake if you want to tow it somewhere for repair, disconnect the cable from the car anyway before trying to push the handbrake down

Karangue

Get out the sledge and forget the girl talk.

lakill Farm

Karangue wrote: »

Get out the sledge and forget the girl talk.

Put vehicle in reverse and put some slight pressure in reverse.

Might break the steel on steel
Never park the trailer and leave handbrake up.

kk.man

Just tired pushing it down by standing on it. It's in the upright position so that didn't work.
Where or what cables should I disconnect?
Yeah it's lack of use has caused it to seize I'd say.

Thanks for the replies.

lakill Farm

kk.man wrote: »

Just tired pushing it down by standing on it. It's in the upright position so that didn't work.
Where or what cables should I disconnect?
Yeah it's lack of use has caused it to seize I'd say.

Thanks for the replies.

Spray wd40 on it im and retry tomorrow.

White Clover

As lakill says, Lesson to be learned here is don't park trailer with hand brake up. Chock the wheels instead.

kk.man

White Clover wrote: »

As lakill says, Lesson to be learned here is don't park trailer with hand brake up. Chock the wheels instead.

I didn't or never would I attached cable to ball hitch of tractor to get it out of a low shed..i was rushing and not thinking of consequences.

lakill Farm

White Clover wrote: »

As lakill says, Lesson to be learned here is don't park trailer with hand brake up. Chock the wheels instead.

Learnt the hard way

Dad told me a good one. If the breaks don't break free. A sweet single slap of a sledge. Just be careful of where you aim for and watch the fingers off the trailer.

kk.man

lakill Farm wrote: »

Learnt the hard way

Dad told me a good one. If the breaks don't break free. A sweet single slap of a sledge. Just be careful of where you aim for and watch the fingers off the trailer.

It's so upright you wouldn't get a good contact plus I don't want to do more damage

lakill Farm

kk.man wrote: »

It's so upright you wouldn't get a good contact plus I don't want to do more damage

Sorry. I meant to Hub of wheel

But you need to free out handbrake with wd40

Genghis Cant

kk.man wrote: »

It's so upright you wouldn't get a good contact plus I don't want to do more damage

We'd an old IW trailer that used do the same the odd time. The handbrake would be right up and stuck hard. It used take two of us to push it down. It's the first couple of inches are the problem, once you get it going it flies down. Be careful. It takes a lot of pressure but goes rapid when it does go.

kk.man

Genghis Cant wrote: »

We'd an old IW trailer that used do the same the odd time. The handbrake would be right up and stuck hard. It used take two of us to push it down. It's the first couple of inches are the problem, once you get it going it flies down. Be careful. It takes a lot of pressure but goes rapid when it does go.

I'm on my own here..would try the front loader with bucket attached?

lakill Farm

Genghis Cant wrote: »

We'd an old IW trailer that used do the same the odd time. The handbrake would be right up and stuck hard. It used take two of us to push it down. It's the first couple of inches are the problem, once you get it going it flies down. Be careful. It takes a lot of pressure but goes rapid when it does go.

Could you set up ratchet strap and use it to pull down the handbrake

kk.man

lakill Farm wrote: »

Could you set up ratchet strap and use it to pull down the handbrake

I certainly give it a go

lakill Farm

kk.man wrote: »

I certainly give it a go

May take a few minutes but will be easiest on man and hands/fingers

The handbrake on cattle trailer when pulled up shoots up real swiftly. Caught my hand off the jockey wheel once of twice

Karangue

lakill Farm wrote: »

Put vehicle in reverse and put some slight pressure in reverse.

Might break the steel on steel
Never park the trailer and leave handbrake up.

I don’t park a trailer and leave handbrake up, you on the sauce?

lakill Farm

Karangue wrote: »

I don’t park a trailer and leave handbrake up, you on the sauce?

The trailers here never have the hamdbrake left up when Parked.

Karangue

lakill Farm wrote: »

The trailers here never have the hamdbrake left up when Parked.

I don’t either I don’t know why you quoted your advice to me.

kay 9

Be careful the handle doesn't bend as it's happened here before when pressing down to hard on it, it can kink and you'll get a nice whack on the knuckles

lakill Farm

Karangue wrote: »

I don’t either I don’t know why you quoted your advice to me.

It wasn't directed towards you or anyone.

Base price

I reckon that the problem here is that when OP reversed the trailer into the shed he didn't drive a couple of feet forward to disengage the brakes before unhitching it. Therefore the brakes partially engaged and have remained ceased in that position until now. Today he hitches up the trailer and as he moves forward the ceased brakes cause the hand break to activate.
As lakhill suggested tap the trailer hubs with a sledge hammer whilst another person inches the trailer on your jeep/car forward this should encourage the brakes to loosen and allow you to disengage the hand break.
A good idea when reversing and parking up a trailer is to pull forward a foot or so to take the pressure off the hitch ram/piston before unhitching.

You could alway try a suitable length of piping over the handbrake.
It will increase leverage, though with the brakes being so tight, the hand brake may let go with quite a bang.

farawaygrass

lakill Farm wrote: »

It wasn't directed towards you or anyone.

Why don't you use the handbreak when parked? I do if parking in yard as there is a fall in the ground, but not in shed where it's level. Assumed that's exactly when it was to be used but never gave it a second thought either

Melodeon

farawaygrass wrote: »

Why don't you use the handbreak when parked? I do if parking in yard as there is a fall in the ground, but not in shed where it's level. Assumed that's exactly when it was to be used but never gave it a second thought either

Trailer brakes are often ridden hard and put away wet, for want of a better description, and they can often live a hard life with minimal/no maintenance until they either don't work at all or work too well.
Add to this prolonged periods of inactivity, and the works of the brakes can/will rust and seize to each other. If the trailer was parked up with the brakes on, they now won't disengage. If it was parked with the brakes off, they may free up when put to use, or they may not work at all or only on one side/wheel.
The first scenario (stuck on) is an inconvenience, the second has the potential to be downright dangerous.

It's like when half the country can't drive away on a frosty morning after parking up with the handbrake on the previous wet evening.

kk.man

lakill Farm wrote: »

Spray wd40 on it im and retry tomorrow.

I took your advice and had a lever ready and it came down like a lamb!..good old WD40.

Thanks Iakill