Seized SS disk brakes

multimediasmith · Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2023 7:49 pm Post subject: Seized SS disk brakes

When we launched yesterday I noticed that the tires spun a little at the ramp. I brought the trailer home without the boat on it, I backed into the shed and it dug trenches in the crushed lime the wheels. I had noticed a little skidding scraping sounds coming from the trailer as I towed it home only four blocks.
I sprayed brake clean on the rotors and removed one tire to get front and back and when I put it back on they still would not turn easily so I gave them a tap with the hammer to try to release the calipers. Thought it might be the emergency switch so I charged the battery up there and still no go. This is the electric over hydraulic with the Hydro star actuator and Kodiak 225 calipers with stainless rotors.
I guess my next move is to just remove the calipers if I can get them off of the rotors so I could at least bring it to a shop.
Has anyone had similar issues? Would be interested in simple solutions…
The boat is in the water at one of my neighbors ramps and a trailer is attached to the truck so I’m ready to do something hopefully before Hontoon.

digger · Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2023 8:31 pm Post subject:

I would just crack the hydraulic line at the actuator and see if the brakes release

forrest · Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2023 9:39 pm Post subject:

Your calipers are held in place by stainless steel pins. The calipers have brass bushings inserted that have to slide back and forth on the pins. Corrosion gets in between the pins and the bushings and doesn't allow the caliper to slide around and self center. Pull the pins and clean them thoroughly. Clean the old grease and corrosion out of the bushings. Grease the pins and bushings lightly with some corrosion block grease. Reassemble, go boating!

Edit: I usually re-grease every other year.

multimediasmith · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2023 8:10 pm Post subject:

thanks for the suggestions... today's adventure follows a night of cramming at YouTube University's curriculum on Kodiak Brakes.
Started by relieving the pressure at the caliper... it didn't loosen (fiber mallet persuaded it off)... curiously, when I pulled the pins out, they were pristine and shiny and easily moved. I took the box with 4 rotors and 4 calipers to my trusted mechanic who said the same thing everybody had said about rebuild kits... "the problem with the cylinder not retracting? what you need is new calipers". The consensus being that the combination of parts, labor, and uncertainty make a strong case for new.
E-trailer had a lower price than Kodiak... happened to be on sale..Yay!
It's hard to stop or know where to draw the line... i mean since I'm at this stage, might as well replace the (fill in blank here)... bearings, hubs, extra spares... for now, I'll be happy to pull the boat. Good lesson.
At any rate, it wasn't traumatic and i would rate it in the lower third difficulty rate. Glad I didn't try to retrieve the boat at the ramp with sticky brakes...
grateful every day

ssobol · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2023 3:23 pm Post subject:

multimediasmith · Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:21 am Post subject:

The story is ending well... I called the local trailer repair shop (that was four weeks out from taking in any new work) just to buy seals and bearings or order them if we could measure them there... they said they could do that and I brought it right over... while there, they completed a job that was supposed to go longer, so they replaced all the bearings and seals and completed it today.
My mechanic called and he finished the rotors this afternoon and E-Trailer sent an email saying my calipers will be here tomorrow... Wow! it's somewhat reassuring to see that just sometimes things work in your favor...
Truly Grateful Always
Keeping the bearings as spares as they looked great... I didn't know that, but nice to know they are fresh and newly repacked. I think I was over greasing, will have to watch that moving forward.

tsturm · Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2023 10:28 am Post subject:

multimediasmith · Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2023 2:40 pm Post subject:

Post Script...
After installing all the parts and starting to bleed the system, I took a short test drive with some "emergency" stops, the truck brakes were hot but the trailer rotors were not. There was a puddle of fluid forming under one of the "T" connections... the metal piping was bent and possibly cracked and leaking... that's why it wouldn't pressure up...
New Parts search: E-Trailer didn't have any 3/16 brass Ts or brake lines, so I called Hydrastar and they are sending parts today... hopefully this will resolve the brake issue.