Noticed some grinding noise from the trailer brake (drum). At first, was hoping it was just some corrision but didn’t go away after 10 miles down the highway with some braking along the way. Took the wheel off and one of the brake shoe retainer pins had sheared away. A bit disappointed as this is just the start of the 3rd season on this new axle and brake. Replaced the pin and am back in business. My question is why it failed so quickly. Only thing I can think of is when I back into the garage, I have to push it up an incline. I don’t always remember to disengage the surge brakes at the tongue, and am pushing it against the brakes a short distance. The street I come down on is also on a decline, making it difficult to turn the switch to the back up position. Any thoughts on whether this may be related to the early failure? Thanks
Try winding a scrap piece of wood to fit the space where the trailer moves to engage the brakes. This will bypass the electrical pickup and not allow the brakes to engage. I have the same problem backing into my driveway. Make sure to remove before towing,
Ed Black
Triton 2486 WA Yam OX250
The retaining pin should not be carrying any significant load when braking. The shoe bracket should be carrying the load at the ends where it meets the hub structure. If the retainer pin is shearing, something else is amiss.
If you’re depending on that retaining pin to handle the braking load (appears you may have been), then you don’t really have brakes… instead, you have breaks 
17’ Henry O Hornet
w/ Johnson 88spl
Palmer… Any other ideas on what might have caused me to loose the retaining pin? The brakes appear to be working as I backed up an incline, activating the brakes and could not spin the wheel by hand when the axle was jacked up. When deactivating the brakes, the wheel spun freely.
Ben Miller
I am not a brake expert. I worked at a filling station during high school where we did wheel/brake work and I’ve done brakes on my own cars over the years. Those are my qualifications…an expert, I am not.
But, if I had to guess… I’m assuming you have a fairly typical drum brake assembly. If so, I’d bet the little twist-on cap that secures the retaining pin and spring was not quite seated correctly the last time the brakes were done. A few sharp bumps in the road to rattle things around some could wiggle the cap off and the spring and retaining pin would go where ever they wanted.
I guess it is possible for the little twist on cap or spring to corrode and fail. I think you’re technically supposed to replace those springs every now and again. If the spring got weak, again, it would allow the cap to move and possibly come off.
In any case, I’d make real sure the brakes were in good mechanical working order. If you’re not up to speed on them yourself, I’d take it to someone to have it examined.
I could imagine bad things happening if you thought you had trailer brakes only to find out suddenly that you did not.
17’ Henry O Hornet
w/ Johnson 88spl