885 brakes binding

[Oldgustav]

The brakes on my 885 have always worked well but have started binding - especially bad in reverse. I think it is the lhs wheel. Is this something I can fix without major surgery? Thanks.

Update... could binding be due to low transmission oil?

[cobbadog]

Are the brakes adjusted up properly? Do the linkages move freely. Time to start with some basics and lubricate the linkages which may have no been done in a very long time. ?Check they move freely and then adjust the brakes up.
After that you may need to look inside. Look under the housing where the brakes are at the hole at the bottom to see if oil is leaking out of that hole. Have a scraaatch around to find the hole and unblock it if it is blocked, do both sides. If oil is evident then you need to strip that side down at least, replace the leaking seal, fit new linings is best and cheap then reassemble and adjust.

[rusty885]

I had the brakes binding on my 885 especially after it had been sitting for long periods with the handbrake on. If you get under the tractor you will see that the brake pedal connects to rods which in turn rotate a brake arm each side - the arms turn a cam shaft inside the brake drums - which in turn open out the brake shoes to bind on the drum to give breaking.

If the arms are sticking then the brake shoes will bind inside the drum.

Have a look each side and see if the brake arms can go back and forth easily by hand. Mine would stick badly and so I had to get into the drums to find out why.

This link shows the parts list

https://www.mycnhistore.com/gb/en/casei ... 5056875BD6

There is supposed to be a rubber dirt excluder inside the arm lever to protect the arm and internal bush and this will eventually perish and mine had perished and allowed the lever to rust and stick.

If the arms don't move freely then it is quite a long and difficult process to free them up. It involves removing the wheels and final drives to get at the drums (need to be very careful with securing the the diff lock pedal in the engaged position). Then the hardest part is removing the cotter pin on the brake arm lever as it's such a restricted working space.

Then the brake cam arm can be removed and cleaned and lubricated.

A long old job with lots of very heavy lifting.

The brake drums are dry and have nothing to do with the transmission oil. As you mention oil then it could possibly be an issue with the final drive oil - there is a filling and drain plug in each final drive.

[Oldgustav]

Thanks very much for the advice. Going to have a go now.

[Oldgustav]

Update on the binding brakes... seems to have been the handbrake cable(s) that were the source of the problem. I hadn't realised that each has a grease nipple at the halfway point. Unfortunately, both grease nipples has lost their sprung ball bearing and both refused to accept any grease. I washed them both out with penetrating oil and then managed to squeeze a little bit of grease in. It seems to have freed up the cables and the brakes are fine again. However, I think both handbrake cables need to be changed and it doesn't look like a nice job. Thanks for help.

[cobbadog]

Thats a step in the right direction. If the cables are now free and moving can you replace the damaged grease nipples with new.

[Oldgustav]

Thats a step in the right direction. If the cables are now free and moving can you replace the damaged grease nipples with new.

Unfortunately it doesn't look as though the grease nipples can be replaced. They seem to be fabricated into the collar that joins the two sides of the cable casing together. But I'll have another look just in case...

[philedge]

A few drops of oil at each end of the cables annually will work its way through the cable and keep it free. If theres a rubber boot on the end use a thin tipped oil can or small syringe to push past the boot, or pull the boot off

[Oldgustav]

A few drops of oil at each end of the cables annually will work its way through the cable and keep it free. If theres a rubber boot on the end use a thin tipped oil can or small syringe to push past the boot, or pull the boot off

Sounds like a top tip. Thanks!

[ollek]

Oldgustav, after you said the hand brake cables was the reason for the brakes binding, I had a look in your first post for the subject. And I found out that you did not mentioned that your tractor has a Q.cab or a Secura S74 cab. There are a lot of differenses betwen the stradle tractors and tracors with the the factory fitted Q-cab (or SK cab) and one of the main differanses is the operating system for brakes and clutch. It is therefor very important that you tell us what cab you have on the tractor. In this case Rusty 885 gave a long erxplanation about the brake controls, but this only applies for stradle tractors, not for Q-cab (SK cab) tractors. I also think you would benefit from reading the Operators Manual for your tractor. You can obtain the manual from David Brown Parts. Please see the following link http://www.davidbrownparts.com/Books%20 ... nuals.html