RV won't move - what might be the cause?

[8.3Oilbuner]

Hi Ali; Had the same thing happen to my 2000 Windsor after driving up I-5 from Ca. to Wa. in the pouring rain all the way and then parking the coach. I have a way to un-stick the shoes from the drum as I am not sure pounding on the drum will work. Like others here have said, make sure your wheels are chocked good. Next, release the parking brake. When you look at the brake shoes from under the coach they are at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. Start with the 6 o'clock position as it being the lowest that is where water or moisture collects. I used a 1/2" X 12" extension and placed the end right on the meatal part of the brake shoe. Now rap the end of the extension and you will see the shoe release from the drum. Only had to hit the bottom shoes on both sides just once as the top shoes were not stuck to the drum. You might have to do the top shoes also. This worked good for me. Again as others here mentioned, make sure the coach cannot roll! Let us know if you get it free or not an BEEE careful!

[jsmmonaco]

this has happened to us numerous times....usually rocking back and forth GENTLY will break them loose..........don't just mash on the accelerator pedal, you might twist a driveshaft.......also, i try to never put away when brakes could be wet.......especially if it is gonna sit for weeks or months............and if you are not going to use it, start it up and move it every two or three weeks, just an inch forward and backwards............that is sufficient to keep them free.............

[YC1]

I'm going to scold you IF you did not put jacks stands under it too!

You would be stunned how quickly these things can drop if the jacks get an emergency retract command.

My transmission ECM went kerflunk and all of a sudden the jacks retracted. It thought the thing had been put in gear with the jacks down and retracted them.

I am paranoid after my pickup toppled off a floor jack that failed and the jack stands tipped. Just saying, freak accidents happen. S happens.

Happy trails.

O yeah, my Holiday Rambler has locked the brakes many times. It can take quite a bit of throttle to crack me loose.

Did you hit the shoes with the hammer? Just curious. I never got that far.

[Ali]

I've got the idea hitting the drum with a hammer from this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGiuM4hUljo

While the instructions were for a trailer, I was running out of options so I wanted to give it a try. I hit the drum very carefully and after the second hit, it broke loose.

For the other side, I've tried a pry bar, and I thought it was a better solution then hitting the drums.

I think I liked 8.3Oilbuner 's recommendation (1/2" X 12" extension) the best, which I am going to use the next time, and best of all I now know what to do.

Thank you all so much for your suggestions and help. This is a great site, and Monaco owners group never disappoints

[Arch Hoagland]

Ali I see you are in San Francisco. Where do you store your RV?

[Ali]

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland

Ali I see you are in San Francisco. Where do you store your RV?

We store it in an RV storage facility in Fremont. We are actually from Mountain View, CA.

[Bob (WA0MQE)]

Some may already know this, but just in case you haven't heard about it. When this happens i.e., brakes stuck, usually due to moisture. Whatever you do, don't get over zealous with trying to rock the coach back and forth, especially giving to much power (throttle) to try and break it loose.

Have seen two coaches when this happened and they tried to power thru the problem, in both cases they tore up the rear differential. Twisted the Pinion right off.

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by Bob (WA0MQE)

Some may already know this, but just in case you haven't heard about it. When this happens i.e., brakes stuck, usually due to moisture. Whatever you do, don't get over zealous with trying to rock the coach back and forth, especially giving to much power (throttle) to try and break it loose.

Have seen two coaches when this happened and they tried to power thru the problem, in both cases they tore up the rear differential. Twisted the Pinion right off.

If you tear up the pinion, before you snap an axle, it was shot and ready to break anyway. The read diff is about 5 to 1 reduction.

[BobJones]

This is why we cage the brakes whenever we park the unit for a prolonged period of time.......