Need some 12 inches backing plates and drums

[VeggieBullet]

We are having a real hard time finding parts for our 1957 Spartan Executive Mansion.
The armored plate for the brake it's beyond recovery.
Is there any source for the wheels drums or hubs?
New hubs won't work, we are told that the bearing's sizes are different

[TG Twinkie]

Why not just replace the axles? I would assume the coach has leaf spring suspension.

[HowieE]

Yes. Rather than keep the problem why not just replace the axles? Complete axles will almost be the same price as the parts and any future problem is eliminated.

[Action]

You may need to update your close to six decade running gear. The actual way to do this is going to vary depending on a lot of different fartors.

Replaceing the axle assembly is one way to do this and would be addressing ride height, braking and suspension issues in one shot. To do this would be a mix of knowing the max weight of the towed trailer, the width of the axle needed and the mounting of the new axle.

Assuming you have a leaf spring set up, (I have no clue as to a Spartan set up and Spartan when out of biz 30 or 40 years ago if I am not mistaken) you might remove a backing plate and drum assembly and take it to a trailer shop like this one. Action Fabrication and Truck Equipment

See if they can match or find a replacement with the same backing plate mounting and/or drum/hub bearing surfaces. Barring that an axle assembly replacement may be needed.

If you only replace the brake parts a spring replacement may be needed as well based on the age of the RV. No matter how well it has been taken care of likely it has a bad case of the droops.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[53Pontiac]

Hello All
I am the other involved party that is doing the work to the original posters trailer....this 50' long Spartan trailer is going to be moved one time from FL to TX and then put on blocks not to be moved again anytime soon. This is the main reason for not initially wanting to replace with new axles. (However it is still being considered) In addition, his other 2 Spartans that he owns in TX can also someday utilize these same hubs/drums when needed!
New axles have to be custom made as nothing is available "off the shelf". This equates to a much higher price than just replacing with good used drums.
These were used on many years of airstreams. Many of which have been are are in process of being udated and replaced as you all are suggesting. We are hoping to find 2 someones who are presently doing so now!

What we actually are looking for are 4 of 1950 to late 1960's 26', 24', and possibly 22' single axle brake drums as these seem to all have come with 12"x2" Kelsey Hays brakes. I don't know exactly which year they did away with the 8 sided, threaded on grease cap...but that is what we are looking for. I may have 2 located here allready and may just need 2 more!
It's a shame that these drums are getting scrapped as the bigger vintage trailers that use these only get moved a couple times a year or even less... and these original Kelsey Hays drums will last them for another 30 + years at that rate!
Please! Help us find them!

[Action]

Why doesn't the buyer in Texas supply some borrowed hub/drums from one of the other Spartan trailers he/she has in Texas?

It would be a quick and cheap solution to a trailer that won't be moved again. (Cost of shipping a hub/drum assy.) An internet search could last months. A custom axle replacement can be expensive.

I would not suggest this on a permanent basis as the bearings are not a matched set. Or one could take the used hub from Texas install new bearings and races bought in Fla and install the hub/drums and tow down the road.

In the world called perfect the desired parts would be quick available from a parts supplier that has them in stock now. Unfortunately we don't live in the perfect world so other solutions may need to be looked at.

Another alternative would be to ship the trailer using a service. This could cost thousands and so will new axles.
OR
If the trailer has triple axles, tow with working electric brakes on two axles. Correctly working brakes on two axles may be sufficient stopping power with some prudent towing. However the party towing would have to know that some increased liability should an accidentoccur if insufficient braking was determined a cause in the accident.


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[53Pontiac]

I had mentioned the idea of borrowing the drums from his other Spartan way back in the beginning. However that would involve labor that would have to be paid for twice at his end....so we are just exploring the option of used ones as it would be simpler and with labor costs what they can be, probably more cost effective and he would end up with some spare drums. I have sourced one pair of them in a matter of a few days on here, so hopefully I can find one more pair in the next couple weeks. There are only two axles, which helps! The bearing race issue would not be a problem. The races and bearings would all come together with the borrowed drum and simply install right onto the axle stub without any mismatching of races to roller bearings.
Have thought about going with only one axle of brakes but I agree with you 100% that the safety factor is just not worth the risk.