[kyleb]

I've had some brake shoes that required very little pedal effort -- but -- the replacement shoes took lots more pedal effort to get the same stopping distance.

On these older coaches, it is hard to know what has been put on in the past. What is matched, what isn't . . .
It is lots easier for a shop to find the problem when it is obvious. Quite another when it will likely take hours & hours to figure out what they perceive to be a low value issue ( especially when they are used to customers complaining about excessive costs! )
When the brakes were checked, did they remove the drums & measure them?

I got lucky with the brakes on mine, the previous owner installed all new drums, hubs & shoes. (And used top quality parts )

[Brad Townsend]

No lubricant. everything looks clean. This has been happening for the 11 years that we have had the coach. We used to only tow a jeep when it happened with no tongue weight then I got the trailer with 1000 lb tongue weight without weight distribution hitch then added the weight distribution hitch only for the anti sway part of the device because of cross winds coming across country. Thinking back I cant remember if the trailer without the WD hitch did the tag drag. I think so but not absolute but it does with the WD hitch.
So I just measured the tongue again as I have rearranged things and now it weighs 1400 lbs. So I am thinking of running without the WD hitch. I have about 28 lbs air pressure on the tag. I can always put the WD hitch back on but I would need to lube the ball then if I add the Wd hitch I would have to clean the grease out of the coupler and off the ball because of the nature of the Anderson system which needs to be lube free in-order to function properly.

[Chester Stone]

Brad, does your coach have the ABS system? If not, then ignore this post. If yes, then determine if the tags have ABS. If not, then this is most likely your problem.

[Richard]

Brad,

Someone with the separate adjustment for the tag pressures should comment because I may be off target.

On the two Newells I have owned the tag bag pressure is the same as the drive pressure simply because they are pneumatically tied together. That means the tag bag pressure is 80 to 90 psi.

You may want to think about taking the coach to some scales and adjusting the tag pressure to get more weight on those tires.

[77newell]

The total tire to road traction available on the tag axle has to be considerably less than the drive axle - half the tires and a lower air bag pressure. To compensate for this difference one or both of two things must be designed into the system. the brakes would have a smaller braking area and/or the force applied to actuate the brakes must be lower. A lower actuation force could come from either a smaller brake "can" or from lower actuating air pressure. Additionally, if we are to maintain optimal braking effectiveness, as the air bag pressure is changed there must be some way to adjust the braking force or we either lose some potential additional braking effort with higher tab axle air bag pressures or we slide the tag wheels with reduced tag axle air bag pressures.

SO, are the the brake drums the same size on the tag and drive axles, are the "cans" the same size on the two axles, what difference is there to between the two relay valves controlling the respective brakes. Given the evidence thus far, I'm wondering if the relay valve for the tag brakes is either messed up or is the wrong one. Just thinking out loud here in cold wet Michigan.

[Brad Townsend]

I do wish someone with the same set up as me would chime in. Would like to know if I am the only one with such a problem.
Brake drums are same size. Cans?? if you mean the air chambers yes. Don't know anything about relay valves but this has been the same issue for 11 years. I know if I put more pressure on the tag it puts more weight on the front axle. I once weighed the rig at Newell and as far as I know they said everything was fine but does that mean anything? I have to wonder, they said the brakes were adjusted and everything should be fine. That was years ago and the only change I made was to add more pressure to the axle with no difference in the problem.

[Richard]

Do you have the weight figures somewhere in your paperwork?

[HoosierDaddy]

Brad, I dont know if this will help you or not......
1993 45' VIN 1N9450X8XP1011316 Built as a bunk coach for Steve Miller Band . No slides. 1/2 full tanks. Lightly loaded with personal items.
front 13,500
tag @ 24psi 3740
tag @ 30psi 4500
tag @ 35psi 4800
tag @ 40psi 5600
tag and rear axle combined 26,600
total coach 40,100
Tag load was measured by positioning coach with tag only on scales.

[Little]

Brad, I would suggest that your tag doesn't have enough weight for the amount of brake air it's getting. I have a
similar setup and there is about half as much weight on the tag as the drive axle. Ours is in the paint shop 200 miles away so I can't get the last weights, but if everything else checks out the tag should probably be carrying more load. Our MCI did this when the proportioning valve was bad. We had 20k on the drive and 4.6k ish on the tag. Now there is 17k and 8 k. All good now. I think our Newell is heavier, but the ratio should be similar. I would think 20k on a tandem dual axle would be max with 11" tires

[Little]

Should add that the MCI has similar pressures in drive and tag airbags, but smaller bags on the tag.