2012 Mahindra 4025 4X4 Left brake grabs

[Leiphasw]

When moving forward, if I press my brakes, the left brake instantly grabs and skids the tire ripping up the grass or whatever I am driving on. In reverse this does not happen. I removed and cleaned up the left brake pads, balls, and disks and it helps for an hour or so, but then starts to grab again. I ran a disk stander on the pads last time and it seemed to help for a while, but still only temporarily. The pads don't look terribly dirty when removed but I am suspecting the seal around the spline coming out of the tractor is leaking slightly and making the pads sticky. Is there a solution to this? Or should I just get used to routinely removing the housing and cleaning everything? It takes about an hour to remove, clean, and reinstall the brakes and it only helps for another hour or two of driving. The right side is always fine and I have never needed to remove that side.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks on advance!

 

[duffer]

While I don't own the same model as you I suspect the design is similar to several models. On mine, there is a "brass" looking rod on each side of the frame rails. It has an adjustment coupling on it that allows for adjusting the brake tension and clearance. You might want to see if you have a similar adjustment feature on yours. Owners manual might address how to adjust brakes as well.

Good luck.

 

[Harry in Ky]

When moving forward, if I press my brakes, the left brake instantly grabs and skids the tire ripping up the grass or whatever I am driving on. In reverse this does not happen. I removed and cleaned up the left brake pads, balls, and disks and it helps for an hour or so, but then starts to grab again. I ran a disk stander on the pads last time and it seemed to help for a while, but still only temporarily. The pads don't look terribly dirty when removed but I am suspecting the seal around the spline coming out of the tractor is leaking slightly and making the pads sticky. Is there a solution to this? Or should I just get used to routinely removing the housing and cleaning everything? It takes about an hour to remove, clean, and reinstall the brakes and it only helps for another hour or two of driving. The right side is always fine and I have never needed to remove that side.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks on advance!

Are the discs actually oily when you take them out or do you merely suspect a problem in that area? If so, you probably need new discs along with the seal. Once they start grabbing like that, cleaning usually doesn't get you very far.

 

[Leiphasw]

While I don't own the same model as you I suspect the design is similar to several models. On mine, there is a "brass" looking rod on each side of the frame rails. It has an adjustment coupling on it that allows for adjusting the brake tension and clearance. You might want to see if you have a similar adjustment feature on yours. Owners manual might address how to adjust brakes as well.

Good luck.

Thank you for the reply, but it is definitely not just an adjustment. If I disengage the dual pedal latch, if I press the right brake, it adds braking proportionately to how hard I press the pedal. If I press the left pedal, it is either free rolling, or skidding with nothing in between.

 

[SimpleSimon]

I also had that happen, but on the right side. Didn't take it apart, but over time I rode the right brake until it apparently heated up enough to burn off whatever was making it grab, and now it works ok.....

 

[Leiphasw]

Are the discs actually oily when you take them out or do you merely suspect a problem in that area? If so, you probably need new discs along with the seal. Once they start grabbing like that, cleaning usually doesn't get you very far.

Nothing is 'oily' as in wet with anything but they look dirty when I take them out. I guess the reasonable thing to do is take the right side off and see if they look different than the left and then switch them and see if the problem moves to the right side. The previous owner apparently had this problem and put anti-seize on the roller balls which just gummed everything up. From videos I have watched, these balls should just be clean and dry.

Thank you, I'll take both sides off and compare and get new pads to see if that helps.

 

[Leiphasw]

I also had that happen, but on the right side. Didn't take it apart, but over time I rode the right brake until it apparently heated up enough to burn off whatever was making it grab, and now it works ok.....

I do tend to run it like that a while to save removing the brake nearly every time I drive it. I have scuffed dirt spots all around my property where I touched the brakes and ripped the sod to dirt in 12" x 24" spots all over. But if I am working the tractor on a slope facing downhill, it is almost impossible to use since backing up uphill and braking to switch to a forward gear locks the brakes and I can't move forward downhill again.