I was having a bad shimmy when I applied the brakes. I had noticed at my last tire rotation that the front pads were getting thin. My friend Mike opened up a shop so I thought I would let him do the work. Front rotors and pads were replaced and she was smooth as silk for a bit...Next day after exiting the highway and applying brake, the truck seemed to hop up and down, not a side to side like bad front rotors. He checked it out and said....lower ball joint and front U joint in rough shape but didn't think that was the prob. He had inspected the rear pads through the inspection hole and they had a lot of pad so he did not pull them when he did the work on the front. Mike is leaning towards the rear drums but I have not had the time to take it back yet. I loaded the truck with an ATV in the box and the truck does not bounce anymore when braking. Any thoughts? I am thinking rear drums, I have not talked to him yet.

 

the rear shoes and drums last forever on these trucks. mine was doing that and it was a bad rotor. jack up the front end, then give the front wheels a spin. you can feel it tighten and release if the rotors are warped. check your front hubs too.

 

The rotors are new. It only does it if there is no weight in the box.

 

New rotors could be warped too, but having weight in the back makes me think your rear drums could be causing your bounce. Have your buddy check 'em out before looking at the front rotors again. It's not common for new rotors to be warped, but it can - and does - happen.

 

Make sure the caliper pins or the calipers to the mounting aren't binding.

My '99 dually sees mostly city driving, has 110,000 miles on it and the rear brake shoes are still good enough to last until spring.
(just installed the third set of front pads)

 

If your front and rear brakes are not proportioned correctly the rear wheels can lock and axle wrap causes rear wheel hop. Weight in the bed gets rid of it.

 

His rear shoes could be perfectly fine but the drums could be out-of-round. I suggest putting the drums on a lathe and try turning them. You wouldn't have to take too much off if they aren't out-of-round, but if they are too bad, you may need to replace 'em.

 

My early 98 with rear drums does that, I used the parking brake and isolated it. I believe I have a drum out of round... Artie

 

I have this same problem.
I thought it might be a loose leaf spring, shackle, hanger, etc.

 

Just a tip or what has worked for me. If you want to extend the life of your front brakes rotate your tires at 5k and adjust the rear brakes. One of the biggest causes of premature front brake wear is the rears don't stay adjusted transfers more and more braking to the front.

Good luck

 

Hold your e-brake release while applying the e-brake and if it doesnt bounce then you know the problem is in the front. If it bounces then it is surely the rear but doesnt rule out front brake problems.

 

I had the dreaded rear end bounce too. You need to fit the shoes to the drums. There should be no more that 0.010" between the shoe and drum at both heel and toe of shoe. If there is more the shoe will grab the heel then the toe and wobble from one to the other. It's a PIA to fit them because you have to remove the shoes and place them in the spot where they sit when you brake. Then measure w/feeler gauge and bend the steel part of the shoe to "fit" the drum. Also, I file about a 1/4" taper across the edge of the heel and toe to help reduce the possibility of the dreaded shoe wiggle. Don't forget to put a bit of white grease on the shoe to brake plate perches. If the perches are grooved grind them flat and smooth off with a dremmel or the like to a non-rough surface then white lube. It the grooves are real deep you can either get new backing plates or weld in some material and grind smooth. If the brake springs are weak get some new ones while you're at it. -MHO

 

why does it seem my front brake rotors and pads go bad so fast.seems like a break job lasts a couple-three months and theyr'e warped again.

 

arizonakaiote, try adjusting your rears. If your front brakes are doing all the work they could be getting too hot and warping.

 

I find that front brakes last 3-4 times as long on manual trucks as they do on automatics. Nobody seems to downshift autos and use engine braking.