There are a few possibilities…
- The handbrake cable is broken and will need to be replaced. This usually easy to tell because when you pull up on the handle, there is very little resistance. Typically when it’s working properly, as you pull up on the handle, there is some resistance that gets tighter the higher the handle is raised. If it pulls up with about the same resistance from bottom to top, I would think the cable might be bad. The best way to check Is to remove each rear brake drum and watch as a helper pulls up on the handle. You should see the shoes extend and retract with the lever.
- The brake adjusters are very far out of adjustment. If this happens, pulling the brake moves the brake shoes, but not enough to make contact with the inside of the brake drums. There is a small rubber insert in the back of the brakes that can be removed so the adjusters can be moved without removing the drum, or you can pull the drum and adjust them outward a little at a time, put the drum on, pull the brake lever and see if you can rotate the drum. With the lever up, you should not be able to move the drum at all. Repeat on both sides.
- The handbrake cable is broken and will need to be replaced. This usually easy to tell because when you pull up on the handle, there is very little resistance. Typically when it’s working properly, as you pull up on the handle, there is some resistance that gets tighter the higher the handle is raised. If it pulls up with about the same resistance from bottom to top, I would think the cable might be bad. The best way to check Is to remove each rear brake drum and watch as a helper pulls up on the handle. You should see the shoes extend and retract with the lever.
- The brake adjusters are very far out of adjustment. If this happens, pulling the brake moves the brake shoes, but not enough to make contact with the inside of the brake drums. There is a small rubber insert in the back of the brakes that can be removed so the adjusters can be moved without removing the drum, or you can pull the drum and adjust them outward a little at a time, put the drum on, pull the brake lever and see if you can rotate the drum. With the lever up, you should not be able to move the drum at all. Repeat on both sides.
