Pull the drum. It's easy. Just remove the driveshaft and use a big POZIDRIV bit to unscrew the retaining screw. There are several causes for transmission brake issues:
- Spreader needs adjustment to account for worn-down shoes
- Spreader is gummed up with dust and funk
- Shoes are contaminated with oil from a leaky rear output seal on the LT230.
All of these are easy to fix:
If it's just adjustment, gently turn the square adjuster on the back of the housing.
If the spreader looks manky, remove the spring and the shoes (carefully use a prybar) and disassemble the spreader, taking care to understand how it goes together (it's not complicated). Clean the parts thoroughly with Fast 505 and water, then dry. You can also use brake parts cleaner for this. Reassemble.
If the shoe and drum are contaminated with oil, you will need to pull the whole thing apart and replace the rear output seal on the LT230. This sounds way harder than it is. There are two keys to this job: first, removing the old seal. The trick is to smash it from the inside edge with a chisel to crush it against the LT230 casing. This will make it easy to remove with a seal puller. The second key is making the tool to hold the flange.
You'll need an impact wrench and socket to remove the flange nut, and some kind of bar to hold the flange in place while you hit it with the socket to disassemble. I made a tool out of a 2' long piece of 3/4" angle iron. I drilled holes in it so that I could put the driveshaft bolts through it. I braced it on the ground to hold the output flange in place while I hit the flange nut with the impact. When you reassemble, you'll want to use a fresh felt washer (I have some extras).
If your shoes are worn or oil-contaminated, you will need to replace them. Fortunately, they are cheap. You will also want to hit the drum w/ Fast 505 and give it a good soaking to get all of the oil out of the pores.
