MTFCA Forum

I live in mountains of North Carolina, worry about losing braking from broken drive train. I own a set of AC brakes, have not installed them yet. Some commentators have mentioned that external drum brakes don't work when wet. Our area enjoys 70+ inches of rain a year so wet breaks are a potential worry. What is the consensus on external drum brakes failing to work when wet?

The standard model T transmission brake is not affected by water. If you drive in mountains, just go down hills in the same gear as you would go up, and your T brakes will be perfectly adequate.
If the AC brakes are an insurance policy if ever you break something in the driveline, they will help you stop, but the wetter they are, the less effective they will be. Standard practice after driving through water with any brake system should to use them to dry things out before you need to use them.

Allan from down under.

External braking will be substantially reduced when water, grease, mud, bugs, etc get on the linings. About all you can do is keep the brakes as clean and as dry as conditions will allow. Lightly dragging wet brakes for a few hundred feet before going down a steep grade can help dry them out. It's important to keep all brakes in top condition and to keep the driveline in good shape. Test the brake systems from time to time when driving.