drum rear brakes
 

I have a 72 c-10, disc's front and drum's rear. How is the best way to tell/check if the rear brakes are working properly?

Re: drum rear brakes
 

Set the parking brake and try to drive away... when set firmly it should hold the vehicle. That won't tell you if the hydraulics are working, but will tell you about the shoes and drums and so on.

Re: drum rear brakes
 

You can also do a skid test on gravel or dirt at slow speed. You can see where each brake locks up & if they are equal.