Posted by Bob In Illinois [108.162.217.137] on Sunday, April 03, 2016 at 11:25:43 :
In Reply to: oversize brake shoes posted by wayneh [173.245.54.42] on Sunday, April 03, 2016 at 09:52:28 :
I have done a lot of work to optimize the performance of the the standard brake system on power wagons. It doesn't matter what size your drums are if you can only utilize half or two-thirds of the shoes your brakes will always under perform. Using oversized brake shoes is a good start to better braking. However, it is important to fit the shoes to the drum by grinding. I realize that not everyone has access to a brake shoe grinder. Years ago when you had your drums turned and the vendor supplied new shoes those shoes were ground to fit the new drum diameter. Oversize shoes will allow you to fully utilize the adjusting cams as intended. Unless the drum has been cut far beyond the wear limits. Hopefully your machine shop gave you a mike size reading on your drums. Just an FYI, if during the adjustment process an intermitant drag is encountered you have a drum that is improperly machined.
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