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park brake question.

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:10 pm
by tdump
I have a issue I don't understand.
On my T pickup that i am working to get titled and such,I can pull it out of it's little "garage" and the driveway is up hill a bit. I can cut the truck off and set the park brake and it does NOT hold the truck from backing down the hill. It will not be still long enough to get out and put out chocks.
Now it holds great faceing down the hill. :?
It goes in high gear correctly,and the hand brake does NOT need to be all the way back to hold the T from rolling forward.You can't even push it down the hill.
So what do you do? There has to be a happy medium on this thing somewhere?

Re: park brake question.

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:12 pm
by Scott_Conger
Mack

1. do you have rocky mountain brakes?
2. are your emergency brakes original or lined?

Re: park brake question.

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:16 pm
by Norman Kling
Do you have Rocky Mountain brakes, the new reproduction type where the band wraps all the way around the drum? If so, your adjustment might not be right. It should be adjusted so that the Ford parking brake comes on first when you pull the handle back and then if you pull harder the Rocky Mountain brake operates. If the Rocky mountain brake comes on first, you will find that the reverse movement opens the band like moving an oil filter wrench backward. The Rocky works fine going forward but not so well going backward.
If you don't have Rocky mountain brakes, then the problem could be just the adjustment of the parking brake.
Norm

Re: park brake question.

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:46 pm
by tdump
I only have the factory lined brakes inside the drum on a 26-7 style rear axle. I used a 26-7 axle so I could upgrade to the large rocky mountain system if 1 came along I could afford.
I had some issues with adjustment when I first got it going and I got it to where it goes into high perfect,and the park brake holds well a couple or 3 notches back from the center so it technically is a bit snug?

Re: park brake question.

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:58 pm
by Scott_Conger
Well, that all sounds about right, but still, you should have equal engagement frontwards/backwards. The only two things left are: new lining which will make up for any excessive wear or importantly, unequal wear, or you have a worn brake cam and bushing in the backing plate.

And I guess finally, make sure your brake assembly is free to float on the retaining clips as necessary to centralize itself (if it's stuck or sticky, you'd have bad brake action backwards) within the drum when applied and that the shoe assembly is round

Re: park brake question.

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:01 pm
by tdump
Ok,well,lining I don't know how "new" it is.But I do know when I had issues a year or 2 ago I bought new bushings and cams for the rear brakes and it made a world of difference in how it all worked.
I will check about the floating thing and the lining thickness sometime next week.
Is there a spec on the thickkness or just look for even wear?
I know they looked nice whne i installed them.

Re: park brake question.

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:13 pm
by Scott_Conger
They probably still look nice so long as they weren't dragging. That will be evident and a fairly good indicator that they are not floating correctly.

Good luck.

Re: park brake question.

Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:40 pm
by tdump
Ok so look for drag marks.
Got it.By the way,I store it with the lever pulled all the way back.It is hard to get it all the way back but I sstore it that way.

Re: park brake question.

Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:49 pm
by tdump
Ok Scott, I must admit I aint pulled the wheels yet,I thought I would try a simple adjustment first being it was mentioned my lever should not be going back as far.
It was not hard to pull back the past couple times i operated it. When I first got it going,i had to pull the lever with both hands to get it all the way back. But it seemed to have changed.
I adjusted the clevises 2 and 1/2 rounds to tighten them today on each side.. Park brake holds much quicker as in position of the lever and I parked backwards on a steep hill and with the lever almost all the way back it holds good backwards.I could get out of it and walk away or put out chocks or something.I am going to carry a set under the seat made of 4x4's about 6 inches long just for the occasional need.
But I wanted to up date,get your thoughts on it.It seems to be working alot better . Maby I can get by not pulling the hubs for a bit as my dizzy spells and falling forward mess has hit me the past couple days and is causing me issues so I didn't want to tear it apart only to be unable to reassemble it for a while.