Steering, brake fade

[Lynn Eades]

They look to have been bloody hot. Fair to say they have been dragging.
Give them a sand with some emery tape (following the curve) and then focus on getting the linkage adjustment sorted (as you said)
I cant remember how much turn of the wheel you have before the brakes start to act, but it's all in the books about how to set it up.
A comparison of the British and Canadian manuals helps with an overall understanding.
keep us posted.

[RichardT10829]

Cheers folks. Rob they are locked at 90deg. With your comment above I fear I have been dragging a shoe when simply applying the cam to steer .. I think a full re set of the linkages is order of the day... And clean up the shoes. !

[rob love]

Sounds like we may be onto the problem. When you set up the linkage distance (brakes torqued to 80 and the two fixtures set up at either end) the clevise at the steering box should just be engaging with the wheel at 90.

Remember that afterwards you will be backing the 4 notches, so once all is said and done, the actual locking of the brakes will occur well beyond the 90° point. At 90 to 95 degrees, they should just be starting to engage. Full lockup by the book is at 165°, although on my carrier it is a bit beyond that. It may be that my modern linings are still setting in.

From the Cdn manual:

During the 90° swing of the wheel no action should occur in brake linkage.....

[kevin powles]

Rich, Check your triangular floor mounted brake pivot plates in the drivers compartment, if the mounting holes are elongated / deformed or the plates are thin from corrosion they may be lifting off the floor when you apply the brake and not returning when the brake is not applied. This could also happen if you are using the incorrect pitched countersunk screws to hold them.

Also if your driver compartment floor is thin from corrosion it can warp when applying the brakes. if you suspect this as the floor on a carrier is only about 3mm plate when new you can put a strengthening bar between the outer most triangle brackets on the underside of the carrier.

You can get brake heat also if you are using the wrong kind of brake drum sealing strip material which is to tightly packed in.

let me know what you find after inspection.

kevin.

[RichardT10829]

Floor and mounts all good matey. I am not using any sealing strip so no issues there.

I have noticed that I have the linkage rods front to rear in the outer positions for worn shoes... May need to move them into the inner holes when I re adjust the thing.

Wouldn't care she drives like a champ, and everyone on the garage forecourt stopped and stared for ages as I fuelled her up "pay at the pump" I didn't even have to get out the carrier !

[kevin powles]

Rich, yes move the linkages, also get a sealing strip in there, keeps the water out, check the drain hole is clear on the back plate first.

Yes plenty of admirers I bet.

Kevin.

[chris vickery]

Richard
You put oversized linings on to make up for over spec drums correct?
My take on this is that your brakes are adjusted out too far causing drag and overheating of the drums to a point where you have brake fade as the shoes no longer contact the drum as it has grown in diameter.
Perhaps your drums are really too far out of spec or simply remove some excess brake lining

[Michael R.]

When Richie said his machine stopped on the 1st through 2nd gear change it made me think the brake shoes are not backed off sufficiently from the initial adjustment procedure. Although the good book instructs to back off the adjuster cone four clicks from the 80 lb torque used when setting up the linkage, you may find this is not sufficient to prevent excessive brake drag. You must adjust the number of turns in order to acquire the brake being full on when the steering wheel is rotated to 162-168. HOWEVER, see the bottom of page 71 in the AOP instructions.

Remember Richie is not using asbestos linings as called for in the original manuals. Some new ground being covered here. The drums should be able to turn by hand without binding, somewhere along the way there is a comment about slight drag.

The parking brake should be full on at four stops on the ratchet. That could give an indication of how much brake pedal movement can be expected.

Leaving the track off, you can check for drag once you have dialed out the four clicks. Using all caution to prevent your fingers being caught by the scraper or scraper bracket, turn the drum by hand. Have someone operate the steering and brake to see that the shoes are properly expanding while you turn each drum by hand, but also retracting when the steering or brake is released...

The issue of the shoes not retracting was partially addressed with the Windsor carrier steering, where the long rods are fitted in the forward compartment with strong coil style return springs.



Points that should not be dismissed:
The British manual and Canadian manual show different ways to adjust the steering linkage. I believe Lynn mentioned a benefit in reading both manuals.

plungers properly handed and lubricated. It is quite easy to miss this requirement, as they will assemble without any indication of error.
the ability of the actuator housings to float,
long rod clevis installed on inside hole Which is inconsistent with the AOP manual ...


A common fault on the Canadian Ross steering box is a worn rocker shaft pin creating end play. As the Ross gear does not allow for the pin to be replaced, not too many current owners are repairing damaged pins or fitting new rocker shafts. Wear on the pin can allow the wheel to rotate a considerable distance left and right before the worm/cam shaft is engaged.



Using the adjuster gauges was helpful for me. Very helpful.
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