Carrier steering woes

[Jim Burrill]

Hi folks,
After rolling out my Mk1 this summer, I have been sorting through some teething problems.
One for the books: Fuel flow restricted. The gas line going to the tank selector had a portion of tube that went too far into the valve and covered the hole. All looked right, but most of the hole was blocked until we shortened the tube about 1/8 ".

Ok, here is where I need some specific advice. I can't seem to lock the brakes on either side hard enough to do a tight steer on grass.... can spin on a dime on pavement.

Details: Brake rods adusted with two sets of Rob's adjusting tools so front to back and left to right are in spec.
New brake shoes on both sides.
Drums NOT turned as the shop said they were in good kip.
Steering wheel has new bearing in floor....in fact every bearing in the whole carrier is new, except the wheels....they were all taken out, cleaned and tested and repacked.
Upper steering wheel housing is lubed and turns freely.
Hand brake was disengaged.
Track tension was set to spec.

Observations: The steering was better when fresh from the shop. I have noticed the track has become very tight. I haven't had the chance to loosen the track back to spec yet (I am not currently in the same town as the carrier) I have gotten some improvements by tightening the brake adjuster by several flats.

Suspicions: 1) the new shoes are not an exact replacement and the arc of the lining is different. This may improve as the high points wear in.
2) the track is drum-tight and doesn't "dig in" to the soft ground correctly.

Any one had similar problems or have any clues?

Cheers,
Jim

[Richard Farrant]

Originally posted by Jim Burrill

Suspicions: 1) the new shoes are not an exact replacement and the arc of the lining is different. This may improve as the high points wear in.
Jim

Jim,
If your brake shoes radius does not conform to the drum, then brake efficiency will be poor. With this type of vehicle, mileage is not likely to be high, so the hope of it wearing in to suit the drum is virtually nil. You need to either get the shoes relined to the correct thickness to suit the drum or shape the linings to fit the drum. The last method is a bit of a no-no nowadays due to the asbestos hazards. It is not possible to guess from your words, whether the linings are too thick or too thin.

Richard

[Stewart Loy]

Jm,

Good to hear from you again.

My Carrier brakes seem to always be wanting of an adjustment also, but my track is starting to stretch out rather than tighten. Perhaps a few hours spent under the beast may reveal the truth.

Perry Kitson and I will be going to the Open House at Coors' in VA in late October, and hope to see you there. Perry had similar woes a year ago, and I am not sure what he did to remedy them - but his machine is OK now.

Regards,


Stewart

[Wayne Henderson]

The carrier at the local army museum workshops had the same problem with turning. We replaced the missmatched shoes and drum from another carrier and the problem was solved.

Your drums may have been in good condition but it is essential to skim them and skim the shoes to the same diameter for greater surface area contact. You will be amazed at the results of full contact brakes=steering. Happy spinning!

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Nice to hear from you!

All good advice the last, but I can offer one more place to look. The long rods that connect the pivots (in the forward compartment, outermost)with the pivots on the outside of the rear plate, pass through stamped metal shields bolted to the floor just rear of the battery (LH) and steering rollers (RH). The rods may have rusted here such that pressure from the steering wheel may be warping the rods rather that applying pressure to the drums.

If all else fails, on entering a turn in grass, gun the snot out of it and be prepared for the resultant dirty look from the property owner.

[Snowtractor]

used to be a common pratice to grind the heal and toe of most shoes before putting them in . Most shops had a machine and some have newer vesions with covers and vacuum for asbestoes dust etc. you can use a hand rasp but the dust is a hazard. Now , with autos , we go out and make 6-10 sometimes more , heavy applications of the brakes to help set them. Perhaps multiple heavy applications in a straight line would help, though you are risking track stretch.
Sean

[Rob Dyba]

If new brake shoes have been fitted or are rebonded to your old metal backers ensure you send your braking drums away & ask the shop re-bonding the carcases to "radius grind" your new friction linings to suit the drum. this will speed up the bedding in process. even with radius ground shoes several re-adjustments will be required. to achieve a servicable brake several adjustments will be required before your shoes have bedded in. i reccomend when replacing the shoes bed them before re-fitting your track. fit the new shoes & prior to fitting the track select 2nd or 3rd gear & allow the sprockets to turn, apply the brakes on & off several times or until your brake drums become warm to the touch, let them cool then re-adjust the shoe positions as per manual, repeat the process until bugger all re-adjusting is required. do not o/heat the linings at this stage- if the drum is too hot to touch you have let it get too hot. when you have worn the "fur" off the new linings one final re-adjust & refitt the track & away you go........this bedding in process is common to all drum brake systems but most don't have tracks to contend with. it is much eisier to adjust the brakes with the track off so bed the brakes with the track off. I hope this is of assistance.


Rob