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Powermax brakes


gretsch

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Has any of ya'll taken apart the brake assemblies on a Powermax or equivalent tractor? If so, did cleaning up the brakes improve the braking capabilities and how long did the improvement last? Thanks
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Brakes? Naw, They do have these annoying double pedal thingies. I've tried stepping on them one at a time or simultaneously, with NO affect. LOL ;)
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I had some improvement by adjusting the brakes on my 4040 - but have not had to completely disasemble. They slow it down well but do not actually stop it. When things get out of control I just drop the dozer blade! :)
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Gretsch! I just recently finished replacing the rear axle seals and brake discs on my AC 620. The brake discs were saturated with tranny oil which makes the brakes useless. I also had a broken spring on the right side which didn't help. My original discs were not wore out, but I did not want to try to clean them up. I went for new discs, which are still available from Simplicity. (part # 174668) With everything back together,the brakes are working good. They will lock the wheels up without alot of effort. I suspect with these tractors that once any oil or grease gets on those discs, they become almost useless. Let me know if you need more info on this project. Jim...
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Jim, that is exactly what I was interested in finding out. Right now I have absolutely no brakes and I live on a hill which is not a good combination. I will tear into it and do what you did. Do you think the original seals were bad or just got hard or something in order for it to start leaking. Did you add or do anything else to try and prevent it from happening again?
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powermax_paul
Jim, I'm Intrigued! I've never had good brakes on any of my powermax tractors. How much did the discs cost? All the braking I've used is enough to help me steer the tractor when plowing snow and plowing in the field.
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Jim, I've always wanted to address the problem with the brakes, but man, it seems like a big job. How bad is it? I do have the manuals but it looks pretty complicated. Thanks for any info. Floydster
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It doesn't seem that bad. I took off the fenders, drop housings, and axle extensions today to access the brakes. A lot of gunk, grease and tranny fluid in there. I assumed it would be sealed if they were becoming oil soaked but the front section is open and lets in a lot of gunk. The brake disks are metallic so I have them soaking in some mineral spirits. New ones are really high (over $50 each x 4) so I am going to make do with these. They hardly look worn at all. The only seals are a grease type seal that the shaft exits through and an o-ring around the brake rear disk assembly. Looks like a gasket should have been used where this assembly joins the tranny but they did not do that. There is also a weep hole seemingly designed to let oil bleed through to the brake side if level got too high. I think I will plug that hole for sure and add a gasket with sealant. Basically all the oil seems to be coming into the brake housing through the fittings inside and behind the brake itself. Any oil that weeps will just drip onto and throughout the disks right off the bat. No other direction for it to go. So much for quality design. I will have to order the seals and o-rings on Monday so that is as far as I can go right now. As far as difficulty, I don't think it was any more trouble than pulling that Onan out of a powermax and cleaning it up. Actually surprised me that is was so straight-forward of a job.
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If you can still buy it, Carbon Tetrachloride works great for saving contaminated brake linings. It's pretty nasty stuff though > http://www.nsc.org/library/chemical/carbonte.htm
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As good as the brake disks have lasted, I am sure that they must be asbestos. Does asbestos brake pads hold and wick oil out over a period of time like some other semi-absorbent materials? Mineral spirits are good for easily getting grease and gunk off of parts just by swishing them around in it, but I don't know if it will work with brake pads. Thought I would try some brake cleaner spray also prior to putting them back on. Any better or other brake cleaning ideas?
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Hi all! Sorry I haven't answered anymore comment's on replacing the brake discs. Been away. Gretsch, the retail price on those discs is around $79.00ea. So, if you could get them for $50.00 or so, that's a deal. The other thing I looked into was having my original discs relined at a local re-manufacturer. They wanted over $50.00 ea to do all four of mine. The price would of been cheaper if I had more of them to do. That's why I went for the new ones. Paul, I think the reason my brakes are working real well now is beacause everything is clean and dry. I have been told that the brakes are suppose to lock the wheels when pressure is applied. The one important thing in doing this job is making darn sure the axle seals are installed properly and made sure when you put the axle back in that you grease it so it goes thru the seal without damaging it. Even with doing those thing's,I not sure how good the seal is going to keep oil from seeping thru. Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to give everyone some details on my job. Would be happy to share more detail if anyone needs it. Jim...
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When I was helping my friend with his 620 brake problem, we just held his brake pads up up a ray tech heater for about 30-45 minutes. It draws the oil right out of the brake pads. He said they work good now. Todd
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Carbon Tetrachloride??? As a teenager, I used to use that stuff to kill and preserve bugs for my bug collection. A couple of drops on a cotton ball, drop the cotton ball into a pint Mason jar with the bug, screw the lid on and leave it overnight.... Killed them and essentially embalmed them at the same time.... That is some VERY nasty stuff!!! I doubt you could buy it without a license, at least.
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being in the repair business,my shop uses 3M part#08880 to clean brake shoes that have been oil soaked. it works very well, an you can also use it to find oil leaks. its a good product.its called HIGH POWER BRAKE CLEANER.
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You can buy the spray brake cleaner at any parts store. It is the recomended procedure by OSHA on any brake job to spray the brake assy. before takeing apart. Spray the parts and let drip dry into a pan.
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"Brakekleen" is real popular and available a just about any mass marketer. While it was meant to drive oil and brake fluid out of brake shoes, I have find a lot of uses for it, like finding oil leaks. You can spray it on an area and it dissolve away oil and leave a finger licking dry spot. The only caution is that it might also attack the paint. BLT
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Thanks for the info. I didn't know for sure if he was referring to the normal spray "brake cleaner" type or a more powerful industrial/commercial item.
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[quote]Originally posted by gretsch
Larry, where fo you get the 3m brake cleaner at? Is it a spray on or do the brakes soak in it? Thanks for the tip. you can get 3m brake clean at any napa store
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