Brake Help!

[Westfieldchartersinc 9]

First post on forum. Having problem with brak. Parking brake works but brakes do not. Replaced pad and adjusted parking brake to spec. Any help would be appreciated. I have a 1988 310-8 with a front loader that I just purchased.

[8ntruck 6,998]

to the forum.  Bunch of good folks here.  Between us here, we've probably broken and fixed just about anything that can be broken and fixed on a Wheel Horse.

 

The 310-8 should have a band brake on the left side just under the seat.  Start off by checking the band to make sure it has a lining in it.  Check out the manuals section of the forum.  There are probably maintenance and owner many led that you can download.  In fact, somebody will probably be along soon and post a link to the manuals.

 

If you can, take a picture or two and post them here - it will help us diagnose what is going on.  Besides, a lot of the regular members here have an average mental age of 7 1/2, so we really like to look at pictures.

Edited October 27, 2022 by 8ntruck

[Westfieldchartersinc 9]

Followed manual to the tee. I can get the parking brake to work fine but the stopping brake does not. I have relined the braking pad to no avail. I am going to try putting a spacer on the brake rod and tighten up the band that way. Any suggestions would help!

[953 nut 55,189]

On my 310-8 it seems that I can have one or the other.      If the parking brake is adjusted to work it will barely stop, when the brakes are adjusted to stop the 310 the parking brake won't latch. Hope others can share their secret to success.

[Westfieldchartersinc 9]

That is exactly my problem. One or the other but not both. I just can not seem to get this right. Someone will come to our rescue. I will keep you posted in my trials and tribulations on this issue.

[peter lena 8,609]

@Westfieldchartersinc  check out all related linkage for rust or any hang ups , you might even get a helper to sit and work that set up to verify what's going on , lubricate as you go , aerosol lubricant , with extension tube , having a  3rd eye and arm also helps , been there , pete

[Pullstart 62,834]

  That’s a great machine! I haven’t ever adjusted a brake with an individual pedal (C series, 3/400 series, etc).  Could you adjust the brake to work well with the loader, then massage the park brake tab to work accordingly?  Remember that a lot of little tweaks could have and likely did happen since 1988.  

[rmaynard 15,434]

Hmm, if your parking brake works, then your stopping brake should as well. They are the same mechanism. However, having said that, it is easier to keep a body at rest from moving than it is to stop a body in motion.

 

A little shameless self-promotion here. My replacement brake linings have been reported to work well in both the parking brake and stopping brake modes. However, brake adjustments must be made correctly. Here is a copy from the 310-8 manual on proper brake adjustment.

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by rmaynard

[Handy Don 12,213]

3 hours ago, 953 nut said:

 

On my 310-8 it seems that I can have one or the other.      If the parking brake is adjusted to work it will barely stop, when the brakes are adjusted to stop the 310 the parking brake won't latch. Hope others can share their secret to success.

Very familiar with this frustration.

Following the brake adjustment guide above carefully is important.

Having the brake drum and the brake liner material clean of any contaminants is important. If you've had a leaky seal there, get a new liner.

I roughen the surface of the liner slightly with a 60 grit flap sander after a wipe with acetone.

What I've also noticed is a very small relaxation of the tension on the brake when the parking brake "latches" when not properly adjusted and that can be enough to render the parking brake less effective. The "extra" ½ turn of the adjusting nut puts a bit of bow into the brake band and that seems to compensate and keep the parking brake tight.

[Westfieldchartersinc 9]

3 hours ago, rmaynard said:

Hmm, if your parking brake works, then your stopping brake should as well. They are the same mechanism. However, having said that, it is easier to keep a body at rest from moving than it is to stop a body in motion.

 

A little shameless self-promotion here. My replacement brake linings have been reported to work well in both the parking brake and stopping brake modes. However, brake adjustments must be made correctly. Here is a copy from the 310-8 manual on proper brake adjustment.

 

 

[Westfieldchartersinc 9]

Bob, 

 

Got the replacement liner from you. Worked great as far as removing and replacing the old. I used Gorilla glue and tie raps to secure. Turned out great. I have followed the adjustment to the tee. I can get one or the other to work not both. I think I will get the wife and follow Handy Don idea. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Handy Don 12,213]

On 10/27/2022 at 1:46 PM, Westfieldchartersinc said:

Bob, 

 

Got the replacement liner from you. Worked great as far as removing and replacing the old. I used Gorilla glue and tie raps to secure. Turned out great. I have followed the adjustment to the tee. I can get one or the other to work not both. I think I will get the wife and follow Handy Don idea. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

By the way, as we've all become accustomed to power-assisted brakes, realize that these are NOT.

You really have to stand on the brake pedal with more force than you might expect to get the parking latch to engage.

On models where there are two holes at the pedal for attaching the linkage, the "upper" (faster movement) may not give you enough leverage. Move it to the lower hole (slower movement) and re-adjust accordingly.

Keep at it! 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Handy Don

[jay bee 896]

 to 

[Westfieldchartersinc 9]

OK got to spend some additional time on this and am even more confused. Set the parking brake according to manual and confirmed functionality OK,,, Then I had my wife release the parking brake and step on the brake pedal with the engine off and gears in neutral. I could not move the tractor brake worked fine. Started engine and repeated having the better half brake and to no avail tractor did not even slow down had to use the clutch to stop. What am I missing guys? 

[Handy Don 12,213]

IMO you aren't missing anything!

The brake, even at its best, will not overcome the power of the tractor's engine-driven motion. On hydro tractors, pushing the pedal forces the "motion control" into neutral to disengage the engine so the brakes have a chance. On other models into the 70's, there is a single clutch/brake pedal so clutch is disengaged before the brake engages.

With dual pedal tractors, clutching and braking at the same time is good practice on level ground. On downhills, brake only can help with the "gravitational pull" but unless the clutch is disengage, it cannot stop the tractor. Note that the manual specifies a max of 275 lbs of towed load. Many of us believe this was WH's way of recognizing that the brake is not designed for heavy stopping power.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Handy Don

[Westfieldchartersinc 9]

Don 

Thanks for getting me straight on this. I will be posting some photos of the tractor. I  drove 5.5 hrs to get it and have no regrets. I was able to pick up a 310-12 1998 for $150 for parts. I took the wheel weights and hitch off of it and put it on my 1988 with front loader. I hooked a battery to the parts tractor and jumped starter relay and it turned over. I think I might try to save the parts tractor. Looks like I only have one more thing to trace out and that is the start wire to relay. I have to jump from relay to battery and it starts as it should. 

[Westfieldchartersinc 9]

1988 Wheel Horse.docx

[Handy Don 12,213]

Clean looking loader tractor you have there.

FYI, the forum software can properly display jpeg images directly. It's courteous to downsample them before uploading (9" wide @72dpi is a good target). This saves upload and download time as well as server storage and, since you aren't (yet) a supporter member, it helps you stay under your upload quota.