INFERNAL BRAKES???

[Moringa-farmer]

Dear Farmers, Contractors, Tractor operators of all types,

This comes to you in the form of a question: What in God's Green Earth were the designers thinking when they (the many manufacturers) decided (nearly all of them have conspired) to frustrate the industry by replacing a SIMPLE, tried and true method of braking with a complex, usually inaccessible means, such as the industry standard now employs: (internal, wet shoes/plate arrangement)?

No back-yard mechanic without the facility (and extra tractor for lifting) is likely to saddle up such a problematic horse. The entire tractor needs to be split in half and the rear end disassembled. No small task to be sure!

So maybe there is a good reason, but I fail to see any for the integrated internal system of braking. Why not use a pair of big, heavy, thick, discs inboard near the wheels and keep the calipers up out of harm's way, but still easily accessible? They don't even need to be hydraulic. A simple leveraged rod will surely suffice. The extra weight might be intentional, since it is an advantage, not like in the auto industry where every extra pound is a disadvantage.

'Makes me wonder. Because it really doesn't make good sense to complicate and integrate such a thing as brakes.

Ray

 

[IH tractorman]

wet brakes will last much longer than dry brakes jd had them for a long time. IH went to wet brakes on the ag tractors in 1976 but they mounted them where you could get to them easy. the issue falls on engineers trying to come up with something new to keep their jobs. the problem is they are so busy trying to figure out if they COULD, THAT they don't stop to think if they SHOULD

 

[FarmHand]

Personally I've not had many issues at all with wet brakes, but I can imagine a caliper not enjoying mud, stones, hay, e.t.c, exposed in any way. I'm guessing you had to do one recently?

 

[Moringa-farmer]

To IH tractorman, Thanks for that. I think the same thing re: the "Could vs. Should" concept! Those "engineers" who probably never even owned a tractor or used one, much less wrenched on one, should steer clear of designing them. That's just my, and I think YOUR opinion as well.
Thank You, Sir!

To answer Farmhand's question and comment: No, Sir, I have never even tried to fix the brakes on my first tractor, a Massey Workbull. It came that way and I dealt with it the best I could. Very dangerous, though. It just seems to me that changing a couple pair of (external) brake pads would only be necessary once or possibly twice during the lifetime of the machine. Especially considering that they could be HUGE, like that of a Semi. The caliper could be well high enough to seclude it from potential injury, and could even be shrouded with a massive cover if that were called for. Weight is a GOOD thing! Think about the off-roadies. They all use disc brakes, and put their machines through some torture, and we've not heard of any real issues from them. At least I haven't.

It was not until just last year, that I thought I was barking up the wrong tree, and possibly even to the moon, when I discovered an exterior disc brake system on a scrapped wheel loader or some large wheel tractor. Massive tires and rims and a thick disc bolted to the rim! So I felt a bit exonerated.

Oh well. We really have little or no choice. And you're right. The brakes will last and last normally in a wet system. That first Massey of mine was a 1965 or so model. So it saw some work.

Yours,
Ray