Brake assembly

[AngelPantoja]

Hello friends,
it is first time I repair the brakes of my Haflinger, but I didn´t know that it was a task so hard to do. I mean that after removing the drums and the shoes, I was in troubles to reassembly all them again. Especially the rear units. It has been a tricky situation when I tried to assembly the little springs that are hidden behind the shoes, and the center bigger one too, because their hooks are holding the shoes from behind. So my question is: what´s the way that you manage for mounting all this things successfully??

All your opinions will be appreciated.

Thank you folks!

[AustHaflinger]

You try and then fail - try again and again and again - you get better the more you try then all of a sudden they all go in. Is very frustrating with only two arms and two hands (four would be good) but perseverance does pay off.

Garry

[heinkeljb]

Make a tool out of welding wire 2mm thick. Shaped like a "T", at the bottom end bend it so you have a hook about 2mm long (inside of the hook about 1mm). Now file the two out side edges and possibly the end of the hook until it will fit through the hole where the little brake springs fit.

Then fit the lower long spring to the brake shoes whilst they are in your hand.
Then offer them up to the drum, make sure the long tang at the bottom goes all the way in to the slot in the brake piston.

They can now pivot on the piston so you can pull one slightly away from the back plate.

Now put the wire hook through the hole where the spring fits from the out side, catch the end of the little spring with the hook and slowly pull and twist the wire hook so both it and the end of the spring came back out through the hole in the brake shoe.

Once it is through a quick twist of the wire hook will release it from the spring and it will be in place.

I know it sounds easy when written like this in words, but the first couple of times you try it will probably not want to work, the spring will jump off the hook, the two things will not want to fit through the hole (you have to get the angle right and that's why you need to file the sides of the wire).

Keep trying and it will come right!

John

[AustHaflinger]

Wow John - I will have to remember that.

I can usually manage with a broad tip screw driver and a pair of solid long nose pliers after a few goes. In fact the haffy brakes are a lot easier to do than most of my other vehicles that have the same basic system - on one, the brakes are 3 times the size and the springs are three times the strength and on it I end up with skinned knuckles but with the haffie I just end up grumpy.

Cheers

Garry

[AngelPantoja]

Yesss! I yesterday was upset with those convoluted brakes, but this afternoon I did the way you explained with the wire and it has been more successfully. I think the next time I will need mounting brakes again, it will be easier because of the experience.
Thanks to everybody!

[heinkeljb]

Well done,

As you say, once you have done two of them, the others are much easier to do. I am glad my explanation was clear enough for you to follow.

I might make a little video of it next time I have to deal with that part of the Haflinger.

John