National Aeronca Association Bulletin Board

Can anyone point me in the right direction for a manual/guide on adjusting the cleveland mechanical brakes on a 46 7AC?

Thanks

Don't know if there is one, Ed. Almost a two man job, but one person can do it. I loosen the cable clamp at the wheel, use my hand on the actuator to force the shoes tight against the drum, then tighten the cable clamp. I have the wheel jacked up just off the ground and give it a spin. Should have just a little drag on it. (spins freely but slows down quick)Do the same to the other side. Really tough to get them so they are both even when using the pedals.

Jody Wittmeyer wrote:Don't know if there is one, Ed. Almost a two man job, but one person can do it. I loosen the cable clamp at the wheel, use my hand on the actuator to force the shoes tight against the drum, then tighten the cable clamp. I have the wheel jacked up just off the ground and give it a spin. Should have just a little drag on it. (spins freely but slows down quick)Do the same to the other side. Really tough to get them so they are both even when using the pedals.

Mikek

I'd also be interested if anyone has any hints or tips to get a little better performance out of my Good Year brakes (other than replacing them with Clevelands). Even with everything adjusted properly and good pedal on the heels, it takes pretty firm foot pressure to make a decent runup. Almost to the point where I feel like something might let loose. I've tried roughing up the pucks, but there isn't much you can do with the disk (too hard). Probably just the "nature of the beast", I guess. Doesn't bother that much on our little grass strip; but they make for rather exciting times on a bigger ramp (taxi very slow ). Noticed the L16 I just bought also has Good Years.............shucks .

Mike,

The good news is that I just got another set of Goodyear wheels from an old friend today, so the supply is doing well.

I agree with your comments on the brakes, they are not real effective but I rarely use them. Half of the time I do my run-up on the taxi out anyway and almost never use the brakes on landing.

Joe A

Thanks everyone. You have restored my faith in common sense. Since my post I decided to give it a try by looking at it and doing what seemed right. The right brake cable had about 1/2 inch more play than the left. So I had taken out the play and gotten an improvement but it still wouln't hold well for runup.

So now I know it was the right thing to do and just have to take out more play.

Thanks also for some good ideas for making the job easier!

mikeberg/wi wrote:I'd also be interested if anyone has any hints or tips to get a little better performance out of my Good Year brakes (other than replacing them with Clevelands).

Mike,

I have Drum Brakes but looking at the print in my last post I would
try a few things. Not knowing the shape of the systems you have I will
just list some points:

1. Disk and pucks need to be free of oil / grease that might be coming
from the wheel bearings, they do not show seal/felt to hold grease
so clean it up and do not over grease bearing.

2. Option for helping the disk surface would be to lightly bead blast the
surface or flash/spray crome the surface for a rough surface to aid in
the holding power.

3. Check that the inboard puck/pad is thick enough to reach the disk
when you push it inboard. Might need to add thin spacer disk to
rear of pad.

4. Now the outboard pad adjustment, well before this, lets get a strong or
stronger spring to hold the lever arm completely back. Now back to
the adjustment of the outboard pad. looks like the adjustment bushing
can be adjusted on the pushrod bushing and then with the locknut and
washer -adj be locked in position.

5. After all is in place and set check that all clips and buttons are in place.
Have little experience with these clips/button but looks like many
people use duck tape to aid in keeping them in place.

Take a look at this site again, he stress the spring holding the arm to
give a more correct fit of pucks, disk and leverage to give holding power.



Mikek who needs to get to the airport a check for some clips & buttons.

Sorry I just keep on & on & On. good night

http://www.hangar9aeroworks.com/Aeronca ... hInfo.html

Mike Berg brings up a good point about something "breaking" on the brakes. I've had 2 failures on my drum brakes:

The first happened when I had the brakes set too LOOSE! While mashing the right brake to keep from running off the end of a runway, I pushed so hard it bent the slave strut between the front and rear peddle. Once the tube was bent, the front peddle would hit the stop before any of the break would grab.

The second time I had a cable fail on the left side. Using the break to bring the tail through some tall grass, I mashed it to only hear a snap and the peddle go limp. The culpreate turned out to be a bad repair on a brake cable guide tube that chafed the cable. But while repairing/replacing I did step the cable up one size.

nkh

Most of the problems I see with the mechanicals is caused by the Bowden tube. The spirial wound wire shield for the cable. If you are having trouble and have tried everything I would replace them.
When I replace them I lubricate with a dry lube like graphite. If you use an oil based lube it will attract dirt and crud making the brakes hard to apply and will not release properly. A lot of the Champs I,ve seen don,t have the pedal return spring installed and rely on the springs at the wheels to release the brakes.
I have a few planes that use the Cleveland mechanical brakes and I am satisfied with the installations. They should hold for run-up but do slip a little at full power.
We may expect too much from these brakes if we try to compare them to a more modern brake system.
Paul

I think Paul's right: we probably expect too much from the 1930's technology (cable brake setup). The Cleveland brakes do seem superior to the Goodyear system, but that's only natural when you look at the contact area. Either one is going to put about the same amount of pedal pressure down throught the cable. And, let's face it, these planes were pretty much designed to operate from grass fields.

Couple of items: new complete brake cables are available from Univair for about $60 each. I generally don't mess with the old cables and housing if there's any question...too much agravation. Regarding the Goodyear brake clips: I found the best way to hold them in place is "faa certified silicone". Kind of a mess when you have to take them out to pull the wheels, but a heck of a lot better than having them fly out and losing one at $$$$$?????. For the pin type clips: I have seen "faa certified duct tape' holding the pins in, but I suspect silicone would do the job too.

While digging through the boxes that came with my L16, I found all the brake clips and pins (there is a Santa Claus). Doesn't make up for my aileron straps that are missing, but a good start.

Does Univair carry the felt seals anymore? Thanks.

I know this is an old post, but just thought I'd add a tip to get the Cleveland brakes adjusted right. Take the spring off at the brake drum assembly by pushing 1 side of the spring down with the open end of a wrench (wear gloves!!! if that spring snaps back it could hurt). Next, push the cam lever down as far as you can with your hand, so the brake is engaged. Pull the cable through the clamp assembly and lock the cable in place with vice grips. Now you can use 2 wrenches to tighten the clamp assembly and not worry about the cable slipping while you do it. Once you're done, put the spring back on 1 side, then use a wrench to push the other end of the spring into place.

Worked great for me.

-Matt