Help with Manco 475 brake assembly?

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bobakazooboy

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I have a Manco that I rebuilt earlier this year. Everything went together very well until I got to the brake assembly. I have tried everything to get it to stop, however I am still unable to make it grab hard enough to efficiently stop the kart. I can ride the kart on grass or any type of surface that will add friction to slow the kart down like open fields, but I want to be able to ride it on pavement and honestly this needs to be finished up. What I need is a suggestion for finishing the brake. I'm including a pic of the setup. You can see that it's fairly simple, just a pedal attached to a bar that runs underneath down the drivers side through to the rear driver axle. The issue im running into is no matter how much i tighten or make the brake band smaller by squeezing it together it just refuses to stop. I'm wondering if maybe i don't need another brake band with thicker meat??? Maybe someone can share a similar experience or shed some light for me. Should I flip the assembly, Do I have it backwards??? etc...etc...Thank you. :surrender:

Here is where it attaches to thebrake band:


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Here is where it runs under the kart, look under the drivers side there is a bar:


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KartFab

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Looks like a legitimate set up to me. It might just need to be adjusted. If you look at your brake pedal right now does it have a return spring on it? This return spring should hold the pedal back (should have one on your gas pedal too)

You may just need more leverage. There should be a few holes in the brake pedal (not where your feet touch but the lower part) you can arrange where you want the pedal to sit on the kart and where the brake rod attaches. The further up the rod goes, the more the rod moves when you step on the brake pedal. In other words, the bolt that holds the brake rod should be as far away from the bolt that holds the pedal to the kart so you can stop harder.

Next, look at your brake rod, can you shorten it? There should be a few holes in each end. Get it as short as possible, but not so short that the band rubs on the drum.

Next look at your drum. Did you get some grease/oil/paint on the pad and or drum? If so, you would need to remove it with some cleaner like brake cleaner or carb cleaner etc.... If you painted it, its time to bust out a wire wheel lor sandpaper and remove the paint where the band makes contact with the exterior of the drum.

If your brake band is old and cracked, then it would be easy to replace. As long as there is rubber on it, it should work just fine.

It is possible that you could have purchased a 4 1/2" band for a 4" drum, but theres no way for me to confirm that just by 'looking' (its a combination of above adjustments and the correct band size for it to work).

EDIT:

I just looked at your bottom picture. Is the brake rod modified? Brake rods should be as straight as possible. Rods have bends from the factory to follow the frame a lot of times, but this looks a little fishy to me.
 
OzFab

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Sorry to contradict you, Grant but, the band is upside down; the rod should be over the top of the band, not underneath...

The simple way to tell is the ancher bracket is above the centreline of the drum so, in its current config, it can't pull around the drum enough; reversing the band means you will more than double the surface contact area...
 
Poboy kartman

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gran_pann said:
don't be. It's good to be contradicted, and corrected when your wrong. I'm glad you found the problem.
Click to expand...

Don't feel bad. ....it happens to the best of us....no harm done. .....kinda.....when I read that post coming from you. ....I fell out of my chair.....I took a pretty good spill....a quick trip to the ER......revealed the only injury was massive head trauma. ...the attending said no worries tho.....there wasn't anything inside to get damaged......:rolleyes:
 
thaipham25

thaipham25

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"Poboy" I knew you didn't have a brain. You should find the yellow brick road.

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bobakazooboy

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Well guys a lot of great ideas! I think after much piddling from reading all of your posts I have concluded that I in fact ordered a 4.5 inch brake band instead of a 4. Looks like I'm out $20 so I'm going to order a new one and I'll let you guys know how it goes. @Fabroman, you're right I believe that it is in fact upside down, however when I tried the setup you suggested, I'm about 6 inches short in length on the rod. That being said,@ gran_pann all of your ideas I gave serious thought too which led me to the answer. Whether it is missing some original parts or the bar is hanging a bit, I know that if I order another brake band that's 4 inches it will work for sure. Thank you guys for your constructive thinking, I appreciate it greatly. BTW.... Extremely awesome Thunderkart you have gran_pann. Would love to see it in person, its so cool with those big tires. :auto:
 
Poboy kartman

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You should meet Grant in person. ....Dennis too....and make the swap meet. .... just steer clear of Doug......something about that guy. .....jest aint right. .....:thumbsup:
 
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bobakazooboy

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Swap meet? I wasn't aware there was one. That sounds cool. When and where is it? What do you guys do at the swap meet? I noticed you and gran pann live in DFW. I'm in the Rowlett area.
 
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