This friggin’ brake band!

[Jakebleazard75@gmail.com]

The brake band keeps coming off the drum. Any cheap or free ideas?

 

[Hellion]

Both rods that the band attaches to need to be square or perpendicular to the brake drum. Yours are bent, which induces a twist in the band, pulling it or walking it off the drum.

Also, there are brake bands that have a C shaped keeper welded to the band to keep it centered on the drum. Consider tacking on some metal tabs that hang down over each side of the drum.

Once everything is lined up the brake should be effective.

 

[Dingocat]

What he said.

 

[anickode]

It also looks like the band might be opening too far, but it's hard to tell from that pic. It should only just open enough to not be squeezing down. It is normal for the brake band to be touching the drum lightly when open.

 

[mckutzy]

How is the flatness of the drum in correlation to the axle??? Like does it have a bit of taper towards the edge or flange of the drum....
It can ride off the rim if it is tapered and cause similar problems....

 

[Jakebleazard75@gmail.com]

I have come up with a solution (spacing it out better), but I still don't think it will work very well. I don't have the things that hang off the side to center it on that brake band. I sure could use some disc brakes right now, speaking of, anyone know where to get cheap disc brakes? I don't care if they are even used.

 

[KartFab]

this is what it should look like. The solution is to line it up right and you dont need a band with the extra alignment piece in the middle. Its obvious that the brace is completely out of line.

One of the most important pieces here is having a brake rod with a guide bracket that keeps the rod from moving left and right. These brakes when set up right are actually more responsive than a mechanical disc brake in my opinion.

https://kartfab.com/go-kart-plans/go-kart-brake-band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhRFXiK2UYY

 

[Karttekk]

There shouldn't be a nut on the inside of the brake band, the band should ride against a fixed post on the kart frame. I think that silver spacer is wrong too. The 415 I just picked up had the sprocket on crooked so the drum would wobble. Your kart doesn't have alive axle, correct? This illustration shows how my 415 is setup. A thin nut then a thicker one on the drum side of the sprocket then 3 thicker nuts on the wheel side of the sprocket. Those spacers on yours must have replaced the multiple nut arrangement. I'd look at that spacer setup. What model kart is yours?

 

[Karttekk]

Refer to this image.

 

[Hellion]

I agree with those two 'Kart' guys. Good eye-ballin' there.

McKutzy is right as well. If you have miles and miles of uneven brake wear, caused by the band engaging only part of the drum, you can end up grinding the drum into a bell shape. Then the band will walk itself off the drum when you brake.

I agree that these "janky" band brakes are uncannily effective on go karts. They can seriously lock up that axle good and tight if you stomp on it. There's just more braking surface area when applied than with disc brakes, I guess.

I wanna know as well---what kart do you have?

 

[Karttekk]

This is how the sprocket is setup on my 415, figured a better view might help.

 

[Jakebleazard75@gmail.com]

I actually did remove that nut, and now stops, but that’s all it does. The model is a pathwinder two seater. Thanks for the picture of the 415, but this is a whole different kart. Although that is a lot like my kart, except I converted mine to two wheel drive. Every thing I have done to this kart is my own design.