Extending Brake Pad Life - 1641

oly51 · #1 04-11-2018, 08:20 PM

The brakes on my new-to-me 1641 were at the end of their adjustment and did not stop the tractor. There was a lot of lining left on the pads but the end or the adjusting rod was hitting the clevis pin.

The brake pads are positioned by a 3/8" dia x 1 1/4" sleeve. Made a trip to my local Tractor Supply and left with 4 Hillman 3/8 x 1/2 x 1" thin wall sleeves and 8, 3/8 flat washers. Swapped out the sleeves and used the flat washers as shims between the outer pad and the sleeve. This brought the pads closer to the rotor and changed the travel of the adjustment rod.

The number of washers needed will vary according to the wear on your pads. I ended up using 2 washers.

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olds45512 · #2 04-11-2018, 08:51 PM

It's a hydro, you don't need brakes. When you hit the brakes it should move the hydro lever on the dash back to neutral which will stop the tractor. If the tractor is still moving with the brake pedal down then you have a hydro linkage issue, not a brake issue.

clay1811/44c · #3 04-11-2018, 10:12 PM

First welcome to OCC. Good job getting more life out of the pads. When parking on a slope it is nice having a working parking brake.

darkminion_17 · #4 04-11-2018, 10:50 PM

I just cut the brake rods shorter.

clay1811/44c · #5 04-11-2018, 11:03 PM

If the brake rod is made shorter, it is possible the cam/lever may go over center. Might I be correct on that thought?

darkminion_17 · #6 04-11-2018, 11:14 PM

I've had no issues with it.

johncub7172 · #7 04-12-2018, 12:44 AM

Having a brake system on a hydro drive has it’s purpose. By now a lot of these models won’t stay still in one location running while you get off to move the kids toys. The tractors creep away with out the foot brake set. Or anytime you are hooking up a rear attachment or implement while running. After the tractor looses pressure in the hydro pump, it’s possible that the tractor can roll away too. Sometimes quicker to press the foot brake then to move the motion lever to neural too. That’s what I think. Nice repair and if it works all the better!

olds45512 · #8 04-12-2018, 07:18 AM

I wasn't trying to debate that brakes are good to have for parking brakes, he says the brakes wouldn't stop the tractor which I assume means that when he's using the tractor and pushes the brake pedal the tractor doesn't stop. If that is the case then he needs to adjust the linkage for the hydro because the brake pedal must not be returning it to the full neutral position. With the repair he's made the brakes might stop the tractor but the hydro is still going to want to push the tractor, this will lead to shortened brake pad life and could eventually lead to damage in the hydro pump.

J-Mech · #9 04-12-2018, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olds45512

I wasn't trying to debate that brakes are good to have for parking brakes, he says the brakes wouldn't stop the tractor which I assume means that when he's using the tractor and pushes the brake pedal the tractor doesn't stop. If that is the case then he needs to adjust the linkage for the hydro because the brake pedal must not be returning it to the full neutral position. With the repair he's made the brakes might stop the tractor but the hydro is still going to want to push the tractor, this will lead to shortened brake pad life and could eventually lead to damage in the hydro pump.

I agree with you. Kind of.....lol.
The brakes dragging against the hydro when stopping won't damage the pump. BUT during starting, if the hydro isn't centering, it could be a safety issue, and if there is a load present on the pump during starting, before fluid pressure has built back, that could damage the hydro..... could. But it would take a while.

oly51 · #10 04-12-2018, 10:17 AM

Thanks for pointing that out Tim. I've had this 1641 for 3 weeks now and am slowly learning and going through it.

Earlier, even after I adjusted the cam arm and linkage it still creeped when the brakes were set and moving the shift lever from forward to reverse felt loose and the results were not consistent. (I came close to hitting one of my classic cars when it kept moving backwards even with the brake set...)

Back up on the jack stands, I took the control plates out and found the cam arm plate was bent and the spacer on the pintle control screw had two flats worn on it. Straightened the plate, made a new spacer and re-set the adjustments and it appears to work as it should. (I also tightened the rivets on the shift lever to remove some slop there)

While it was in the air, I looked at the brakes and came up with the above fix. Seeing that new brake pads are apparently made of unobainium, I figured posting that here might help others in a similar situation.

I've learned a lot from the posts on OCC and am glad to be a part of it.

Gary