Brakes for a uhaul CT13

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by CindyL

Kevin said he has two problems with the brakes, so I asked him if one was having a wife who wants electric brakes.
He says that means that he now has 3 problems.

...as Donna would say, "My eyes are leaking!"
For Kevin ->

[mary and bob]

Kevin: I would disconnect the master cylinder and bleed it, or maybe just loosen the line and bleed at the master cylinder. There are cheap little kits for bleeding a master cylinder consisting of some plastic fittings and hoses. I would also remove the bleeder on the side that you can't get fluid out of and check to see if it is clear. Sometimes they will plug up with rust or dirt. I always put neverseize on the threads so that I have a better chance of loosening them next time. It's also possible that the wheel cylinder is stuck. It may be time for a complete system overhaul, new lines, master & wheel cylinders. I wonder if the master & wheel cylinders are available, if not they can be rebuilt unless they are badly pitted, and even then there are places that can bore & sleeve them. If you don't have a second person to assist with the bleeding process, a hose from the bleeder into a jar of brake fluid keeps air from being pulled back in when you release pressure from the master cylinder. Bob

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Kevin: I would disconnect the master cylinder and bleed it, or maybe just loosen the line and bleed at the master cylinder. There are cheap little kits for bleeding a master cylinder consisting of some plastic fittings and hoses. I would also remove the bleeder on the side that you can't get fluid out of and check to see if it is clear. Sometimes they will plug up with rust or dirt. I always put neverseize on the threads so that I have a better chance of loosening them next time. It's also possible that the wheel cylinder is stuck. It may be time for a complete system overhaul, new lines, master & wheel cylinders. I wonder if the master & wheel cylinders are available, if not they can be rebuilt unless they are badly pitted, and even then there are places that can bore & sleeve them. If you don't have a second person to assist with the bleeding process, a hose from the bleeder into a jar of brake fluid keeps air from being pulled back in when you release pressure from the master cylinder. Bob

Good advice. I suspect that Kevin should pull apart the master and slave cylinders (or are the slave cylinders new?) and have a look. They are probably rusty inside and sticky. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and once it attracts water, it condenses in the cylinders and rusts and pits them. I suspect that the seals are available. Worst case, buy a new surge brake coupler for $125.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by CindyL

So they will need to be bled after each episode of sitting around, i.e. winter?

I know bleeding is one of Kevin's problems.

CindyL

Maybe, but they should be at least checked for sponginess.

[Roger Kimble]

The Corvetts had to go to stainless steel sleeves in the slave cylinders and master cylinder. Tom, you know the magnet might clear the hub and only hit on the brake drum, so if it was flat, it would work.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Roger Kimble

The Corvetts had to go to stainless steel sleeves in the slave cylinders and master cylinder. Tom, you know the magnet might clear the hub and only hit on the brake drum, so if it was flat, it would work.

We shall see.

[CindyL]

Kevin thinks it is the main mechanism that is on the tongue. I bought him one that came from one of Uhaul's axel trailers off ebay with my grandmother's inheritance money. He thought it safer since it was newer, but maybe it was bad. He did redo all the stuff back to and including the rims. I admit that I did not fall over myself being the other person when he wanted to bleed them. I remember doing that on our '69 Beetle and was not ready to do it when he was ready. I also think it is my desire to look into making them electric, so we don't need to worry about backing or proprietary parts when next we have a breakdown.

CindyL

[Roger Kimble]

We will be working on just that, I'll start mine next week

[Bruce Thomas]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Bruce, thanks for the input. I think we might both be right, but your point is an important one. The hub I referred to used on the front wheels of the 90's era Camaro. If I'm looking for brakes, finding brakes off the rear of a FWD car would be a surer thing.

Below is a photo of the Camaro hubs.

why? cars have rear brakes? and there's nothing overly special about the hubs bolt pattern.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Bruce Thomas

why? cars have rear brakes? and there's nothing overly special about the hubs bolt pattern.

Right, except after 20 years of looking, no one seems to have found a bolt in brake.

[Roger Kimble]

Originally Posted by Bruce Thomas

why? cars have rear brakes? and there's nothing overly special about the hubs bolt pattern.

If you wanted Hydraulic brakes, a person could go this route, but if you want electric, it might be a little different, but as Tom said We'll see soon.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by CindyL

Tom,

Searching the historical postings for brakes only yields discussion postings by Kevin and me on our surge brakes and a discussion on the necessity of having brakes on a CT.

You might email Jim (webmaster) and/or Forest Field who is kind of the welcomer/resident specialist if you want access to uhaulcamper.com.

CindyL

Are Jim and Forest on this site? Ironically, I can't contact them on the UHaul site, since I have no access there.

[CindyL]

Oh, you don't see a posting by them to send them a PM? Jim is the webmaster and Forest is the webhost, kind of.

CindyL

[Donna D.]

Contact info for problems? Admin@Uhaulcamper.com

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Contact info for problems? Admin@Uhaulcamper.com

Thanks, I've sent a note. Looks lonely over there.

[Roger Kimble]

Lonely is right! no one there

[Thomas G.]

I thought I'd add another chapter to the saga of UHaul CT owners looking for a brake solution.

It occurred to me that since VTs come with surge brakes and the CT uses most of same components, if one could find a source for VT drums one could add surge brakes to the CT for less than going the whole new axle route. Chris Jones from UHaul was good enough to look into this for me and has provided a VT drum part number, which appears to still be available. Parts are quoted from Eastern Marine except drums are from UHaul

So it would appear that if you added :

• two 23390006 drums @ $24.32 each
• two Titan 10" Hydraulic brakes @ $89.99 a pair
• one Tie Down actuator coupler @ $99
• one brake line kit $54.50

Total is about $300. Not a perfect solution, but it is an option that is better than going brakeless.

[mary and bob]

How would the brake assembly attach to the CT axle. I assume the drum just slips over the studs, but what about the backing plate, do the hub mounting bolts hold it, is the bolt pattern correct, and will the location match the shoes up with the drum?

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

How would the brake assembly attach to the CT axle. I assume the drum just slips over the studs, but what about the backing plate, do the hub mounting bolts hold it, is the bolt pattern correct, and will the location match the shoes up with the drum?

The backing plate goes on the hub using the same 4 attaching bolts. The new backing plate has 4 holes that are in a square pattern, but the UHaul hub has 4 holes in a rectangular pattern. Coincidentally, if you rock the backing plate orientation a few degrees, two of the 4 holes line up diagonally which centers the assembly. You then have to elongate the two other holes to make them work. I did this when I installed my electric brakes and Kelvin also did this when he installed after market hydraulic brakes on his VT. Roger Kimble may have also done this, as he followed my design for his VT.

[Joseph Kristan]

How did you go about "elongating" the holes? Is this something the average home handyperson can/should do ?