TO-20 Brakes

wilson65

New User
I'm about as green as green can be in the business of tractors and I have a few questions regarding the brakes on a 1949 TO-20 I bought a couple weeks ago.
I knew that the brakes weren't much when I bought it, problem is, I had nothing to compare them to. Just knew that the tractor didn't stop too well.
Jacked it up, took the right rear wheel off, removed the drum pretty easily and was interested to see how the brakes actually worked. (Bad news is I have no real automotive experience, either).
First thing I noticed was the shoes seemed worn and greasy. The next was that when I applied the brake, the lower shoe moved but the upper shoe didn't. (Are they shoes or pads?)
Am going to buy a new set since the price isn't too bad, but does anyone have any ideas as to what causes there could be for the upper shoe not to engage?
Bad spring? They all looked ok..
There also seems to be a lot of play in the individual brake pedals...can that be adjusted? How?
Next time I go to the cabin, I will remove the other side to see if that set is working ok, then I will have something to compare it to, but just trying to gain some knowledge/experience from you guys before I go up...Not sure if the pic will help.
https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/tphotos/c142003.jpg
 
Try to adjust the brakes first. That may be all you need to do. Does the lining look OK, if it's not down to metal they may be fine. How much oil is on shoes?
 
Let me take a close up picture of the lining and I'll post. Thanks for your reply.

All of the adjusting I tried to do, didn't make the upper shoe engage at all, which is why I wanted to look at the left side to see how it worked. Just ran out of daylight.
 
if your shoes were oil soaked you will need to address the rear axle seals first.yours is bendix brakes which are simple. i recommend sure seals for your rear axles.
 
Do you notice any transmission fluid leaking on the wheel while parked from the brake? I replaced my seals. You need collar Replaces 181257M1. (Part No: 9N4132)amd seal Replaces 890640M1. (Part No: 195557M1)- Outer. Drill the collar on the old one to remove it.
 
I finally got back to the brakes. Took the left side apart and their is no comparison between the shoes on the left and the right. Looks like previous owner just replaced the left side. They looked fine, brand new and not slick at all. So I've bought another set for the left. One thing I did notice is that there is a third spring on the left that was missing on the right. It's the shortest spring of the three. I've looked everywhere online and it seems that many folks have other parts for the brakes but not the short spring that I need. Anyone know where I can get the short spring?
 

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