Question about brake modification

Seeing as how the IHC Farmall series A, B, BN. , all have band brake setups ???Has any one ever reworked these to use Dry Disk brake set ups
using mechanical type pads (rather than hydraulic style used on other machines)? The reason being, as many know, the brakes on these series
tractors are very poor: so I thought I would ask the question above.
Wm.

My Farmall B brakes work fine going forward, not so well going backward. The usual brake trouble is oil, the linings MUST be dry to work right. Leaking oil seals will kill any brakes to work well.

just go through the brakes and everything will be fine. linings must be oil free and adjusted properly. you will have good brakes. you would need to change out the bull pinions if there is even such a change over from a newer unit.

Farmall H and Farmall M both use that same band brake setup. Properly adjusted and maintained they work just fine. MUCH better than that Ausco-Lambert after market disc brake setup.

I got a Farmall BN from my uncles estate and am amazed at the good brakes it has.

bring your B to me and i will reline your brakes but i will warn you be careful when using because they will stop on a dime and leave 9cents for the next stop and yes even work backward

Well fellows The bands are original.
When We reassembled the tractor after it sat in pieces for 20 some years, up to about 6 years ago, the bands were somewhat oil soaked. I used Kerosene to soak them, then lit them, then repeated the procedure several times. After which I sanded with coarse paper. Put in all new seals and redi-sleeves on the shafts so no oil leaks there.
The drums were in good condition, yet I also coarse paper sanded them to clean the surface there of as well.
So Gene from what you said you are thinking put new bands on; is that what I understand from what you wrote? You may contact me via email directly if you like .
My guess is that will be a Spring operation.
Thank for all your information, suggestions, and directions to date. Gene where would you recommend I obtain new bands?
May all of you have a wonderful Christmas and pleasant New Year.
Wm.

top of this page
Untitled URL Link

Relined adjusted and used they will stop just fine and oil will ruin stopping even for the coveted disc brakes so many like.

(quoted from post at 17:51:05 12/22/22) the bands were somewhat oil soaked. I used Kerosene to soak them, then lit them, then repeated the procedure several times. After which I sanded with coarse paper

Click to expand...

My experience is that it is impossible to clean oil soaked brake shoes / bands. It may help a little, but nowhere near what they need to be.

SAND BLASTING does a good job cleaning them up

Short answer to your question is, no. At least nobody has bragged about doing such a thing to my knowledge.

It would be a pretty significant engineering challenge.

Thank you for all your information. At least I had a grand thought about brakes. So my best guess is that in the spring I will need to disassemble the bull gear section on each side to access the brake areas and do a replacement. My guess is that the drums will be ok with out any machining.
Wm.

Such modification would be way more grief than what it'd be worth.

Band brakes will work just fine if they are not in need of being re-lined and adjusted right, and oil free. If they are not oil free, then you need to address leaking seals or you are going to have an going problem with oil on your hands. Cleaning and re-installing to fix it, will only be a quick fix, and a process that will need to be repeated if you do not fix the leaking seals.

I was at a guy's place one time, and he had about 4 or 5 sets of band brake linings (that would fit an M) hanging on the frame work of his fuel barrel stand. I said something about, it looks like you have changed a few brakes in your day. He said, well those bands are still good. He said they are only oil soaked (same problem we are talking about), and said his experience has been that sitting out in the weather is the only way to get them back dry again. Apparently he was just changing them out when they became oil soaked. Put on the set that had been out in the weather the longest. The set he took off, was just hung up to repeat the weathering process.
I never tried his remedy. But weathering out the oil soaked linings kind of made sense to me. Your not going to get all the oil out of them by using cleaners, or trying to sand it off. The oil is soaked within all the pores. Be kind of like trying to get all the oil out of a spunge. Weathering might do it. I don't know. But sand blasting won't get the oil out from within. Cleaners probably won't either.

Agreed. Once soaked the band (or disk) is compromised and will never work well again. You can get by knowing the brakes are not good but still have stopping power. I have also learned that once oil
soaked the band (or disk) seems to last forever - which makes sense - the oil acts as a lubricant reducing friction and prevents wear. On a little used tractor you'll wait the rest of your life for the
oil-soaked section to wear off and the brakes to work somewhat properly again. Clean everything and install new bands or get used to having little stopping power.

The JD 45 combines had disk brakes and did not work for anything, Had 4 machines like that, Would slow you down but not fast enough at times. And had a Moline U that had the live power kit from a UB installed. The right side band break worked good, the left side even after rebuilding a 250 pound person could not stand on the peddle hard enough to notice you were trying to use them.