S-cam brake tool kit?

[SHolt]

Can anyone suggest a good brake tool kit for working on commercial transport S-cam brake assemblies? I will be working on these massive drum brakes soon and need to purchase a good quality kit to have in my box.
Thanks guys

 

[SHolt]

Any commercial transport guys here have any suggestions?

 

[FunkyfullWidth]

all I ever need is a prybar and a socket to loosen the slack adjuster. class 8 drum brakes are very simple to rebuild. I take it you'r just starting out?

 

[SHolt]

all I ever need is a prybar and a socket to loosen the slack adjuster. class 8 drum brakes are very simple to rebuild. I take it you'r just starting out?

I am just starting out. What about a tool for the spring removal?

 

[skouby]

All you need is the biggest flat head screw driver you can find, and grind a notch into it for spring removal.

 

[Tony G]

I use a tool for removing the springs its an OTC-5081 and a roller bushing driver that goes on an air chisel as an attachment. Also good idea to wear a respirator or dust mask.You can fill in the rest as you go along with tools like a drum micrometer.

 

[theoldwizard1]

all I ever need is a prybar and a socket to loosen the slack adjuster. class 8 drum brakes are very simple to rebuild. I take it you'r just starting out?

How popular are disc brakes on Class 7 and 8 trucks (not trailers) ?

 

[patchap]

You'll need a 5/16 square pipe plug socket, a big screwdriver with a notch cut out for the springs. I used to use a little trim popper as well, for the slack adjuster.
The shop you work in should have the ball joint press for the bushings.
Air brake systems are very simple.

 

[SHolt]

You'll need a 5/16 square pipe plug socket, a big screwdriver with a notch cut out for the springs. I used to use a little trim popper as well, for the slack adjuster.
The shop you work in should have the ball joint press for the bushings.
Air brake systems are very simple.

Thanks guys. Yes I just took my 2 day air brake course and they are not a very complicated system at all. recently received my air endorsement and class 3 licence up here in Canada too.

 

[JJThrasher]

How popular are disc brakes on Class 7 and 8 trucks (not trailers) ?

AFAIK (I rarely touch them) pretty rare except new stuff.

 

[Wes J]

All you need is the biggest flat head screw driver you can find, and grind a notch into it for spring removal.

That's what I use, except I used a medium size pry bar. There is a for real tool you can buy.

The other way to do it is to use an adjustable wrench or pry bar to spread the end with the rollers (cam end). Then you can pop out the rollers and the shoes will close far enough you can take the spring out by hand.

Depending on the slack adjuster, it could be a 7/16, 9/16, or 5/16 square.

I suppose you really should replace the anchor pin bushings every time, but I usually just leave them unless they are in bad shape. Put some anti-sieze on the new anchor pins and they will last a long time.

If you need to replace the cams or cam bushings, that's a whole lot more involved job. Most of them will not come out without removing the hub.

BTW, if the truck has "Dayton" style wheels, where the rims don't have centers and hubs have 5 or 6 spokes, that brake job is a lot more difficult. Those axles have inboard drums and you have to break down the hub bearings to do a brake job.

 

[Wes J]

How popular are disc brakes on Class 7 and 8 trucks (not trailers) ?

I've only seen them on the steer axle where you don't need spring brakes (parking brakes). They are really easy to change. You just back off the adjuster and pop out the old shoes, toss in new shoes and readjust. If you have to turn or replace the rotor it's a little more work, but no different than a car.

 

[bwringer]

BTW, if the truck has "Dayton" style wheels, where the rims don't have centers and hubs have 5 or 6 spokes, that brake job is a lot more difficult. Those axles have inboard drums and you have to break down the hub bearings to do a brake job.

Outside of an antique machinery show, where would you encounter Dayton style wheels in 2016?

 

[txvwnut]

We just had Stemco out to the shop to do some wheel end refresher training. He was pushing a spring tool assembly tool and got upset when I said all you need is a large prybar to install the retractor spring and S-cam rollers.

 

[MJD1]

Outside of an antique machinery show, where would you encounter Dayton style wheels in 2016?

There is still a fair amount of them around. Lots of ag and logging trailers used that style. . As for brake springs, pop them off with.a prybar. For install a 7" straight jaw vise grip works good. For S cam bushings you will need a bushing driver. The one I have has multiple steps for everything from anchor pin bushings up to the largest S cam bushings .

 

[Wes J]

Outside of an antique machinery show, where would you encounter Dayton style wheels in 2016?

They are still very common in construction (dump trucks and lowboy trucks) and other offroad applications like logging trucks. Basically any truck that might need to change a tire without power tools might be spec'd with Dayton rims.

Other than that, there are still a few museum pieces on the road!

 

[Strouty]

We still have trucks that have them, as new as 1996. I much prefer a rim, but sometimes you just don't get everything you want in a used truck. My buddy said some of the school busses into early 2000s still had them IIRC.

 

[Wes J]

I don't know what the point is on a bus other than maybe cost.

For offroad apps the Dayton wheel is considered to be stronger. The center of the rim is pretty weak and if you get a lot of side loading they can crack. The Dayton wheel solves that problem by eliminating the centers and using the beefy hub to hold the rim directly.

But the trade off comes when you try to change the brakes.

 

[Strouty]

I don't know what the point is on a bus other than maybe cost.

For offroad apps the Dayton wheel is considered to be stronger. The center of the rim is pretty weak and if you get a lot of side loading they can crack. The Dayton wheel solves that problem by eliminating the centers and using the beefy hub to hold the rim directly.

But the trade off comes when you try to change the brakes.

I think it was old school mechanics and the fact that they had all daytons, so they could easily swap tires around before auctioning off old busses.

 

[NFH2740]

OTC-5081
Lisle 28890

Don't use a screw driver or vise grips to remove the springs. The proper tool will save you from injury.

 

[Wes J]

This is the one I was thinking of. You can make your own.

http://shop.braketechtools.com/Spring-Tech-Tool-BT-1051SP.htm