Super M brakes

[Gwiz]

I took my SMTA brakes apart, cleaned everything, and coarse sanded some of the metal surfaces. They do not have much bite/stopping power.
I’m curious to hear from you guys who have had these brakes. If I bought new pads, would they grab well?
Are the super brakes as good or better than the earlier band brakes? I’ve ran an earlier M that has nice braking power.
Thanks
James

 

[matthies]

Coarse sand the brake disks.

 

[Janicholson]

I took my SMTA brakes apart, cleaned everything, and coarse sanded some of the metal surfaces. They do not have much bite/stopping power.
I’m curious to hear from you guys who have had these brakes. If I bought new pads, would they grab well?
Are the super brakes as good or better than the earlier band brakes? I’ve ran an earlier M that has nice braking power.
Thanks
James

To create a usable and adjustable brake on an SM series tractor, the total running clearance should be as follows. The reason is that the linkages and pivots work pretty well when the expander balls are not too far in their grooves, and the flat links are at a good angle for advantage. The ideal total clearance between the inner disc, and the edge of the housing flange where it contacts the bull pinion carrier on the differential housing is .040 to .060 inches. This is measured by putting the housing open side up on the workbench (a donut ring around the center cap helps) then placing and centering the outer disc in the housing, followed by the expander (where it belongs, collapsed completely and centered) then the inner disc centered on those. A straight edge is placed over the housing edges and feeler gauges (maybe more than one in the fan of blades) is used under the straight edge to measure the clearance all at once. The new disc thickness from All State Ag is about .525 inches. Compute your material removal from there. Toward the spec above. Dry PTFE (like Tri-flo) can be used on the cleaned, and if needed, polished balls and ramps. Any deformity in the balls requires them to be replaced. The edge springs are also important and unique to that brake. Machining is done to the edge of the housing to reduce the running clearance as noted above. this compensates for wear on the expander's surfaces and the housing friction surface as well as the bull pinion carrier flange. Jim

 

[Ellis Kinney]

I have M's with both types of brakes. The disc brakes will never stop as well as the old band brakes. Ellis

 

[T in NE]

To create a usable and adjustable brake on an SM series tractor, the total running clearance should be as follows. The reason is that the linkages and pivots work pretty well when the expander balls are not too far in their grooves, and the flat links are at a good angle for advantage. The ideal total clearance between the inner disc, and the edge of the housing flange where it contacts the bull pinion carrier on the differential housing is .040 to .060 inches. This is measured by putting the housing open side up on the workbench (a donut ring around the center cap helps) then placing and centering the outer disc in the housing, followed by the expander (where it belongs, collapsed completely and centered) then the inner disc centered on those. A straight edge is placed over the housing edges and feeler gauges (maybe more than one in the fan of blades) is used under the straight edge to measure the clearance all at once. The new disc thickness from All State Ag is about .525 inches. Compute your material removal from there. Toward the spec above. Dry PTFE (like Tri-flo) can be used on the cleaned, and if needed, polished balls and ramps. Any deformity in the balls requires them to be replaced. The edge springs are also important and unique to that brake. Machining is done to the edge of the housing to reduce the running clearance as noted above. this compensates for wear on the expander's surfaces and the housing friction surface as well as the bull pinion carrier flange. Jim

I opened them up and greased the balls with copper antisieze each spring when I raked with the sm.

 

[Farmall450man]

To create a usable and adjustable brake on an SM series tractor, the total running clearance should be as follows. The reason is that the linkages and pivots work pretty well when the expander balls are not too far in their grooves, and the flat links are at a good angle for advantage. The ideal total clearance between the inner disc, and the edge of the housing flange where it contacts the bull pinion carrier on the differential housing is .040 to .060 inches. This is measured by putting the housing open side up on the workbench (a donut ring around the center cap helps) then placing and centering the outer disc in the housing, followed by the expander (where it belongs, collapsed completely and centered) then the inner disc centered on those. A straight edge is placed over the housing edges and feeler gauges (maybe more than one in the fan of blades) is used under the straight edge to measure the clearance all at once. The new disc thickness from All State Ag is about .525 inches. Compute your material removal from there. Toward the spec above. Dry PTFE (like Tri-flo) can be used on the cleaned, and if needed, polished balls and ramps. Any deformity in the balls requires them to be replaced. The edge springs are also important and unique to that brake. Machining is done to the edge of the housing to reduce the running clearance as noted above. this compensates for wear on the expander's surfaces and the housing friction surface as well as the bull pinion carrier flange. Jim

I found that the plate ramps on my 450 had developed a pit or burr that would inhibit the balls from expanding the plates. A little grinding/polishing helped significantly.