Parking brake modifications
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 8:02 pm
Here's the parking brake solution I ended up with on my loader conversion. In reinforcing the frame rails I chose to cover over the crescent shaped cut outs to the frame rail where the footbrake lever pin protrudes through the frame rail. That pin is attached to the return to neutral function and a bar just inside the lefthand frame rail that sets/locks the parking brake. When you push the parking button, you're pushing that bar down so that a sawtooth-shaped cog engages a slot to lock the pedal. The spring that returns the foot pedal simply pulls on that setting/locking bar, and when you push the pedal again, the bar pops back to its "centered", non-latched position, allowing the pedal to return back up.
Since I no longer have a pin protruding through the frame rail, I had to install my own bar to set/lock the parking brake, and spring-load that bar to return the foot pedal. That bar now runs just outside of the lefthand frame rail, through a vertical slot I cut in the lefthand footrest shroud. The original spring is now up under the footrest shroud, pulling on that bar to return the foot pedal back up.
Then I cut a sawtooth-cog on the top side of the new bar, such that if you'll simultaneously push the pedal and lift up on the bar, that cog catches on the upper edge of the slot, and the bar is caught. And thus, the parking brake is set. When you push the pedal again, the bar drops back down to centered, and the cog is released.
All I needed then was a way to activate the "lifting" of the bar. And I ended up just installing an extra higher / inner foot pedal that's spring-loaded to lift up on the bar. So if you push that special pedal, it both pushes the brake pedal forward while applying a lifting force to the setting/locking bar. As soon as the pedal gets down far enough, you hear a "click" and the parking brake has been set.
So now I can hit the normal brake anytime I want, without affecting the travel lever. And if I want to set the parking brake I just put my big toe on the inner pedal and push down until it clicks. And just like that my parking brake is set. When you want to unset you just push the normal pedal again until it clicks and now the parking brake is released.
It's a real enhancement over having to bend over and find an extra control and do one thing with your hand while doing something else with your foot. This is super fast and intuitive. The brake pedal no longer returns the travel lever to neutral. Not everyone would like that, but I prefer it.
Bob
https://youtube.com/shorts/0HI8lU0JQew
Since I no longer have a pin protruding through the frame rail, I had to install my own bar to set/lock the parking brake, and spring-load that bar to return the foot pedal. That bar now runs just outside of the lefthand frame rail, through a vertical slot I cut in the lefthand footrest shroud. The original spring is now up under the footrest shroud, pulling on that bar to return the foot pedal back up.
Then I cut a sawtooth-cog on the top side of the new bar, such that if you'll simultaneously push the pedal and lift up on the bar, that cog catches on the upper edge of the slot, and the bar is caught. And thus, the parking brake is set. When you push the pedal again, the bar drops back down to centered, and the cog is released.
All I needed then was a way to activate the "lifting" of the bar. And I ended up just installing an extra higher / inner foot pedal that's spring-loaded to lift up on the bar. So if you push that special pedal, it both pushes the brake pedal forward while applying a lifting force to the setting/locking bar. As soon as the pedal gets down far enough, you hear a "click" and the parking brake has been set.
So now I can hit the normal brake anytime I want, without affecting the travel lever. And if I want to set the parking brake I just put my big toe on the inner pedal and push down until it clicks. And just like that my parking brake is set. When you want to unset you just push the normal pedal again until it clicks and now the parking brake is released.
It's a real enhancement over having to bend over and find an extra control and do one thing with your hand while doing something else with your foot. This is super fast and intuitive. The brake pedal no longer returns the travel lever to neutral. Not everyone would like that, but I prefer it.
Bob
https://youtube.com/shorts/0HI8lU0JQew