MTFCA Forum

i have considered installing the rocky mountain brakes on my 23 wood body truck.
i could purchase them from a vendor, but i also have heard that the old style may be better or different.
is it worth the effort to find an older set or just purchase a new set?
im not familiar with the differences enough to make a decision
thanks,

What kind of truck? Is it a pickup? The currently made Rocky Mountain brakes work fine on a standard size Model T. The only drawback is that they don't work in reverse. So it is good to have a good working transmission brake which will stop in reverse if you push hard on the pedal and also have a good parking brake.
Norm

The modern Rocky mountain brakes are slightly different than the period brakes. The period brake linings were pivoted at the rear. The effect of this when driving forward is for the top half of the lining to tighten but the lower half loosen. Naturally in reverse the effect is the opposite, so the braking effect both forward and reversing is similar. The modern design lining is pivoted at the lower front. When moving forward the whole lining is tightened, creating a servo action thereby enhancing the applied braking effect. Unfortunately when reversing the lining tends to loosen with the effect of minimal braking.
Those are the facts. The rest is opinion.
I prefer the modern design, on my coupe going forward I can usually lock my rear wheels. I also retain the Ford brake on the rear transmission drum and that provides adequate braking when reversing.

Hi Joseph,
The new Rockies are self energizing forward and work poorly in reverse and when wet. If you have a Aux. Trans. and get cought going up hill and either kill the engine or get out of gear you may find yourself in trouble. Having a good park brake is advised. ( park brakes are sometimes removed because they make the rockies hard to adjust ) I once killed the engine when someone unexpetedly stopped on a very steep grade and could not pull the hill in direct low peddle. Had to restart the engine, mash reverse and grind into under drive, pull the throttle wide open and switch to low peddle all while rolling backwards and trying to convice my wife to get out while she could. I know people that where not as lucky as I was and got badly hurt! Early Rockies are hard to find and almost always need work. A-C brakes energize in both directions but are smaller. To date I have not heard a complaint from anyone using disc brakes. There are also hydraulic drum brake kits available. I'm currently working on adapting a set of 14" Studibaker brakes to model T that energize in both directions but it maybe more work than I had hoped. Thats my $00.02

What we need to do is go back to the originals. It would take someone that would be willing to take on a project like that. The new ones work backwards from the originals, which were CABLE operated, and had a small bracket attached to the brake pedal.

Larry,....in my opinion, that would have happened long ago, except for liability issues nowadays in this super litigious society we live in,....in other words,....there's a reason for all those lawyer jokes! Sad but true,... .....harold

Larry. I respect your opinion but in this case if I agreed with you, we would both be wrong.
Case in point.
When the CDO first appeared in April 1901 it had no brakes at the rear wheels. The braking was on the transmission just like the Model T. By 1903 the Oldsmobile designers realized this arrangement was inadequate and the 03/04 model had external brakes. To me this is a tact omission that the earlier model had inadequate brakes.
Now the Model T appeared in 1908 with the same arrangement as the 1901 CDO which the Oldsmobile designers had already found inadequate.
Now I content that traffic conditions today are many times busier than in 1901 and better braking systems are a necessity.
Personally I don’t like the look of disc brakes so modern Rocky Mountain Brakes are a reasonable compromise. JMHO

All great info
My t is basically a 23/24 car that has a wood cab pickup much like a tt would look like
The bands stop it pretty good
I did put brake shoes on and my club helped me figure out the brake rods so the parking brake works good also
I live in an area that has hills and I use reverse and the brake and for the most part I’m good but was thinking an alternative brake system may be beneficial
I actually find myself wanting to drive the t more than my other cars so I thought I would look into brakes

I have RMs on my two T's and have had very little problems with them. If you always keep you foot on the low pedal and use it when going backwards, its not hard to stop. I use low when approaching a stop and speed is down. Using it and RMs will stop a T fairly well.

I guess I really should stay out of this discussion, but, here goes.....

I'm definitely "not the brightest bulb in the marquis", and now into my 80th year, which doesn't help either, but I have to say, even I have learned a lot from this forum by regular participation in it for many years, and I believe one valuable thing I've learned is that it's a bad idea to use ANY of the three pedals for anything else but what they were designed for! Maybe I take things too seriously, but my OPINION, from what I've been led to believe by the forum is that the original planetary transmission drums are so fragile the any extra and/or unnecessary use of them adds to more cracks developing and eventual drum failure. That's why so many of the more knowledgable Model T planetary transmission guys have repeatedly stated that they've seen very few ORIGINAL drums that do not have at least some cracks in them!

So,....having said all that, I personally try to use the reverse pedal ONLY for reverse, and the clutch or "high/low" pedal for only that, and, of course, always trying to get "low" locked up as soon as possible when first starting out from dead stop. Again, just personal opinion,....FWIW,.....harold

You were clearly "paying attention" in class, Harold !

I have a '17 Touring that I drive, a lot! I had two experiences on the 2019 Indiana Covered bridge tour which drove home the importance of good brakes. In the first case I was going down a narrow, steep, winding hill when I came upon several Model T's stopped at a river ford. I pushed the brake to the floor and managed to miss the car ahead of me only by pulling half into a ditch. In the second case I was climbing a steep, narrow road when the engine started to sputter. It never quit but if it had, I don't think I could have stopped the car from rolling backwards into the cars following me or going off the road into the rough. I had three passengers with me so the car was heavier than most.... people could have been hurt.

After evaluating the available braking systems, I went with hydraulic disc brakes. They work great! Forward, reverse, wet or dry it's all the same. I have a driver, not a show car and don't care if they don't look "period." Not everyone will agree with my logic but there it is.

I agree that one should use the pedals for the purpose Ford intended them. But using reverse when backing up is OK and using low when going forward is OK Main thing is to increase the throttle when shifting down and reducing the throttle when shifting up When you press the pedal hold it down hard so the engine compression will do the braking.
Now I realize that sometimes there is no other way to stop the car and it might be necessary to depress the pedal for other reasons.
Also when in free wheeling the auxiliary brake and parking brake are the only way to stop it.
So a driver needs to be quick in acting in an emergency.
Norm

Tim,
thanks for the picture of the hydraulic brake system.
i forgot they existed.
did you use the sure- stop system or maybe another vendor.


i don't go fast but it just appears that where ever i go there is a stop light or stop sign at the bottom of a hill.
never on the upside of the hill!!!!!

all good points on using the pedals for what they were intended.

at this point i will keep researching all the options.

Joe,
I used the "Sure Stop" system. The components are of the highest quality and go together well. Unlike mechanical brakes you don't have to periodically adjust them. They also include a reliable brake light switch activated by hydraulic pressure. Under routine driving only a slight pedal pressure is needed to stop. If you stomp the pedal you can easily lock up the rear wheels.

I assume you have small drum parking brakes so the price of discs compared to RM's is about $150 more --- well worth it in my estimation.