Accessory TT Truck Brakes
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2024 12:43 pm
I own a 1925 TT grain truck. It has a Ruckstell rear end and a Warford trans. It does not have accessory rear brakes yet. I am very familiar with the issue of self-energizing accessory brakes and how some brakes work only well in the forward direction. I purchased a rusty TT chassis (frame and running gear only) that had original Rocky Mountain brakes installed on it as well as a Rocky Mountain trans in the drive line. I was going to use those brakes. They have the brake band mounting point in the middle of the brake band so you should get 50% self-energizing going forward and 50% going in reverse. This is in contrast to the newer style aftermarket accessory brakes that mount the brake band on one end so you get 100% self-energizing brakes in forward but very poor braking in reverse. Recently I was able to purchase a set of TT accessory brakes that I had never seen before. They have a large cast iron casting with a “window” on one side where the ends of the brake band sit. When you are going forward and apply the brakes the end of the brake band butts up against one end of the window and you get 100 % self-energizing brakes. When you go in reverse the other end of the brake band hit the other side of the window in the casting and you still get 100 % self-energizing brakes. I thought these were quite rare until a month later I was able to buy another chassis with running gear only and it had the same brakes on it. These would be hard (expensive) to reproduce because of the two large metal castings but they seem to be the best ones to use. Does anyone know who originally manufactured these brakes or have any literature on them???? Thanks. Neil