Brake Shoe Age

[jok]

I have a 1990 Prevost with 76,000 miles. It has the original shoes. A few years ago the glaze was sanded off and they were better. The braking performance seems poor again.

Does the brake shoe material go bad over the years. The drums are clean of oil.

Thanks,
John

[TomC]

Since just 1990, many new types of brake shoes have been introduced.  Old brake shoes can get hard and brittle loosing braking power.  The relatively cheapness of having your old shoes relined is well worth it.   For standard 16.5x7" truck brakes, we American made new brakes shoes with spring kits for $36.00!  Good Luck, TomC

[H3-45]

new brakes are probably the least expensive investment you can make in a coach,in my opinion

Robert

[buswarrior]

Brake linings are a porous material, with all manner of fibres tracing throughout.

The composition through many heat/cold and moisture/dry cycles will take their toll.

They don't owe anyone anything at that age, you will be pleasantly surprised at the relative low cost of fresh linings.

The labour to install, however...

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[gcyeaw]

  Many of you know this, but it is important to bring it periodicaly so any new comers learn about it.

One thing to pay particular attention to is the slack adjusters in an air brake system. Some coaches have manual adjusters and others have automatic adjusters. Manual adjusters need to be checked and adjusted regularly. Auto adjusters need to be checked regularly (that's right, they may not be working correctly so you need to verify this). As the brakes wear the effectiveness diminishes. The adjusters compensate for the wear and insure maximum braking force. If the manual adjustment is not done, or the auto adjusters are not working, the braking force will diminish with wear and result in a dangerous situation. Since many states do not require any special licensing or training for air brakes for non commercial vehicles, many Rv/conversion coach owners are not aware of the requirements.

If you do not know how to check this you must have a competent shop check the adjusters, and you need to learn how to check them your own.

[jok]

Thanks for the input. New brake shoes are now at the top of my to-do-list.

John