ACCO Wedge Brakes Adjustment

Hi Guys

I have recently bought an ACCO 1830B with wedge brakes, I am familiar with the S-Cam and slack adjusters but not these wedge brakes, any advice would be appreciated on how to adjust them

Dozer

Dozr
Gudday M8

U can't get any thing better & simpler than the ol 'S' cam brakes
Least tiz proven by many years
we only ever had one truck with wedge brakes
we were told by applying brakes while traveling in reverse will adjust the brakes (if the adjusters R working)
But
EyeDoSt&2BCorrected
Cya
[ch9787]

G'day Dozer,
I can scan the chapter from the workshop manual for you if you want.

-Stu

Dozer, the best way of adjusting them so they work properly is buying new brake drums, and backing plates with S cams, only the way to get them to work properly.

Thanks guys for your help, on this subject

Hi Stu

Yes I would appreciate a copy of the pages from the manual if you have them!

Swishy

I have run the truck backwards and applied the brakes and that seemed to adjust them pretty good, just thought there may be a better way for next time, they are working fine with a full load at the moment and the Maxi works well on a pretty steep hill near here.

Bigcam

Yes I thought that when the brakes need a rebuild I would do exactly that and change over to S-cams, I would imagine a wedge rebuild would cost a fortune

Dozer

on my old acco 1830B ..a full brake reline (needless to say the brake shop went overboard fitting new bearings and springs etc ..the total cost front and back was $4500 i think that included 2 new rear brake drums at something like $600 each(different drums as fitted to S cam accos) so yes eventually go S cam ..or fit the S cam brakes from a 1830c acco

Dozer,

To work on wedge brakes just think of them as hydraulic brakes. Only difference the wedge is in place of the brake fluid. The adjustors are the same usually star adjustors in the rear and adjusting bolt in front.

Hi Guys

Thanks for your help, very valuable information, thought the wedge brakes would be expensive, maybe I can pick up a set off a 1830C at the wreckers when the time comes to renew / replace

Dozer

Jack up the wheels and move the adjuster with a bent screwdriver or lever. You usually have to make something to suit. Wind the adjuster until the drum locks, don't go too tight with it. Then back it off a couple of adjustments with the lever. Spin the wheel to make sure it's not dragging. Find a back off point your happy with and do them all the same.
Wedge brakes work fine when all working ok. If an adjuster is seized you need to pull the hub off and pull it apart, buff the threads and assemble it with anti- seize. It really depends on how much you use the truck as to weather you convert it to S-cam.

Hi Paul

Thanks for that sometimes I use it every day for a week then only another 10 days for the whole month, so it varies, usually cart hay with a little dog trailer behind, but it is a tipper so now carting a fair bit of gravel for my local farmer mates, and using my Komatsu D21P-7E dozer to fix roads & tracks after the floods up here, also do a little bit of scrub clearing and landscape work around town

Good advice though thank you

Richard