Brake Floater Kit

M

Mel Larsen

Member
When going trough all the boxes of stuff that accompanied my 29 Sport Coupe A, I came across a unopened bag that contains a "Deluxe Brake Floater Kit". is there any of you who has experience with these? Pulling and checking out the brakes and wheel bearings is one of the items I plan to do next. Any thoughts will be appreciated. I looked and found these kits my Snyder's catalog and see that they of very pricey,$ 305.00.
Thanks Mel
 
I have the lower price standard Flat Head Ted floater kit that sells for $295 installed on my car. The delux kit is $375. The main difference is that the delux kit has parts that roughly center the rear brake shoes. However if the tracks at the rear are in good condition then the extra parts are not needed.

The floater kits allow the shoes to seek the center of the drums. But the most important feature is that they allow the shoes to be self actuating, meaning that the friction of the shoes against the drums helps to push the shoes against the drums. Modern drum type brakes have this feature. Actually, with the stock brakes, one shoe at each brake is self actuating, but the floaters allow both shoes to be self actuating. This reduces the pedal pressure but also means that both shoes wear at the same rate. The self actuating feature works forward and reverse.

Model A brakes that are in excellent condition will stop the car fine, but the floaters are a good addition to even excellent stock brakes. The floaters will not fix brakes that are in poor condition. The brakes must be repaired before the floaters are added.

In my car the brakes were in excellent condition before I added the floaters. The floaters reduced the pedal pressure by about half. This is a good feature for older drivers or anyone who does not have strong leg muscles.
 
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X2 on what nkarminar said. Have had Flathead Ted's on my slant T/s for 4 years. They work great. Your brake system must be in good shape for this kit to work.
 
thanks, mkaminar and Herb. I think I just found a YouTube that shows how the kit is installed. Now all I have to do is: check out my brakes.
 
As I have said many times before - my cars are drivers, not showers so I am not adverse to modifying things for safety. 2 days ago, I had he good fortune to acquire the front brakes from a 1934 car that had been rodded (Grrr.). They are as scarce as rocking horse $#!T here. They need repair, worn tracks and wedges (floating wedges will go in)- the usual stuff and the asbestos linings were removed when the car was imported. I can almost hear some of you saying "Why? Standard Model A brakes are fine". While the current brakes are OK, larger drums will be better and we will feel much happier knowing we will be able to stop with a trailer behind pushing us along and we travel at a steady 60 mph on longer solo car tours..
The current brakes on all 4 of my cars have the floating wedges. I wouldn't even consider not using them. As for FTT's kit, I think only the complete set (front and back) is currently available. If the front ones could be bought separately, they would likely be on my cars.
 
Synchro, At one time in the past you said that the electric trailer brakes help stop your car. Since they are designed for hydraulic systems, how do you have the electric brakes hooked up with the mechanical brakes on your car?
 
nkaminar said:
Synchro, At one time in the past you said that the electric trailer brakes help stop your car. Since they are designed for hydraulic systems, how do you have the electric brakes hooked up with the mechanical brakes on your car?
Click to expand...

I have inertia brakes on my trailer, completely separate from the tow vehicle's brakes.
 
nkaminar,you're talking about oxcart trailer brakes! I've installed dozens of hydraulic trailer controllers over the years,and in 1996 I went to install one in my new Dodge 2500.The trailer place I dealt with said I can get you one,but why?They had gone to inertia back then,and the truck was pre-wired for it.I just found in the last few years that you NEVER NEVER tap into the hydraulic brake system on a computer controlled system unless it has a factory ported outlet and sensor for it.I just kind of have this thing about sticking to the old methods sometimes.
 
Yeah, I forgot about that. For those who do not know, the inertia of the trailer pushes on a cylinder, mounted on the trailer, that supplies pressure to the trailer brakes. A clever idea. On my modern truck, a Chevy 2500, the electric trailer brakes are pre-wired, like your Dodge 2500. There is a slider on the dash to control how much braking you want.

If I understand correctly, you modified the trucks/cars to add an inertia system there that then controlled the electric brakes on the trailer. If that is the case, I would like to learn more.

In the far past I have added sensors to the hydraulic brake systems on vehicles to control the electric trailer brakes. But that was before modern vehicles which are computers on wheels.
 
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The brakes with a master cylinder on the trailer tongue are surge brakes.The hitch part on the front is actually attached with a scissor linkage.When you let off the throttle,and step on the brakes,the trailer surges ahead and applies that master cylinder.If the trailer was in everyday use in certain applications they kind of worked.They seemed to have their day in the sun in the late 70's and early 80's,but seemed to fade away.The guy that invented those should be locked up in the same room with the guy that invented the brake adjusting board.I collected a lot in wages fixing those years ago.The inertia system is just a control box with a power wire in,signal wire from the brake pedal,and the feed wire to the trailer.The new ones are computerized,the earlier ones had a pendulum inside.I just buy the control box,plug it into my factory harness ******* under the dash,and fasten it where I want it.Mine is a Pod brand,and I mounted them over my right knee in my two Dodges.
 
Thanks. Now that you mentioned them, I seem to remember the pendulum system. I also seem to remember that they were a pain in the rear to install.

I haven't rented any trailers in a while but they had the surge system. It was along time ago, maybe in the 1980's. Time flies. I remember my grandpa. I see him every time I look in the mirror.
 
When you mounted the pendulum controller you had to adjust the pendulum so it was vertical.Then you could leave it alone.I was used to rassling a steel brake line through the firewall,around the wiring,and above your feet to tie into the controller.U-Haul was big on surge brakes,for all I know they could still be using them.Around 1980 I worked on a lot of Jartran rental trailers.Their bigger trailers used the surge systems.When they went bankrupt I was left holding the bag on a couple of dozen trailer repairs.Seems we aren't supposed to use surge brakes here in N.H.because they don't have a way to control the trailer brakes independently.
 
I tow my caravan with my 33 ,stock brakes,BUT, have the REDARC electric brake controller in the 33, trigered via the stock brake light switch,so the caravan brakes work just like being towed by a modern vehicle.
Lawrie
 

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nkaminar said:
Synchro, At one time in the past you said that the electric trailer brakes help stop your car. Since they are designed for hydraulic systems, how do you have the electric brakes hooked up with the mechanical brakes on your car?
Click to expand...

Neil, I have them connected the same way as with "Hydrochloric" brakes but I have to push the pedal harder than usual for much to happen. The trailer brakes are electric and are triggered by the stop light switch. The amount of boost given by the controller is variable over a wide range.
My driving technique changes when I am towing. If I am likely to need the brakes, like in town, I drive with one hand on the controller. There is a lever there that applies the brakes progressively even if I don't use the brakes on the car.
 
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Arnold , get a redarc controller, then you don't have to fart around with using the manual operation.
best thing I ever put on the 33,
you can mount the unit anywhere under the dash or anywhere, then a little can bus cable connects to a little knob you can mount on or by the dash.
Lawrie
 
I'll second that on the Redarc brand brake controler. We have two of them in use now and they work very well and easy to install as Lawrie has said. :)
 
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