Hand lever brakes

[Bandit 286]

Has anybody tried the hand lever brakes? My friend has it on his Ridge Runner and he really likes it.

[horsepower 24]

Has anybody tried the hand lever brakes? My friend has it on his Ridge Runner and he really likes it.

I was kind of wondering the same thing,it seems natural to me.Ive driven dragsters with hand brakes and I like them but was wondering what you would do if you needed differential braking or to use them for sharp turning.I would also consider a hand brake if they would work well on a tail dragger.

[efil 01 74]

I was kind of wondering the same thing,it seems natural to me.Ive driven dragsters with hand brakes and I like them but was wondering what you would do if you needed differential braking or to use them for sharp turning.I would also consider a hand brake if they would work well on a tail dragger.

on my little bipe, i've got two strong bicycle hand breaks on stick, they are separated by an angle of 20° and it works very well, i can turn on one wheel and can catch both for stong braking. it works because the plane is light, i don't know if it would be enouth for hand breaking in heavy plane

[akflyer 1427]

A buddy of mine (who has since taken the final flight west) lost a leg long ago in a lil conflict we had in the jungle. He had a prosthetic leg and was not able to use toe or heal brakes. He used a single "johnson" bar tied to a single MC-1 master cylinder under the dash that operated both brakes. As long as you kept the bird straight on landing this was not an issue (it was on an Avid MK IV). I flew it a few times and just could not get used to not having differential brakes on a tail dragger, but Bill had put quite a few hours on it prior to his final departure. No he did not take his final flight in the Avid. Another buddy bought the plane from the estate and I removed the single brake setup and put in the dual toe brakes as he had everything from the original kit. I think I have the parts still at my house that I took out for the single bar mount, and I may even have some pics of the install. It was very simple, and it worked remarkably well, but I just dont like it for a tail dragger. My Pacer had the same set up and there were many times I wished I had differential braking in that plane too, and it had the little wheel up front where it does not belong

[SuberAvid 617]

I have never flown a plane with a single brake control but I know that I like the control of having differential braking; it adds a lot of authority to your steering with a tail dragger. I don't think you could break the TW loose all of the time without being able to lock up one brake. It might work OK on an airport to airport plane (or if you didn't have a choice like Leni's friend), but I like to manuver my plane as much as possible from the inside. I think it is just a personal preference thing, that's why some people still prefer tail draggers.

[Bandit 286]

I have never flown a plane with a single brake control but I know that I like the control of having differential braking; it adds a lot of authority to your steering with a tail dragger. I don't think you could break the TW loose all of the time without being able to lock up one brake. It might work OK on an airport to airport plane (or if you didn't have a choice like Leni's friend), but I like to manuver my plane as much as possible from the inside. I think it is just a personal preference thing, that's why some people still prefer tail draggers.

The reason I was asking is that I have the MC5 master cylinders which don't work real well. I cannot hold my airplane at 4500 rpm. Would switching to the MC4's give me a little more braking? I have never been able to break my tailwheel loose.

Edited 25 Jan 2011 by Bandit

[akflyer 1427]

The reason I was asking is that I have the MC5 master cylinders which don't work real well. I cannot hold my airplane at 4500 rpm. Would switching to the MC4's give me a little more braking? I have never been able to break my tailwheel loose.

awe shit, dont tell me the mc5 masters suck.. I just got them for mine. Do you have the stock pedals? If so, that could be the issue, it is the wrong mechanical advantage and not the fault of the masters

[Bandit 286]

The MC5 works great with the right pedals. I have the factory pedals. Where can I get the new and improved ones?

[akflyer 1427]

The MC5 works great with the right pedals. I have the factory pedals. Where can I get the new and improved ones?

Mikesk on here makes some way better pedals. They are the ones that Joey bought and put in his.

[Bandit 286]

Leni,

Looks like Joey used MC4's not MC5's. I think if you used MC4's and had the pivot point drilled closer to your toes that would give you a better mechanical advantage, with the stock pedals. With the MC5's you have to drill the pivot hole farther out on the arm of the brake pedal and lose some of the advantage.

[akflyer 1427]

Leni,

Looks like Joey used MC4's not MC5's. I think if you used MC4's and had the pivot point drilled closer to your toes that would give you a better mechanical advantage, with the stock pedals. With the MC5's you have to drill the pivot hole farther out on the arm of the brake pedal and lose some of the advantage.

For some reason I thought I had bought MC5 cylinders for mine ( I have not installed them yet cause I went to skis). I just pulled up my order from Matco and your right, I did order MC4D masters for use with the new pedals.

The MC5's are the ones that replaced the MC1s that mine originally had on them. One thing you can do (akflyerbob did it) is to thread the shaft on the MC5 and cut it as short as possible. Then weld a new tab on the brake pedal so it is lower down and closer to the pivot point. It made a pretty good difference on his plane.

[Av8r3400 1179]

For you guys that have them, what is the difference between the MC4s and MC5s?

[SuberAvid 617]

The MC4's use a remote reservior and the MC5's have a built in reservior on the top. The reservoir on the top keeps you from getting the top mounting point as close to the pivot point of the brake pedal so you can't get as much leverage on the piston.

Remember, the master cyl. is only 1/2 of the brake system. I went to the WHLB5XT (B5 assy W/BPA 1.505T Extra Torque) assembly for my wheel cylinders. These are tripple puck assemblies. Take a look at the specs for them on the Matco web site; they are the highest torq rated assemblies that still fit in the internal caliper brakes and they will work with the original .250 thick brake discs if you add a 1/8" spacer behind the backing plate side pad. In my opinion, these made the biggest difference on my plane.