disc brake caliper on sprocket, good idea??
- Thread starter -=deVille=-
- Start date
- Tags brake caliper disc sprocket
There is a parts place on E-BAY that has that set up,they are called big dogs or bad dogs.I saw it while I was looking at a dual flanged hub that they sell. From what I heard,using the sprocket as a brake disk works well but you have to be careful of oil from the chain. But check them out,they sell alot of stuff for brakes you should be able to find some thing that you can use
There are a few people around that have done this. Cant find pics not dang it... But there could be 2 problems, as what was brought up in another post just today...
First, if you are using a hydraulic brake system the calipers require a pretty thin disc so you would have to make sure you have that to start...
Second, Cooling maybe a problem since the gear on your drive tire is not made for being heated up you could run into a total brake failure if it glazes on you when braking.
To eliminate the the first problem you could use a mechanical brake caliper used on many go-carts there about $15 and work pretty good. You can space these types with shims to over come the width problem.
One way of stopping the glaze effect is drilling holes into the gear this will eliminate some of the build up from the pads.
First, if you are using a hydraulic brake system the calipers require a pretty thin disc so you would have to make sure you have that to start...
Second, Cooling maybe a problem since the gear on your drive tire is not made for being heated up you could run into a total brake failure if it glazes on you when braking.
To eliminate the the first problem you could use a mechanical brake caliper used on many go-carts there about $15 and work pretty good. You can space these types with shims to over come the width problem.
One way of stopping the glaze effect is drilling holes into the gear this will eliminate some of the build up from the pads.
Lil' Indians and Cats both used disc brakes on the sprocket, or "sprotor". Others did too, but that's the first two I think of. Marginal brakes on a minibike is normal. They're so small, that if you lose control, the brake won't help you anyway. The only thing I use brakes for is to come to a final stop. Backing off the throttle a few feet early slows you down enough for a marginal brake to stop you. Remember, you're not riding a motorcycle.
You would drill holes where the sprocket connects. Now that will also allow it to cool better and cut (slightly) any glaze you would build up. Also don't drill to many hole's as this would take away from the strength of the disc. I would do 3-4 rows spacing the holes apart 3/8" side by side and 3/8" top to bottom.
Kinda like this making sure that all holes are even and 3/8" spaced also making them offset. Using a 1/4" drill bit. (sorry for the crude drawing oh and I forgot the teeth also dang it Im laggin) This will not be an easy task and with limited tools in my arsenal it would be very hard. I would weld a mount on the other side and add a rotor personally, but if I was so inclined to do a "sprotor" setup this is what I would do.
Kinda like this making sure that all holes are even and 3/8" spaced also making them offset. Using a 1/4" drill bit. (sorry for the crude drawing oh and I forgot the teeth also dang it Im laggin) This will not be an easy task and with limited tools in my arsenal it would be very hard. I would weld a mount on the other side and add a rotor personally, but if I was so inclined to do a "sprotor" setup this is what I would do.
Last edited:
vette66_00
You got it right. But also a guy, IMO, should be careful on the selection of components. I put a caliper on the sprocket of a CAT 300 useing the $15 caliper and will never do it again. The worst brake I have seen on a mini. Worse than a scrub brake, worse even than a scrub brake on a wet tire. Oil was not the problem. Glaze was not the problem. The problem, I'm convinced, was that the puck material supplied was way too hard. Soft friction material is more expensive than hard material so the importer to get the part 5 cents cheaper demands hard material. Careful precision aligmment and resurfaceing the sprocket in the lathe did nothing. You seem to have had good luck with them, but my advice is not to waste money on one. Maybe I was doing something wrong but I did everything but pull my hair out. Buy a more expensive unit? Of course a hydraulic unit has no advantage over mechanical, but good quality rather than poor quality usually does. I gave the mini to an old friend [on Valentine Ave. in your town] that is surely capable of copeing with the shoddy brake. He owns a hemi super bee and etc. If I had given it to a child the brake would have to be changed. It's hard to beat a drum brake on a mini. They stay drier and they are not suseptabe to oil. The brake band type on the outside of the clutch is even a better stopper [IMO].
You got it right. But also a guy, IMO, should be careful on the selection of components. I put a caliper on the sprocket of a CAT 300 useing the $15 caliper and will never do it again. The worst brake I have seen on a mini. Worse than a scrub brake, worse even than a scrub brake on a wet tire. Oil was not the problem. Glaze was not the problem. The problem, I'm convinced, was that the puck material supplied was way too hard. Soft friction material is more expensive than hard material so the importer to get the part 5 cents cheaper demands hard material. Careful precision aligmment and resurfaceing the sprocket in the lathe did nothing. You seem to have had good luck with them, but my advice is not to waste money on one. Maybe I was doing something wrong but I did everything but pull my hair out. Buy a more expensive unit? Of course a hydraulic unit has no advantage over mechanical, but good quality rather than poor quality usually does. I gave the mini to an old friend [on Valentine Ave. in your town] that is surely capable of copeing with the shoddy brake. He owns a hemi super bee and etc. If I had given it to a child the brake would have to be changed. It's hard to beat a drum brake on a mini. They stay drier and they are not suseptabe to oil. The brake band type on the outside of the clutch is even a better stopper [IMO].
Last edited: