Ok you Boffins, how about some ideas for effective brakes on a mini other than a stick or hob-nailed boots dragging on the ground. I envisage a curved plate rubbing on the outer face of the front wheel tyre, connected back to the driver via a pull cable or similar. Earlier I made a fibreglass front mudguard for the front wheel, perhaps I'll make it pivot and become a brake pad, easy to rebuild if worn through....Wok
Most land yachts have only a small amount of weight on the front wheel, so if you put a brake on the front wheel it will cause it to lock up and have minimal braking effect. If you wanted to use the front wheel you will need to increase the downforce on that wheel..... The negative of that is it will reduce the performance of the yacht.
For effective brakes think about using the back wheels or a drag brake.... Depending on the surface.
do you want it for parking,or slowing down ?
a simple pipe rubbing on the rear wheels works fine and is very effective. no need for cables etc. Vic and barry pulford glassed a back pedal wheel into a front wheel and use the rear pull lever.
when racing a pipe on the wheel is great for assistance in those high speed turns
Brake used for slowing down. Do you just swing individual pipes on a pivot? The new mini I'm building has removable front end and rear axles with the ability to fit two wheels on a common long 20mm shaft. I bought extra 150mm wheels so I can have rear wheels of 100mm, 150mm or two together on a common shaft with spacers to give me equivalent to a 350mm foot for sand beaches. The 100mm wheels are hopeless on grass. A swinging pipe could be easily arranged. I guess the pipe would rub the rear of the tyre, cross the axle pivot point and have the handle alongside the driver. Did think the front wheel would skid as Gizmo suggests.
I put these on my class5 yacht, but no reason they wouldn't work on a LLM. They work well when ya come back to the pits, and will hold the yacht still on the lake, but would NOT stop the thing at real speed...
The spring keeps the 'pad' from rubbing the tire when ya don't need it to. Pretty high-tech, huh?
Thanks for that, clear photo too, if the pivot point was located closer to the tyre it could change the effort enough.
I made an error with my wheel widths, the two tyres give me 4",6" or 10" width.
Ive mocked up a wooden brake system [paten] for our craft, which is/should be light, simple and have stopping power.
funds are extremly tight at the moment, so when i win lotto and buy a camera I will post a pick or two.
You don't have to wait to win Lotto Gibberjoe. I have an unused small digital camera you can gladly have for free. It has a 128Mbyte XD be memory card, cable for download to computer and all ready to go. Takes 2 AA cells. Can take the usual photos and videos.
PM me your postal address particulars and it will on it's way on Monday. Glad to give it a worthwhile new owner, no strings attached.
....Warren
Well done wok. There are a couple of no longer used cameras around this household too.
Possible Landyacht Brake System
First came across this type of system when a lad of16 or so. I worked for a brickworks in Melbourne as a labourer. My job was to every day move a couple of truckloads of coal up into the kiln and place ready for the firing of the bricks.
When, myself and my assistant finished moving our coal our job was done, and we could knock off.
So the way is was done was with a rope wire winch and a couple of wheel barrows.
I was the winch man at the top and the newly arrived non english speaking migrant at the bottom was the shoveler who filled the wheelbarrows.
The winch system is the basis of my braking system, the return of the barrow to the ground was by freewheeling drum with a handbrake to stop downward movement before the ground was contacted.
So by taking this freewheel drum brake and adapting it to forward motion with a lever for application made from 3 main parts.
#1 some sort of drum, pulley, light, attached by bolts or weld to the inside of your wheel, you?ve started.
#2 is the actuator lever, which swivels backward and forward around your axle. When its forward the brake is off, tilt it forward 45% so that at rest off, it just sits there on stopper.
#3 flexible belt, made from seat belt or tye down material which when the lever is pulled this belt is tightened around your drum.
To make belt, bend and glue, hold to set with staples, loops at both ends for attaching
Some photos could follow within the next week or so, a camera has been donated?.thank you.
Another thing that works similar to this is an exercise bike when you load up the effort required, all you do is tighten up the brake.
The caution is to check the belt regularly and make a few extras that are easily changed. To make a belt measure string and set up pins on a board to roll and glue your end attachments.
Do it right and it will work well, adaptable to work outboard
Look for a cable activated disc brake off a cheap bicycle.. Lots ov em here in the states
Hi harleyed....have asked around about cable op , not many good comments, enough to put me off.
what do they go for over there, have you used them?
They also have hydrolic discs... Would take a little work but I am sure they old work well.
We have a 50 cc motorbike and it has cable activated, they work well
Brakes are relatively simple to fit to the front wheel, I've even seen modified bicycle caliper style that clamp down on the front tyre...... BUT as we know brakes on the front wheel are next to useless, it doesn't matter if it's cable, hydraulic, or mechanical they all lock up the front wheel.
If brakes were to be fitted they need to go to the back wheel/s and cause absolutely NO DRAG until activated, we know even the seals on bearings cause enough drag to slow a yacht down.
Disc brakes.... I think the main question would be how do you it them to 'wheelbarrow' type wheels?
