Who wants to stop before they even get started? Choosing the wrong brake for your applications could bring you to a grinding halt, costing you time and money. It is important you know the difference between various types of brake and which is more effective for your situation. 

For industrial applications or automotive, disc and drum brakes both have several pros and cons. Below, we discuss which is best, so you can make an informed drum brake decision.  

How Do They Work?

Drum brakes were the original form of a brake, patented by Louis Renault in 1902. They consisted of a wooden block attached to a lever. When the level was pulled, the block would touch the wheels and stop a vehicle’s motion. 

A drum brake is made of a round metal drum. The drum has brake shoes and two pistons. The drum rotates near a wheel and pushes down on the pistons when it fills with brake fluid. 

The pistons then press the shoes against the wheel, slowing it down. This friction will then stop the wheel from spinning. 

Disc brakes use a metal rotor that spins in conjunction with the wheel. A caliper applied the brake pads pushes them onto the rotor. The resulting friction then slows the wheel down. 

Drum Brake Pros

Drum brakes are more cost-effective than disc brakes. This low price also makes them more cost-effective for maintenance. If you are buying a vehicle, you may find that some brakes are drums and some are disc, and both are used in industrial applications.

Drum Brake Cons

Many of the cons with drum brakes are because all their parts are housed within the drum. This means any adverse effects, like heat and water, cause problems for all the parts involved. When these parts become less effective over time, it is known as brake fade. 

Drum brakes are not ideal in wet conditions. Water can gather inside the drum, which hurts performance. This makes them unsuitable for some industrial applications. 

Drum brakes also tend to hold more heat than disc brakes. You may find they get hotter with repeated usage. As the heat does not dissipate, it can make them fade over time. 

Disc Brake Pros

Disc brakes do not suffer the same problems that afflict drums brakes, making them more efficient all around. The first pro is that the rotors cast water away, so they do not hold water as a drum brake would. This makes them better in wet conditions. 

They also dissipate heat better than drums brakes. This means they are less likely to fade and last longer with less maintenance. Finally, during heavy braking, they will not lock as much as their counterparts.

Disc Brake Cons

Disc brakes are more expensive to make, and this is passed on to consumers. This expense means they can also cost more to maintain. 

Industrial Brakes

Once you know the difference, you can begin to decide which is best for your needs. Kor Pak has many solutions for your industrial disc and drum brake needs. Browse our catalog, then contact us for a quote.

If you’ve ever coasted downhill on a bicycle, you’ve enjoyed the benefits of an overrunning clutch.

But an overrunning clutch does more than smooth out a bicycle ride. They make heavy machinery function efficiently and safely. Keep reading to learn about how an overrunning clutch works. 

What is an Overrunning Clutch? 

An overrunning clutch is also known as a freewheel clutch. It is a mechanism that allows the driven shaft to turn freely under specific conditions.

You can find an overrunning clutch in heavy-duty applications as well as bicycles. The agriculture, aerospace, mining, and industrial metal processing industries all benefit from the overrunning clutch. 

How Does an Overrunning Clutch Work? 

When the shaft you’re controlling, the driven shaft, rotates faster than the drive shaft, the overrunning clutch will mechanically disconnect the two shafts. So the driven shaft can keep moving faster without affecting the driven shaft.

The overrunning clutch overruns the process, allowing the driven shaft to spin freely without the driveshaft controlling it. 

This is why a cyclist can keep moving downhill without moving his pedals, making inventions like the e-bike possible. 

Technically, the overrunning clutch transfers torque only in one direction. The overrunning clutch then permits the driven shaft to keep rotating even when you stop the driver. 

Bicycles and Heavy Machinery

You can find an overrunning clutch on more than a bicycle, though. You can find it in just about any mechanical piece of machinery.

The overrunning clutch will connect to coaxial shafts. Sometimes it will connect a shaft to a freely moving part resting on the shaft. 

Not all overrunning clutches look the same. You can find these three configurations:

• Ratchet and jaw configuration
• Circular cylinder and eccentric rollers
• Self-tensioning helical springs

Each of these configurations helps create an overrunning clutch. You can find them in a variable transmission where they convert a rocking motion to a rotary motion.

You will also find them in machines like metal-cutting machines with high-speed shifting. These machines need a slowly rotating shaft to rotate faster in the same direction. Arresting devices and winding mechanisms that need a clutch to prevent reverse shaft rotation also use overriding clutches. 

What is the Purpose of the Overrunning Clutch in the Starter Drive? 

When you attempt to start your heavy machinery, you need the engine to start to turn freely as your engine attempts to run. The overrunning clutch in the starter drive makes this happen. So the overrunning clutch transmits torque in one direction but then freewheels in another direction. 

The starter motor can then transmit torque to the ring gear. This way, the ring gear cannot transfer torque to the starter motor. 

PTO Overrunning Clutch Function 

You may wonder, from 0–10, what does a PTO overrunning clutch do? 

Similarly, the overrunning clutch allows a shaft to freewheel; the overrunning clutch allows a PTO shaft to move in one direction. Thus the overrunning clutch controls the speed of the implement that a tractor is hauling. It prevents the farm implement from going faster than the speed of the tractor when the tractor slows down. 

So, the overrunning clutch accomplishes which of the following? 

• A vehicle can start. 
• The implement being hauled cannot run faster than the tractor hauling it. 
• You can coast downhill on your bicycle. 

If you’ve answered all three, you are correct. 

Critical Element

Because the overriding clutch is critical, you should have your heavy machinery inspected regularly. Overhead cranes and the like need regular maintenance. 

Contact us for all of your parts and mechanical inspection needs.

When you’re operating heavy-duty equipment, you depend on your clutch more than you may realize. For this reason, having a quality clutch facing is essential.

You need a clutch because your engine constantly spins, but your industrial vehicle’s wheels don’t. Your clutch allows you to disconnect your wheels from the engine. As a result, you can stop your vehicle without killing your engine.

However, the clutch facing is just as important, as it helps to ensure that your clutch operates at its optimal level.

Here’s a rundown on everything you should know about oilfield clutch facing products.

Let’s jump in!

Purpose of a Clutch Facing

When you engage your clutch, you transfer power from your vehicle’s engine to your transmission system. During this process, your clutch facing makes sure that the gears don’t grind against one another. It also provides support and elasticity in your gear area.

In other words, the clutch facing prevents destructive metal-to-metal contact in your clutch set. This results in less wear and tear on your clutch components.

Clutch facings are also designed to remove the majority of your engine’s clutch vibrations. Without a clutch facing, your metal parts will wear out much faster. On top of this, the vibrations and noise coming from your clutch will be higher.

A clutch facing furthermore allows your engine to achieve a high speed without harming its components.

Quality Clutch Facings

Clutch facings can be used in a wide variety of industrial applications. For instance, you’ll find them not only in trucks that are heavy duty but also in marine engines, power presses, and the engines of lightweight vehicles.

These facings are manufactured from various materials, ranging from ceramic materials to woven fibers. Their materials must be durable so that they can endure the strong tension involved in creating heat energy from kinetic energy.

In fact, the higher quality your clutch facings are, the smoother and more stable your engine’s performance will be. 

Note, though, that facings will eventually wear down due to the engine’s extreme conditions and pressure. This is especially true if you consistently run your engine at high speed. 

For this reason, you should periodically check and replace your clutch facing. This will help to ensure that its protective elements remain intact.

How We Can Help

We offer top-tier clutch facing products along with other products designed to keep your heavy equipment operating smoothly and strongly. After all, we pride in helping our clients keep their heavy industry machinery operating at their peak efficiency.

For instance, we have a strong track record in sourcing top-of-the-line replacement parts, repairs, refurbishing or retrofitting. Also, we offer first-rate new parts, accessories, systems, and even custom fabrication to meet your unique needs.

Get in touch with us to learn more about how our clutch facing, and other products/services can keep your operations and, thus, your bottom line strong in the years ahead.

For safety, efficiency, and the health of your machines, the most vital piece of your industrial equipment will always be your brakes. Industrial disc brakes can be the difference between safe stops and major accidents. They don’t last forever, though.

Knowing when your industrial disc brakes are starting to fail takes a keen eye and ear. Through your routine maintenance checks, you can catch the tell-tale signs of a brake in need of repair.

What kind of signs should you look for? We have the expertise to help you spot the problems before they arise. 

The Big Signs for Brake Repair

Whether you are in a massive construction site or a busy factory, there will be many noise and distractions. These can hide many details if you are not careful, such as the 5 biggest signs that your industrial disc brakes need some repair. 

The best way to spot any of these issues is with proper maintenance and some operation communication. All 5 of these items will be easy spots for a trained operator, so ensure that your crew knows to be open and honest about issues with your machines. 

Let’s dive deeper into the 5 sure signs of a brake going bad. 

1. Squeaking Brakes

Industrial disc brakes should not make any major sounds when they work. A loud squeak or squeal is a major sign that the brakes themselves have hit their limit.

This sound is often made from the metal indicators beneath the brake pads. When a brake pad wears through, it exposes that metal indicator, and the squeaking sound happens as it connects.

2. Rough Vibrations

While engines may vibrate a bit when operating, your brakes should not vibrate and rattle. This can often come from warped rotors in the brakes themselves. 

Rotors will warp after enough heat, so well worn brakes may see warping over a long period. 

3. Veering Directions

One of the most dangerous signals on this list is that some vehicles may veer in one direction when you set the brake in. This issue will be similar to a car’s misalignment of the steering system. 

If your brakes have gotten knocked out of place bad enough that the engines veer to one side or another when you brake, you are in desperate need of an emergency repair. Letting this go can cause some unexpected accidents as you veer into a collision. 

4. Slow Brake Response

Another dangerous sign of a bad brake is a slow response. Even a few extra seconds of time between operating the brake and the machine or vehicle stopping can be a big issue. 

This can also be a sign of a deeper problem. There may also be a problem with the connections between your brakes and their controls. 

5. Repair Indicators

Sometimes the easiest signal is the most powerful. Most machines have indicators and sensors to monitor the status of all of your pieces. These should be right on the dashboard or near the controls. 

If you spot one of these flashing indicators, don’t ignore it! Even if it is a false alarm, it is better to be safe than sorry. 

The Best Place for Industrial Disc Brakes

All of these signs can be subtle or sudden. With the proper maintenance and skilled operators at the helm, they won’t remain unnoticed. 

When the times comes for replacement and repair for your industrial disc brakes, no one beats us here at Kor Pak. Contact us today for more information. 

Nothing causes fear like when your brakes don’t respond. This fear is multiplied when you’re sitting in the seat of heavy equipment.

Crane operators, truck drivers, and all heavy-equipment technicians know the gravity of their work. One malfunctioning part spells disaster and puts lives at risk.

Brakes matter. The hydraulic disc brake has distinct advantages over its mechanical competitor. Keep reading to learn about why hydraulic disc brakes win the race of stopping. 

Proven Brakes

Hydraulic brakes have a proven record. They’ve existed since 1918 when Malcolm Loughead proposed the idea of a brake system that used hydraulics. By the 1930s, all car manufacturers had adopted some form of hydraulic brakes. 

In the late 40s and early 50s, when cars became too heavy for hydraulic brakes, Chrysler integrated disc brakes with hydraulics. 

Some vehicles began installing drum brakes and hydraulic brakes, using drum brakes as a backup when the hydraulics failed. However, hydraulics have proven themselves to the point that few vehicles have a combination system today. 

The heavy equipment industry has especially capitalized on hydraulic brakes. Industrial equipment uses hydraulic disc brakes because of their proven record. 

Reliable Performance

Modern safety testing has proven the safety and reliability of hydraulic disc brakes. You can trust them. The fact that they’re used widely in heavy equipment also proves their reliability. 

Efficient and Economical Parts

Hydraulic disc brakes make you come to a complete stop more quickly. They work quickly and efficiently. 

Plus, hydraulic disc brakes are more efficient. They take up less space than a drum brake and cost less.  

Longevity

Hydraulic disc brakes last longer than mechanical brakes because of how they work. Disk brakes dissipate heat thoroughly and distribute heat evenly. This even distribution results in less wear and tear overall.

So when it’s time to start looking for equipment like an electrohydraulic disc thruster and actuator, you’ve already put your hydraulic disk brakes through the mill. They last a long time. 

Ease of Repair

You can repair hydraulic disc brakes more easily because the parts are more readily available. Because you find hydraulic disc brakes in most heavy equipment, you can find the parts necessary for repair without much trouble.

Also, you can diagnose the problem quickly. When the brake system has sustained damage, you’ll know because you’ll see brake fluid. Otherwise, when a hydraulic brake system is functioning properly, the brakes are sealed. 

A skilled mechanic will know how to adjust hydraulic disc brakes easily, making the repair simple. 

Your research may lead you to wonder if there’s a difference between disk vs. disc. There isn’t.

From a functional standpoint, there’s no difference between the terms “disc” and “disk.” These two words refer to the same part, but with a different letter. 

Hydraulic Disc Brakes for the Win

Hydraulic brakes are worth the money. They have a proven record of reliability, not to mention efficiency. Just about any skilled mechanic can fix them, and you can diagnose problems easily.

If you’re looking for hydraulic disc brake parts, we’re here for you. We have the parts you may need to get your heavy equipment back up and running. For all of your industrial hydraulic disc brake needs, contact us.