MF 150 Brakes

[crowbar032]

I have a 1968 MF 150 with a gas engine. The brakes are very stiff and do not stop the tractor well at all. I"ve never been a big guy and I have to stand on them to even slow down. The tractor has operated like this since my Dad bought it in 1978. Are all of the 1 series MF"s like this, or is something else going on. How hard are the brakes to replace on a 150?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I have a 1968 MF 150 with a gas engine. The brakes are very stiff and do not stop the tractor well at all. I"ve never been a big guy and I have to stand on them to even slow down. The tractor has operated like this since my Dad bought it in 1978. Are all of the 1 series MF"s like this, or is something else going on. How hard are the brakes to replace on a 150?

The toughest part of changing brakes on a 150 is getting the wheel and brake drum off. After that, it's a breeze!

The brakes on both my 150's will lock the rear wheels with a reasonable light tap. Sounds like yours has a problem. There's a "cam" brake actuator in between the shoes that wears out in time. That, combined with a little bit of wear in the linkage, and you have "very stiff brakes" . Once they get worn, people will adjust the shoes to where they're in constant tension against the drums, wearing out what life the shoes had, as well as glazing them really bad. Some truck repair shops have the capability to turn the drums, but don't get carried away. They can easily be turned well beyond service limits to get them back to new condition. You may or may NOT be able to make them "new" again.

Sounds to me like yours is ready for a brake job.

A nickles worth of free advice. Buy OEM shoes. All the aftermarket shoes I've had experience with work mmarginally at best. OEM's are much better quality. The ORIGINALS were old fashioned asbestos linings. NOTHING works as good as they did, but even the "new" shoes now work FAR better than what you describe.

 

[crowbar032]

Thanks Farmwithjunk. I was hoping you would respond. I've lurked around here for some time researching various MF 150 related issues. Your posts are always helpful. Sounds like I'll be changing brake shoes this summer. The rear tires are loaded too, so that sounds like my biggest issue/challenge.

I agree about OEM stuff. When something breaks I generally try to fix it back with the best parts I can find. I'm not a very good mechanic so I don't like to re-do stuff.

****Oops! Looks like I put this in the wrong section as well******

 

[shona13]

G.Day Crowbar.
yes buy original parts .
before you start know where you are going to rest the wheels .
Removing the wheels ,spray around the area with plenty of wd40 or whatever.
Pump the tyres up to 14 psi NO MORE this makes them easier to handle ,next spray around the brake drum where it fits onto the axle,there are countersunk head screws get a metal punch or drift about the same diameter as the head of the screw and give it a good hit this will Shock the screw and make it easier to get out,once screws are removed undo the brake shoe adjuster it is on the brake backplate and has a flat cover over the hole spray and tap the cover clear of the hole using a broad blade screwdriver or a scraper turn the adjusting STARS towards the FRONT of the tractor to loosen ,loosen then start tapping the brake drum trying to loosen it on the axle use plenty of wd40 dont tap to hard they will break easily being cast iron,once of remove the shoes and inspect if the rivet heads are touching or are nearly touching replace the soes or the linings if you have the tools ,have a good look at the drums if they are badly scored I would fit new ones buy a kit which gives you a packet of springs and washers to hold the shoes on.
Next strip the adjuster and clean the threads with wa wire brush put a bit of anti seize on the threads make sure they operate easily.
next disconnect the brake rods and free up ALL joints leave the rods disconnected from the brake shaftand make sure where the shaft fits into the bellhousing that it is not tight or seized if it is remove it and clean it up if the bush is worn replace it and reassemble use antiseize .
next make sure the s cam end floats up and down use wd40.
Next if you look at the back of the brake backplates the are two adjusting screwsloosen them of ,take them out and cleanup the threads make them easy to adjust .
Next fit the brake shoes and with a straight edge adjust the brake shoes with the adjusters untill they are perfectly square the more acurate you do this the better the brakes will work.
next refit the brake drum and adjust the brake up tight leave tight and refit the brake rod important dont slacken the brake shoes of adjust the lenght of the rod so that the pin fits in without force do the same with the other brake and when everything is reconnected give the brake pedals a good push down a few time just to seat the brake shoes then finally adjust,
The brakes are properly adjusted when you slacken them of till you cannot hear them rub.
when the tractor is all back together drive in say second gear and gently apply the brakes just to seat them then finally adjust to BALANCE the brakes .
Hope this helps
Hutch.
Make sure you let the tyre pressures back down 8 to 10 psi is good.

 

[crowbar032]

Holy old thread batman....

Just an update. Last fall, a neighbor almost ran old red into a pond while raking hay and I'm going to be on the road more now during hay season with this tractor. So while "working from home" during quarantine, I worked on my brakes. Once disassembled, I found the axle seals leaking and apparently brakes don't work so good covered in oil. I deemed the melt seal above my paygrade and hired a machine shop to do that work after I pulled the axles. I lightly scuffed the drums with some sand paper and cleaned the oil off of them before reassembly. I also packed grease in the axle tube per the recommendation of the machine shop (he was a mechanic for his grandparents Massey dealer). All total, $315 for the machine shop and seals and $80 for the brake shoes. I can lock the right wheel easily, but I still have some adjusting to do on the linkage for the left brake. I'm well satisfied with the outcome. I did not have any issues getting the set screws holding the drum out, probably due to all the oil they were soaking in. Moving the loaded tires wasn't as bad as I had imagined either. If I had known it would have been this reasonable and straightforward, I would have done it a long time ago.