Wheels and Brakes

[dedgemon]

Starting to acquire parts for putting the gear together. So what are people using for brakes on the Patrol. There are single puck and double puck, but there are also big and small piston versions of them. Looks to me like the big (2") piston single puck would be fine for less than monster tires. Anybody got any direct experience, or just opinions. 😊
thanks

[geraldmorrissey]

This has been discussed before. Try searching using Cleveland as a key word. The Cleveland 199-62A kit is a popular choice. Pricy at $2,200 from Spruce. Might do better elsewhere. See the Parker Hanifin application guide on the Spruce website.
Cheers
Gerry
Patrol #30

[dedgemon]

Cleveland has priced themselves out of the matket. Going with Grove. The only question is what are peoples experiences with the various sizes of brakes?

[Blackrock]

If you ever plan to go larger than 8:50's, double pucks are a must. Have you looked at the ABW brakes? Not sure of their pricing, though. Full parts interchangeability with Clevelands.

[whee]

I put double puck ABW wheels/brakes on my 4-place. Think it was $1800 vs $1600 for Groves. My dad made the final call and just really liked the black wheels. I liked that parts interchange with Cleveland incase I ever have trouble away from home. I flew a 4-place with single puck groves on 600x6 tires. They worked fine but I would want more for even 850s.

[dedgemon]

thanks guys, but remember we're talking Patrol here. Much lighter airplane.

[marcusofcotton]

thanks guys, but remember we're talking Patrol here. Much lighter airplane.

Long term following of the Supercub.org group leads me to believe 8.50x6 tires would be the max to consider single puck brakes, with double pucks preferred for 8.50s or larger.

[Blackrock]

Certainly, weight is a consideration. However, I think taxing in a x-wind will be similar, maybe worse with a lighter plane.

I fly the 4-place light at times, just me, no rear seat, 10 gal of fuel, 29-inch Bushwheels. If you use that size tire or larger, I believe you'll be glad to have the breaking effort of double pucks, in the Cleveland style. Can you get by with less, sure, but you'll find yourself at times wishing for more. Much more expensive to upgrade later, than to get it right the first time, IMHO. To be clear, I'm talking more about steering ability than breaking on roll out and not just steering on a hard, level surface, but in softer conditions or wind. That's just my opinion (2-cents worth) and it might not be worth that much.

I also fly that same plane on 35" wheels. The point of that is I know what it's like to wish I had more breaking capacity. Triple pucks, anyone?

[whee]

I pretty much agree with Blackrock. I just want to add that braking torque is mostly determined by the calipers and the number/size of their pistons while the energy absorbed is mostly determined by the brake disk. For a heavier airplane or one with a high landing speed you want to be able to absorb more energy so typically you buy a thicker disk. For a plane with big tires you want more braking torque so typically you go with double puck brakes. Heavy airplane with big tires- double pucks with thicker disks. Light airplane with big tires- double pucks with thinner disks. Etc...

So like Blackrock is saying. If you want to run big tires go with double pucks

[dedgemon]

I hear you guys. Cant envision running bigger than 8.5x6's. Thanks for the recommendations.

You could just add a second double puck caliper on both sides!! Quad pucks!!

[Bdflies]

Hey Dave,
My project (Patrol) came with the Grove single piston setup, on 8:50's. Pretty sure they're the big piston calipers. I'll check. I'm going to swap that for 31's and double piston setup. My stuff is brand new, only time is rolling around the shop a bit. If you're interested, I'd sell you the whole setup. Could work for both of us.

Bill

[Blackrock]

That's a great Idea and probably less expensive.

[dedgemon]

I dont think it would be hard to do, just have to cut tbe caliper brackets so that they both line up on the disk properly.

Make a good conversation piece.

[kestrel]

My 4 place came with single puck Clevelands on 6.00x6 tires. Worked fine. I later updated to 8.50x6. Landing rolls got a little longer and had to be careful about keeping tires inflated to prevent rubbing on the caliper, but never felt short on control. Because I like short landings and hate having to keep the tires pumped up to prevent rubbing, I'm changing my brakes for use with 8.50's. ...but I don't get the worries about enough brake for 8.50 or smaller as that has never been an issue. Yes, I fly in the wind and love it, but don't often fly from large airports that require lots of taxiing.