Overview
Forklift brakes are fairly straight forward to replace, especially for someone with automotive experience. Forklift brake systems are traditional brake drum/brake shoe set ups, very similar to what an automobile would use in the 1960s and 1970s. Most forklift manufacturers recommend a complete brake inspection every 2000 operating hours. Brake system (shoes, drum, etc) are wear items are there’s no typical lifespan. If you use your brakes a lot, you’ll need to replace brake shoes more frequently. It probably goes without saying but brakes are only on the front axle on forklifts. The rear axle does not have brakes.
This tutorial walks you through a typical forklift brake job. The example forklift was a Toyota 6FGCU18 but the same system will be found on other brands of forklifts as well such as Hyster, Yale, CAT, Mitsubishi and others. Wet disk brakes are a thing in the forklift industry but somewhat rare. Clark, Doosan, and CAT used wet disk brakes throughout the years. If you have a wet disk brake set up, the below tutorial will NOT apply for your forklift.
Block up forklift using a forklift jack
Remove wheel & tire
Remove axle shaft
Remove brake drum
Use aerosol brake cleaner to clean brake components and prepare for removal
Remove springs and hardware
Remove brake shoes
Pull wheel cylinder apart
Remove/re-install wheel cylinder backing plate
Install lever hardware on new brake shoes
Install wheel cylinder pins
Install new brake shoes
Re-install hardware and springs.
Often hardware and springs can be re-used when replacing brake shoes and/or wheel cylinder
Install new oil seal
Remove old gasket material, apply new material
Clean drum, inspect for wear
Remove old seals and tap in new seal
Re-install brake drum
Remove old gasket material, apply new material
Reinstall axle shaft
Tighten bolts
Reinstall tire and wheel
We offer a wide variety of Toyota Brake Parts.
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