I just did the steering on my 450 Bantam. I am guessing it steers the same way as an American Crane. The Americans and the older Bantams had a chain to the rear wheel and I would guess on the Americans there was a sliding dog that would lock in to drive a track. Or disengage and the brake on that side would lock so the machine would turn. On the top of the brake shoe there is a cam mechanism that tightens up the brake shoe when the sliding dog that drives that side disengages. Now that the above sentences are as clear as mud, here is the question. That cam mechanism just sits on top of the shoe with a 5/8 inch threaded rod that connects both top and bottom shoes. There is also a 1/2 inch threaded rod that goes from the cam horizontally to the steel that supports the tracks. Should that 1/2 inch threaded rod be tighten tight or should it be allowed to move around a little? On my Bantam both 1/2-inch-threaded rods were broke so new ones were made. Something caused the old ones to break and I was wondering if the rods were too tight. Any ideas or suggestions?
No replies yet.