(ET) Thoughts on brakes and tires

["Christopher Zach" <czach computer org>]

Question on the Elec-Trak brakes:

Is the brake disc and puck on the Elec-Trak on the same shaft as the motor?
Or is it direct-linked to the axle?

Reason I am asking is because I took the Elec-Trak down my hill here and 
the
brake did *zilch* to stop it in D2 gear. In D1 there is more brake, and in 
L
there is more. In addition, the first time I went up the hill (also in D2) 
I
heard the belts slip and the tractor happily went *down* the hill backwards
while the motor ran forwards. I did not apply the brake that time. Let it
coast to a stop.

Likewise it looks like Regen type braking is pretty strong in D1 but nil in
D2 (the motor winds up and that is that). And if you bounce on the seat, 
the
tractor takes off (because the regen is shut down). I wonder if I could rig
it so that if the switch goes off the tractor goes to speed one instead of
dropping dead (thus keeping the regen yet slowing the tractor to a crawl) 
Or
maybe short the motor after power has been removed. No that won't work as
the thing is a shunt wound motor. Drat. Our would it if I kept the current
on the field windings? What combination would produce max drag from an
Elec-Trak motor?

In looking at the brake disc itself, it seems that only a small part of the
brake "pad" actually contacts the disc (cylinder shape). Is it possible my
brake pads are gone, and are there replacements.

Finally while filling the tires, I noticed the valve stems were all on the
inside. Normal? I was wondering if my wheels were reversed, which isn't a
bad idea for a tractor as the larger the footprint, the less likely the
tractor is to roll. Any downsides?

I think I will stay *out* of D2. I might ultimately sit down and come up
with a list of do's and don'ts for driving the Elec-Trak if suck is not
already on the web (ie: stay out of D2 on hills)

Chris