Re: (ET) Thoughts on brakes and tires

[poweredbysun <jimlynch poweredbysun com>]

In the owner's manual it says that there are two
configurations for the tires. The configuration
with the valve stems out is the "narrow" config.
and with the valve stems in is the "wide" config.
for hills and snow chains, etc.
I don't know enough to answer the rest of the questions yet.
Jim Lynch
jimlynch poweredbysun com

Christopher Zach wrote:
> 
> 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