| Author |
Message |
Rick Choy (24.49.51.190)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 12:41 pm: | |
Has anyone heard of the Mini-Max "no spring brake"? I purchased a set of them for my 4106 back in 1989 and they work flawlessly. They go in place of the rear brake chambers and with a little modification of the air lines, do an excellent job of stopping and providing a parking brake. The old brochure dated 1989 has them made by International Transquip Industries in Houston, TX. Cannot find any links or information on them from Google or Switchboard. Have they gone out of business or has someone taken them over? Are they no longer DOT approved? Any insight would be appreciated.
Thanks - Rick 4106-1798 |
Jim Nelson (166.90.111.60)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 1:09 pm: | |
Do they have 3 air lines leading to them? |
RJ Long (Rjlong) (24.127.8.58)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 1:11 pm: | |
Rick -
It's my understanding that the Mini-Max is no longer available, and that the company that built them went bankrupt.
HTH,
RJ
PD4106-2784
Fresno CA |
Rick Choy (24.49.51.190)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 2:47 pm: | |
Too bad. The concept is clever. I think there are two lines going to the chambers. One for normal braking and one for locking the push rod in the full brake position. An extra air line going from the drivers new pop-up switch to the after market air relay in the back is all that is needed. All parts came in the kit.
I was just wondering because I don't know where to get any replacement parts if and when the units need repair.
I am also wondering what 06 owners are using other than cutting into the cargo bays in order to facilitate the conventional dual chamber system.
The original drum on the drive shaft and the mechanical brake lever on the OEM version was long gone when I got the bus and I used to chock the tires in order to park it....until one day the bus got away from me. Not very pleasant things happened!
Rick 4106-1798 |
AL B (209.156.146.36)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 3:19 pm: | |
On my 4106 I mounted a 3030 spring brake on the bulkhead hooking it to the rod that went to the orginal parking brake drum I mounted this vertical using the existing linkage it works great I can be on a grade it won't move. You can put the 730 in gear it stays right there. |
Tom Caffrey (Pvcces) (12.146.33.9)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 2:06 am: | |
Rick, you'll find some answers to your questions about using spring brakes if you do a keyword search here on the board using the phrase "spring brakes".
We have a pair of the mini-max pots here, but because of reports of troubles with these units and concerns about availability like the ones you expressed, we went with the 30-30 pots.
If you or anyone would like to have the mini-max pots we have here, please let us know. They are used, take offs from a local tour bus.
I had trouble accepting any solution that would require air pressure to set the parking brake on the theory that if a diaphragm failed, there would be little or no air available.
Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 |
Jim Stacy (12.87.110.243)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 9:24 pm: | |
This product did, in fact, drive the company bankrupt. I had installed them on my 4104 but soon needed a repair kit for the cylinder.... not available. I replaced them with the 30 30 units & they work great. I sent the parts I had left back to Gary Nickerson at Coach Services, in case someone needed them. He might still have something left. HTH
Jim Stacy |