secondary brake on john deere b , c, series

donny hochstetler · April 19, 2014, 08:45:29 PM

I have seen a lot of 540b 640,s logskidders, they have a good parking brake, but I have seen them jump out on there own {lost one in a pond once}my question is, they come with a secondary parking brake{an overcenter handle cable going down to brake mechanism on back of transmision} every one i have seen has been disconected, or is missing,

my mechanic says no good, fire hazard

Imight b getting a 640 c it has this brake, in non working order, I work by myself alot,and would feel better having a secondary brake in certain situations , in the back of my mind i"m always watching, especialy on a steep bank, I know somtimes I back against a tree, or put down blade. is anybody out there using them, good experiance or bad should I even consider hooking it up, and how well do they hold I:m mainly concerned when i"m off the skidder setting chokers when i"m skidn I wouldn"t use it thanks

logger79 · April 19, 2014, 10:04:25 PM

My 540b has one that works. I have had to replace the disc and pads at times. If you ever forget to release it you can have a fire quick. It gets hot fast and any debris down there will catch.

MJD · April 20, 2014, 05:57:47 AM

The 440 I had the parking brake was disconnected when i bought it, the guy I got it from said that was the reason JDs burnt up(i did get all parts). I always bumped it to a tree when in hills setting chokers. The guy I sold it to put the brake back in service and added a light on the dash that would light up when the brake was set, solved the problem of driving with the brake on. Its still a good idea to keep that area clear of leaves and sticks.

donny hochstetler · April 20, 2014, 02:48:02 PM

thanks 4 ur input I might try n hook it up n just use it in certain situations I"m pretty good at keeping stuff clean and also keep fire extinguisher on machine I also like the light was wondering if you could wire up when you put it in gear a buzzer would come on ?