(*$%&@ Drum Brakes!

I've always thought drum brakes were a pain. Why would a designer ever choose the system that is less efficient, more complicated and harder to maintain to boot? OK I know they are better for handbrake jobs.

Anyway, the brakes on the Ferrari were even more of a hassle than the usual run. I really thought for a while I was going to have to remove the drive flange to get the new shoes in. I just could not believe that it was designed such that you had to drain the gearbox and risk getting oil all over the shoes; there had to be a better way. There was no way I could stretch the springs in situ though.

After much swearing and failing, I finally worked it out. Here for the benefit of anyone else daft enough to have bought one of these tractors is how I did it.

Removing: Take off the shoe retaining springs and lower return spring. Pull the leading shoe away from the piston and place a spacer in there. Now pull the bottom of the shoe away until it comes clear of the handbrake operating bar, and hook it to one side out of the way (fig 1). This picture is taken from the offside, ie rear of the tractor to the left.

The handbrake spreader can now be withdrawn past the shoe. (fig 2)It might need a little "persuasion" to get started.

It should now be easy to detach the top spring and the handbrake cable.

For refitting, first engage the handbrake cable then fit the top spring. Then using the cunning slot in the drive flange, work the shoes roughly into place. (fig 3). (Is it just me that thinks this looks like an afterthought in the design?). Again hook the leading shoe out the way on feed the spreader bar in, engaging it on the trailing shoe.

At this point I needed both hands, so no picture, but you need to lever both shoes away from the pistons and put spacers in, to give enough clearance to get the spacer in and keep the slots sufficiently aligned. It is probably easiest to let the bottom of the trailing shoe come away from its slot. Then pull the bottom of the leading shoe and engage the spreader. Pulling the bottom of the shoe gives enough leverage on the top spring to pull it by hand, so no slipping levers and one hand free to engage the spreader.

Then just refit the bottom spring and the retainers. What was so hard about that then?

Blocked up PAS pump

A couple of weeks ago I was topping up the power steering reservoir on the Volvo, when I found out that the little paper disk that originally sealed the bottle was not still attached on one side, as I thought it was. I wiggled a finger round in the reservoir but I could not find it.

Shortly after that, the power steering pump started whining as though it was empty, but the reservoir had plenty of fluid in it. More than it had before in fact. Odd. It seems the paper disk had blocked up the pump inlet.

Removing the pump and reservoir assembly was straightforward enough, apart from the fact that three of the bolts can only be accessed though a hole in the pulley and there is only just enough space to get a socket into it. I tried rinsing the offending article out by filling the tank with oil and shaking it upside down, to no avail. According to the Haynes manual, separating the tank from the pump requires special tools and should be sent to a dealer. Yeah, right. Since when are a vice, a screwdriver and a pair of water pump pliers special tools? Having got them separated, I was able to back-flush the tank and sure enough out fell the blockage.

There is the offending item. All back together now and happy.

Tractor repairs

I've nearly got the tractor going again. It has been up on jacks for a couple of weeks. I decided it was time to check the brake shoes, as a precautin. Most were OK but one wheel was contaminated with axle oil from a duff oil seal. The UK main agents were up to their usual standard, no response to my enquiry. Luckily the oil seal is standard, and I could see the size - 60-85-10 - from the outside.

The shoes had to be sent off for re-lining. I have had two shoes relined, and the plan is to fit them as the leading shoes with the older shoes, which were on the other wheel, as trailing.

The one brake hose was in a very sorry state. This also had to be acquired by spec, rather than by application. M10x1.25 female convex unions at each end, our local hydraulics supplier doesn't keep those unions so I went to a performance brake supplier and got a shiney braided one. Well it is a Ferrari :). Not too expensive either in fact. And while I had the brake hydraulics apart, I changed the brake light switch. M10x1 taper thread - the local car shop came up with the goods, as fitted to a 70s cortina (Commercial Ignition XBLS7).

SO having changed the oil seal, I had to top up the axle again. I finally tracked down the right oil. BP Energol GR280XP it says on the filler cap. 220 appears to be the nearest that is currently made. I still have not found out what the practical difference is between industrial CLP gear oil (at £60/20l) and automotive GL4 (EP90) at about half the price.