extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

[N74DV]

I sent out a pair of old shoes to Skybound in August to have them remade. They sent them back and 2 weeks ago I tried them. Even with the adjusters cranked all the way, with full brake pedal throw they did nothing.

I called Skybound and they said send them back with the inner wheel halves and they will custom make shoes to fit. So, off they went back to Skybound.

Got them in last week and now I'm REALLY baffled. All the shoes are different sizes. One of them is as much as 3/8" longer than the other 3??!!! When I use that really long one I can't even get the wheel on.

Another one has a crack completely through one of the steel clips on the end where the rivet goes through. And yet another had a rivet squeezed very poorly. You can see 1/16" air gap between the steel clip and the shoe and the rivet is at a nasty angle to both pieces. The rivet heads are squeezed off to the sides and I am just not happy at all with what I have.

Tried to call Skybound but they are closed for the weekend.

So.... I either send these back AGAIN and hope they get it right or find shoes elsewhere.

What to do???

[Robert Lees]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

Steel clip? What's one of those? Possibly the riveted ends to the shoes? Photo?

The steel shoes are a simple curve, with the ends riveted on. A homebuilder could remake the curved shoes quite easily, and rivet the original ends on. Custom shoes are not required, IMHO.

Yes, send them back again and get them to do it right, or ask them for your money back under warranty.

ACS used to do shoes (perhaps they still do) or Wag Aero or Univair.

Rob

Ask your local RV6-7-8-9-10 builder for his/her opinion.

[N74DV]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

some pics. See how one of them is 3/8" longer. With that one the wheel can't even be installed.

A crack in one of the clips where the rivet goes through shown in another photo.

and a 3rd photo showing drastic size differences between shoes.

I mean seriously... this is the second set from Skybound. I'm wondering if a 3rd set will finally work or cause me a further 2 week delay with the same result

[N74DV]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

Called Skybound and was told they mixed some shoes up from another set. Told me to send them back and they will send out the correct shoes.

I'll do it of course but I'm not optimistic that what I'll get back will work. I'll report back late next week with the results.

[Buell Powell]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

DJ,
I don't know if this will help but a while back I ordered a set of shoes for some wheels and brakes I had bought and they had riveted the ends about as bad as the ones you posted. I sent them back and ordered the ends and rivets and put them on the old shoes myself and they worked fine. They were really nice people to deal with but I don't think whoever did the riveting knew the ends have to perfectly strait and the rivets have to be flush. Anyway, you might want to have them send them unassembled.
Hope this helps,
Buell

[astjp2]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

Just convert to hydraulics, you will never go back to the mechanicals...also if your cables are not adjusted right, they will not brake properly either....tim

[N74DV]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

got the next set of shoes in from Skybound. I'm glad to say they are now all the same size.

What remains to be seen is if they are the "correct" size for our wheels.

I swear if they still don't work I'm going to cut a hole in the floor and "Flintstone Stop" this beast.

[crispy critter]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

Yaba-Daba-Dooo

[N74DV]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

put the 3rd set of shoes from Skybound on today.

one wheel has the adjuster turned all the way in and I still get very little braking and the other side the wheel would hardly even go on and it rubs against the liningg. The adjusters turned all the way out.

what a joke.

[astjp2]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

Try swapping sides with the shoes, and check your cable tensions for the brakes. Good luck. Tim

[N74DV]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

we did swap sides and have installed new cables and properly set them up. results were the same.

[Forrest Barber]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

We always have done them in house, Are your linings new and properly installed.? I made a mock up of the largest the shoes can get and the smallest they can get . This is a go and no go guage kind of a large version of the Cessna seat rail tool.
I have lots of Taylorcrafts around me with Shinn brakes , maintained properly they do the job they were designed to do.

[N74DV]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

Are your linings new and properly installed.?

new and installed by Skybound last month. I would hope that means they are properly installed but with what I've been going through lately with them it's anyone's guess.

after 2 months and several times of sending shoes back and forth we've gotten to the point of "who gives a damn"...... don't really need brakes much with a Tcraft anyway, so to hell with it.

[Forrest Barber]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

They are handy for a short run-up under 1500 RPM , I now re read all this and see your frustration. Wish you lived closer. Some linings in the past have been too thick and soft they are worthless. They were the replacement for asbestos linings. Ah for the good old days. Used to cough a lot but my brakes worked good.

[N74DV]

Re: extreme frustration with Shinn brakes

an update.... found a pair of corroded/unairworthy shoes and installed them to see if they would work. They worked GREAT locked up the wheels perfectly.

So.. yet again I have sent my shoes back to Skybound (4th time?) along with the shoes i know work and told them to make them EXACTLY the same size and the shoes that are corroded but work.

Hoping to get them back this week.