I just purchased a new project. This is an old military issue forklift.
72' Baker FJF-040 SN:73303
Pneumatic tires, flat head 4 cylinder Continental motor. I think it is in relatively good shape overall and I am having a fun time bringing it back to usefulness.
From reading the boards it looks like brake issues are rather common and that is the case for this machine. I took off the dual front tire. The tire is mounted to the secondary axle (or so I assume). There were a series of allen head bolt on the head of the axle and removing them freed up the break drum (free but still trapped by axle) but how do I get the axle out to work on the pads?
From the assy diagram available in the military manual it appears like the axle might be held on by a nut from the other side of the gear reducer housing but there is just a flat plate there with no nut. Maybe I just need to pull real hard? My only remaining option is to crack open the gear reducer housing by removing a series of bolts that go around its perimeter.
Before I do a forehead slap as I realize that I did it the wrong way I was hoping someone here has done this procedure before and can offer some advice. All brake advice would be appreciated (anyone with a service manual, even better)
BTW, when I freed the brake drum, redish fluid flowed out. It looked like automatic trans fluid to me but I'm no pro. Not sure if there is red brake fluid or maybe it was rust. Outside chance someone put the wrong fluid in the brakes.
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Hi Guys,
my name is erik. I recently owned a BAKER forklift, model FJF 340 402, built in 1974.
I think the forklift is great. The machine has not been moved for 10 years. I need pads, manuals and parts lists to get the vehicle back into operation. - Hence my request: Who can help me?
Thank you in advance, with best regards from Central Germany,
Erik
I think I figured out the bulk of my issue. Due to my own competence or the tilt of my driveway, I did not have enough fluid in the transmission. The way it was acting, this makes sense. It just did not have enough fluid to build pressure in the torque converter and I just got limp performance.
After fixing this I got better torque coupling though the transmission so now I could bog down the motor going up hills but I still could not get good performance up hills. It feels like it is geared too high. I don't think this machine (former Navy unit) has a creep mode on it and it definitely does not have the 2 speed option that some of these have. The result is that it really can't go up hills. Combined with the poor brakes it is not not good at going up or down hills. I don't blame the machine, it is just not made for that.
Unfortunately for me, hills is all I got on my properly and I have decided that this machine is just not going to work for me. After all the parts and work I put into it, I am going to sell it. I have it on Craiglist (San Diego) now. I am really disappointed though. There are so many things I could use this for. I was hoping this would be a low cost machine to solve my problems. I really like working on it. This machine is a tank!
Good luck!
Did you get your forklift driving better up your driveway? Mine doesn't do well up inclines either. Have to get a good running start of speed to have enough momentum to go up inclines.
Have the forklift facing up a hill (my driveway) and I can give the engine plenty of RPM. It moves up a little (6 inches) before it can't go any further. The engine is under load but does not stall so I think that confirms that the transmission is slipping. I am not sure if there are some models of this truck that were installed without inch mode but I tried to see if I got any better performance if I just barely let off the break (which activates the transmission). I did not see any difference. Maybe it is slipping before that could do any good.
I checked fluids and the dip stick seems to that this is full (inserted fully in) so it is not fluid level but as I mentioned, I think the wrong fluid was used. I will give Joseph Industries a call this week and see what they say. I am not sure if this is the behavior of a transmission that is worn out. It could be. I purchased this to fix up and use but am only now finding this issue and have no way to know if the transmission was good before I started.
I doubt if the Napa fluid is causing the problem but it is the wrong fluid. Even if you drain it and put in Dexron II I don't know how you would drain the torque converter which probably holds 2 quarts. The whole system probably holds about 14 quarts.
You may want to call Joseph Industries in Ohio, tell them what you did and they can advise whether to drain the fluid.
There should be an oval plate riveted to the top of the transmission with the part #. It should start with 9020 or A9020.
Thanks duodeluxe, it is great to have you provide your knowledge and expertise.
I refilled the transmission with Napa tractor & transmission fluid, it says that it meets a number of specs but Dextron II is not one of them. I am not sure why I selected this product but do you think that this could be my issue? (low power to wheels)
The Master Cyl that I put in my truck fit and worked but I remember having to almost eyeball the thing. As I recall it looked correct and had the correct bolt spacing so I went with it but I wonder if there are similar (interchangeable) cylinders with different bore sizes out there and maybe the one I chose is undersized. I often think that all my break issues would go away if the Master would just pump more fluid. Any thoughts? Cheers
The transmission and differential utilize the same sump and the fluid is Dexron II.
The military version of this model is totally different from those sold to industry through dealers.
I'm just guessing but I think the Baker part #'s are:
9025FY1 Master cylinder
119031 Brake shoes
103150 Wheel cylinder
103151 Wheel cylinder.
Forklift truck brake drums should not be turned. They don't go fast enough to wear the drums. The reason that brakes fail is that they become oi or brake fluid soaked.
Duodeluxe, you have posted serial numbers for a Baker Master Cylinder in the past. In that case the PN was 100830 for a FMD30/40 or 50. Do you know if that is the same PN for a FJF-040? They look similar.
BTW, I think I found TM-10-3930-623-34P to be the most useful manual for part numbers on this truck. Not everything was the same as mine but the brake parts were.
I am thinking I got the Master Cyl off eBay. I know what I installed looks a lot like this part (ebay part number 371855156204) but I don't recall the reference to Harley Davidson but that is what the part I got looks like. I recall that they mentioned the bold spacing and that made me pick it.
Keep in mind that I was disappointed with the stroke of my system and I wish the master had just a bit more volume than the part I purchased so maybe I got it wrong. If you find something you think is a real winner, please post a reply with the info.
Is it Berns in Long Beach?
The part numbers I purchsed from Burns was
Wheel Cylinder 121FD19606 and 121FD19607
Seal (2) 061A1805B340
Shoe (4) 9993722Y285 (there is a core charge for these)
I don't recall where I got the master from but the PN I have from the parts manual is F2796. The national stock number is 2530-00-495-8860 in case that helps. As I recall I was never able to match the exact number but had to chose from parts that looked the same at the old one and selected the correct bolt spacing. Hope this helps. Let me know if you keep striking out.
Thanks for the advice duodeluxe. I will give it a try. I think that the ATF that fills the transmission is connected to the differential. I do not see that these are filled separately although there is a plug on the top of the differential. I mention this only to suggest that I should recheck the ATF level in case this fluid redistributed in the system and the transmission is now low. I will take a look.
I also did replace the carburetor so your suggestion about the carb could also be spot on. Sound like I should not sell the old girl quite yet :)
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