Hyster H50XM:
Brake Adjustment

Hello, I recently just purchased a used fork lift. 1995 H50XM to be exact. Anyway, the brakes do work, but you must push the pedal all the way to the floor before it reacts and slows down, there is pretty much no pressure on the pedal until its right at the floor.

Is there an adjustment that I can make on the braking system?

Any help would be much appreciated.
  • Posted 13 Aug 2012 13:10
  • Discussion started by bdogle
  • Missouri, United States
Showing items 1 - 6 of 6 results.
Most all lift truck master cylinders require free travel in the actuator rod. If you have no free travel you will eventually bind the brakes. The free travel should be minimal. If you have excessive pedal travel after adjusting the free travel, you need to check shoe adjustment. If you have the service manual it will give you the need instructions.
  • Posted 22 Jun 2017 00:44
  • Reply by BREWSKI
  • Nebraska, United States
Very informative lesson, THANK YOU crown619. I pretty much had already read everything that you had stated in the service manual and seen it in YouTube videos, but both of those left more questions to be answered before I could really start this job. You answered all of those with your very descriptive post. I've been turning wrenches for maybe 20 years, but this is my first lift truck, and I just yesterday got the service manual for this Yale GLP050 I am working on. Question, the reason I am adjusting the brakes is because something funny is happening so I am going to try and do a complete brake/inching adjustment and then see if I cant make the idle work...I was leaking brake fluid somewhere, then someone snapped the master cylinder rod so I replaced the master cylinder. I adjusted the pedal stopping bolt so that you only had to push the brake maybe an inch before they would engage, then adjusted the governor/inching adjustment accordingly. However, shortly after use, the brake "play" was completely gone...you could push the brake pedal and it was already completely engaged. You could put the truck in gear without pushing on the pedal and the truck would not move. So I backed down the pedal stop bolt to add the appropriate amount of play again (thinking that maybe the master cylinder just needed to be "broken in"), then shortly after that there was waaaaaaaaay too much play in the brake pedal, like 2-3 inches. I'm really confused. I am hoping that once I get the service brakes adjusted proper then I will be able to adjust the brake pedal correctly and have it be a little bit more stable...any ideas? Thanks!
  • Posted 22 Jun 2017 00:32
  • Reply by SolarNinja
  • Washington, United States
If at first you don't succeed it's probably because you need more money.
Have you ever had a issue with the pedal get stuck just enough for the inching pedal to be engaged
  • Posted 28 Aug 2014 14:02
  • Reply by crown619
  • California, United States
well first off forgive me for not explaining in more detail, sometimes i forget that i may not be dealing with a lifttruck tech. :o)
anyways...
first- get the wheels off the ground, best way is to find some blocks of wood ( 2x4 or 4x4 ) and put them underneath the front under the mast channel on the most outside channel under the front edge. (hardwood blocks work best because they dont crush as easily)
second- tilt mast forward till both wheels are off the ground

once you get the wheels off the ground you can release the park brake and turn the wheels and see if there is much drag on them if any. Most lift trucks have limited slip drive differential so when you turn one side it will try and turn the other side so you may feel some resistance in the carrier assy inside the differential, but outside of that you should feel a slight drag if the shoes are adjusted correctly.

one way to check this is to look under the inside edge on bottom side of the backing plate where there should be a couple of oval shaped rubber plugs, sometimes techs leave these out for some strange reason so it might just be an oblong hole, this is where the adjuster wheel is located, inside that hole. If there are 2 holes there you will have to check both of them and find which one the star wheel is located at, it will be offset to one side or the other.
Now to adjust them, most of the time a flat-bladed screwdriver will work but i find it easier to use a brake adjuster tool. If everything is in order inside there you can take the adjuster and put it up inside the hole and feel it and you can feel the star wheel. Try and turn it in one direction either up or down, if it clicks then your going in the correct direction, if it gets hard to move then that is the wrong direction. There is a metal spring loaded locking tab against that star wheel to keep it from deadjusting. Once you establish which way to turn it move it only a few clicks at a time ( i usually go 5 or so, since this is a training lesson i would go only 2 or 3 clicks) while spinning the tire. Once the shoes are close to the drum it will start to drag (this is the drag i speak of).
Now being that the differential is already putting resistance on the drive train i find that you can listen as you turn the tire and actually hear the drum start to rub the shoes, since its not perfectly round it will be hard then as you turn it may free up or visa versa once you get the drag started, if there is no drag then tighten up the adjuster till you first start to feel the drag. Then... you can find the center "free movement area" and use that as a reference point. You dont want to lock the tire down but you also dont want alot of free movement without drag. I usually put enough drag so it may take about 15lbs pressure to turn the tire. If you happen to go to far the tire may drag so much it locks up while turning, in this case you will have to deadjust the starwheel which is another lesson. This will take some tool like a small screw driver to stick up inside the adjuster hole(along with the adjuster tool) and push the locking tab away from the star-wheel so you can reverse the turn tp loosen the shoes and free up the tire. This is kinda hard to do and is a pain but it happens sometimes.
Just remember Too much drag can crystallize or burn up the shoes, this would be bad of course so pay attention on what you are doing :o)
Once you get a slight drag on the tire while turning it your done and you can do that other side the same way.

In alot of cases when i do PM's on Yale or Hyster trucks when i check the brakes i rarely ever have to adjust the wheel adjusters more than 20 clicks on either side.

I hope this was explained well enough for you to understand.
And one last thing, always remember safety first... pay attention to what you are doing and always make sure the truck is not going to move anywhere. Isolate any power sources or moving parts if they pose a potential risk of unexpected injury. Lifttrucks are great tools but they are not very forgiving when they hurt you... its usually bad.
  • Posted 14 Aug 2012 08:20
  • Modified 14 Aug 2012 08:29 by poster
  • Reply by Jplayer
  • North Carolina, United States
John Player Jr
_________________
LiftOne, LLC
Charlotte, NC
Email: jplayer@liftone.net
I apologize about my ignorance, but can you explain the drag on the wheels to me and how to check the drag and adjust it?
  • Posted 13 Aug 2012 23:22
  • Reply by bdogle
  • Missouri, United States
first check the wheels and make sure they are adjusted up till the wheel just starts to drag on both sides (do not over adjust, the drag must be slight)
Also while adjusting the wheels check the outside of the backingplates and see if there is any fluid comming out at the base just inside under the truck, if you see fluid on the backing plates under the truck (usually gets on the tires) then you have a leaking wheel cylinder and it will need replacement or rebuild.

then go to the master cylinder and check the pedal freeplay, it should not be more than 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch freeplay before it contacts the actuating rod.
make sure it has plenty of fluid in the resivoir and there is no fluid comming from the boot. If it is leaking then replace the master cylinder.
If there is no adjustment needed at the rod then try bleeding out the system and see if there is air in it. If there is no air but you still cant get a good pedal there might still be an internal problem in the master cylinder, replace it.

good luck
  • Posted 13 Aug 2012 21:08
  • Reply by Jplayer
  • North Carolina, United States
John Player Jr
_________________
LiftOne, LLC
Charlotte, NC
Email: jplayer@liftone.net

Post your Reply

Forkliftaction.com accepts no responsibility for forum content and requires forum participants to adhere to the rules. Click here for more information.

Having trouble using the Discussion Forums? Contact us for help.

Movers & Shakers
Anders Svensson Anders Svensson
President and CEO, Konecranes
Chief operating officer, Bolzoni Group
Chief operating officer , Leap India
Executive vice president , The Association for Advancing Automation (A3)
Global Industry News
edition #1216 - 6 February 2025
This week in Forkliftaction News we talk with four Chinese forklift manufacturers about their aspirations for a burgeoning export market and what the introduction of additional US tariffs will mean for their business models... Continue reading
SMV (Konecranes) 25-1200B
Balling, Denmark
Used - Sale
Enforcer FLBAXT25
Braeside, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Hire

Showcased in the Virtual Expo

Fact of the week
Two hundred years ago, the treadmill was invented in England as a prison rehabilitation device. It was meant to cause the incarcerated to suffer and learn from their sweat.
Global Industry News
edition #1216 - 6 February 2025
This week in Forkliftaction News we talk with four Chinese forklift manufacturers about their aspirations for a burgeoning export market and what the introduction of additional US tariffs will mean for their business models... Continue reading