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Old 03-25-2012, 08:47 PM   #1
stevensj13
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Default Cushman brakes not working

Got a deal on an early 90's Cushman Haulster 4 wheel 3 speed hi/lo that runs, but no brakes. How do I check the fluid? I can't find the master cylinder... theres no brake pressure so I am assuming it needs fluid and/or be bled. This thing weighs 1100 pounds, so I'd like some way to stop it
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Old 03-25-2012, 09:10 PM   #2
LostHusker
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Default Re: Cushman brakes not working

I may be wrong, but it should be above the front axle area under the seats.
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Old 03-25-2012, 09:51 PM   #3
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Default Re: Cushman brakes not working

If I remember right, there is a small plate on the drivers floorboard that you remove to gain access to the master cylinder. It has a hexagon sided top that you unscrew. It's something like a 1¼". These are a booger to get off, if corroded, so I'd spray it with PB Blaster and leave it sit overnight!
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Old 03-25-2012, 09:58 PM   #4
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Default Re: Cushman brakes not working

Quote:
Originally Posted by simple man View Post
If I remember right, there is a small plate on the drivers floorboard that you remove to gain access to the master cylinder. It has a hexagon sided top that you unscrew. It's something like a 1¼". These are a booger to get off, if corroded, so I'd spray it with PB Blaster and leave it sit overnight!
Thanks! I saw the warning labels and stuff that said to check brake fluid before operation and I was thinking to myself "well where the **** do I do that?!" . Glad you pointed me in the right direction. I had this beast at 35 today with no brakes and it was terrifying lol. Then I was doing 25 and cut a hard left in a field and the battery fell out, snapped the wires, and then the cart promptly ran over said battery. Tomorrow its getting new terminals and a good tune up!
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Old 12-21-2012, 11:30 AM   #5
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Default Re: Cushman brakes not working

This week I'm working on the brakes of my 1987 Cushman Haulster 4 wheeler. It had been sitting untouched for 10+ years and the brake system is in very bad shape.

The brake fluid used (DOT 3) is alcohol based, so it absorbs moisture from the air and then rusts the inside of the cylinders. Unfortunately, the master cylinder reservoirs in these are just vented to the atmosphere, so moisture is easily drawn in from the air with environmental temperature/pressure changes. About the only way to keep the brake system from rusting inside is to bleed out and replace the brake fluid frequently, like at least once a year. I looked for a suitable sealed type of master cylinder, like the sealed ones that are used in newer cars but haven't found one that can be easily adapted, at least not yet.

Finding original Cushman branded parts is becoming very difficult, and expensive,
but I've managed to find all of the replacement rubber parts for both the master cylinder and the wheel cylinders with the help of a friend in the local auto parts store. If these non-Cushman parts work for me I will have the brakes in my Cushman Haulster working before the end of the year at a very reasonable price (approx $50 total parts cost). These parts are being stocked for automobiles, but there is no Cushman cross reference available for them. If the ones that we've found work for me I'll reply to this post again sometime around the 1st of the year with the part numbers that worked for me. If they don't work out for me I'll post this as well.

Your cylinders will need to be honed out to remove the rust and pitting inside. I had all 4 of my wheel cylinders, and the master cylinder, honed at a local automotive machine shop for $30. They will all need to be completely dis-assembled before you take them to the machine shop. All the machine shop will want is the cast body pieces. It will be up to you to clean and then re-assemble the cylinders with the new rubber parts after they are honed. Several cans of brake cleaner will be needed for this. You don't want any machining oil residue in the final assembly.

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Old 12-29-2012, 08:43 AM   #6
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Default Re: Cushman brakes not working

Now that my 1987 truckster brake cylinders have been successfully rebuilt with non Cushman parts I will divulge my source. All of the rubber parts needed to re-build the wheel cylinders and the master cylinder are the same as those available for late 70's and early 89's Ford F100 pickup trucks. The wheel cylinder parts cost about $6 per wheel, but the master cylinder parts cost almost $40 because it includes the metal piston (which won't fit). The rubber parts are the same though.

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Old 01-01-2013, 08:13 PM   #7
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Default Re: Cushman brakes not working

Well, I spoke too soon. The rebuild of my Truckster master cylinder did not work out after all. But I've discovered a great new source for a new master cylinder that is identical to the original. It came from a forklift repair shop and was less than 1/2 of what the online price is. I paid $33 with the taxes included. Some forklifts use the same master cylinder as my 1987 truckster. Later this week I will be checking to see if I can buy new wheel cylinders and brake shoes from them and I'll let you all know the results.

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Old 01-07-2013, 12:48 PM   #8
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Default Re: Cushman brakes not working

I bought new brake shoes for the rear wheels of my truckster from the forklift dealer, and now have them installed. The front shoes are still about 80% so I didn't replace them. The new brake shoes cost me $10 per shoe plus tax . They have bonded, not riveted, linings and fit perfectly. The forklift dealer is definitely the best place that I've found to buy parts, so I will be trying them whenever I need parts for the truckster from now on. My truckster is now back in use, but I'm still working out some fuel/carburebtor problems. I'll probably try to find a carb rebuild kit and the bypass fuel filter to see if that helps. The rest of the fuel system parts have already been replaced or repaired.

I'm hoping that the information that I've provided in this thread helps others in need of truckster parts. I've spent considerable time trying to find parts from sources other than the online Cushman parts sources, because I felt that since Cushman didn't manufacture these parts, they had to have come from OEM suppliers to use in the Cushman vehicles that were manufactured. OEM suppliers provide parts to many manufacturers, so the parts had to fit other brands of vehicles and not just Cushman. I was right.

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Old 01-08-2013, 10:41 AM   #9
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Default Re: Cushman brakes not working

I got wheel cylinders from auto parts store,...found one that was close and modded it to work. Took my shoes and had them relined for $20 each. had little over $100 in working brakes.
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Old 02-23-2013, 05:27 PM   #10
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Default Re: Cushman brakes not working

I'm late in updating this. My brakes are all fixed. The forklift service company sold me new bonded brake shoes for $10 each, a new master cylinder for $31, and before I tried to buy from them I had already purchased the wheel cylinder re-building kits through a local auto parts store or I may have been able to get them cheaper. I paid an automotive machine shop $30 to clean and hone all 4 wheel cylinders and the master cylinder, but didn't have any luck finding the master cylinder rebuild kit locally. Getting a whole new master cylinder was the better way to go anyway. The wheel cylinder kits are for early 70's Ford F100 pickup trucks and were $5.40 each. A bottle of brake fluid and some brake bleeding, and my truckster has great brakes again.

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