Handbrake & Disk Conversion (Handbrake)

My handbrake is terrible. New shoes and it does not last many miles before giving up the ghost. I have a steep drive and have to use chocks!

I have been looking at the X-brake disk conversion for the handbrake. Has anyone any experience of this? Looks like an ideal solution for me, especially considering the amount of off road use it gets.

ask Grippa - he did his Series. I think he thought it was brill.

Heard some good stuff about these, except for the price.

Is this the one they reckon will hold on any slope you have traction on? Sounds impressive.

Course you could always sort out why yer drum brake is giving up ......I know they int exactly awesome but they DO work so long as you keep oil off the shoes and the sort of money they want for a conversion will buy a helluva lot of oil seals

I think a well adjusted standard hand brake is actually pretty brilliant. It'll hold on the steepest slope that I've found. I'd love the x-eng one, but the price of the thing is mad!!

I'd suggest just fixing yours. What's actually wrong with it at the moment? Has your oil seal gone in the transfer output flange?

Yes my oil seal has gone. The shoes are not contaminated at the moment, its just the brake won't hold on steep slopes. I am going to adjust it again this morning. It had new shoes about 500m ago.

The X-eng disc-brake is excellent and is very good if you are constantly up to the chassis in water and/or silt as this is the stuff that contaminates the drum/shoes and makes the standard brake less effective and/or wear out quickly.
Unless you asre in that situation then you would be better getting your standard brake working properly as it should be very effective and capable of holding the vehicle on any incline without problems.

Don't let worn components/lack of maintenance make you think you have to upgrade what should be an excellent tool. Don't forget that LR have stuck with this since the begining and while it might not be so good in certain situations (mentioned above) it should be be more than adequate the rest of the time and do the job it was designed for.

The primary use of the truck is green lanes and pay and play. It's not a day vehicle for me. It spends most of it's life buried to the axles in mud and water. Judging by the amount of muck I cleared from the top of the transfer box in order to free up the difflock/high low shifter which was becoming impossible to move I would suspect that the drum brake is getting some hammer.

Is the seal the same part as the diffs? I have a load of them here!

I fitted one a few years ago it is an excellent piece of kit, gives total confidence on steep hills. I can't believe a disc handbrake isn't standard on all new defenders!

A question here about when parking/with the motor off?

Do you not leave it in first gear? and if worried about rolling then put in low range???

I always leave mine in gear. I have no choice as the parking brake does not work.....

It's hill starts I need it for, my drive is quite steep and when off road in Wales it is a nightmare trying to pull off!!

mark g said:

I fitted one a few years ago it is an excellent piece of kit, gives total confidence on steep hills. I can't believe a disc handbrake isn't standard on all new defenders!

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Thats because the standard handbrake is perfectly acceptable, when set up properly.
Mine was crap, and I live on a steep hill and was useing chocks and leaveing it in gear, got so fed up with it, I stripped mine down and fitted new shoes/adjuster, now works brill !!

Land rover handbrakes are like land rover heaters, everyone says "thier all like that", the only reason they don't work properly is because thier broke=simples.

do yu go thru much dirty water - coz that eats drum brakes .

Yep, I go through a lot of dirty water!! Have you seen Yarwell!!! Also monthly green lanes trips in Wales. They have all taken there toll. Its a pain forever fixing it.

The disk setup looks so much friendlier towards my type of use?

thats why Grippa did it. Got sick and tired of stripping the brakes after every laning trip.

I think I will order one, do the output seal at the same time.

Anyone know the part number for the seal?

frc7043

jamesmartin said:

frc7043

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Thankyou! Your swift responses and knowledge never cease to amaze me!

James, do I need to drop the transfer box oil to change the seal? Should I fit OEM or is a 3rd party one ok?