Month: October 2022

The brake shoe is a curved piece of metal used in drum brakes. Each brake shoe has friction material (known as brake lining) on one side.

The brake lining comprises of different types of heat resistant materials mixed with compounds like ceramic, brass, and graphite.

Brake shoes come in pairs and are usually bought in sets of four shoes — with two on each side.

You may notice one shoe in the pair has friction material that’s slightly shorter than the other. This is the primary shoe and faces the front of the vehicle. The secondary shoe, with more friction material, faces the rear.

Why is there a difference?

As the secondary shoe handles more braking than the primary shoe, it requires more friction material.

Now, let’s learn how brake shoes work.

How Brake Shoes Work In Drum Brakes

A drum brake system consists of a pan-shaped brake drum, a backing plate, brake studs, a hydraulic wheel cylinder and curved brake shoes. The friction material on the brake shoes faces outwards towards the inside of the brake drum.

Here’s what happens when you step on the brake pedal:

• Force is converted into hydraulic pressure in the brake line from the master cylinder.
• The hydraulic pressure through the brake line is transmitted by brake fluid, activating a piston in the wheel cylinder.
• The piston pushes the brake shoes to contact the inside of the brake drum.
• The brake shoes create friction with the brake drum, slowing the wheel.
• When the brake pedal is released, stiff return springs retract the shoes to the original position.
• A screw adjuster in the drum brake assembly extends gradually to compensate for worn brake shoes over time.

What about disc brakes?

The drum brake is a reliable braking system, though disc brakes (that use a caliper, brake pads, and rotor instead) have superseded it. You’ll still find a drum brake on the rear wheel of many cars because they’re cheaper to manufacture than disc brakes.

What about the parking brake?

The parking brake, or emergency brake, is operated from a lever via an emergency brake cable. When you pull the parking brake lever, it forces the brake shoes apart, the same way that hydraulics do.

In vehicles utilizing a drum brake system, the rear brake shoe pair performs the parking brake job. In cars with rear disc brakes, there’s usually a smaller drum brake in the brake rotor that performs a similar function.

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When you’re in the market for a new ATV, there are many factors to consider, one of them being what drive system you should choose. You may have heard people talk about belt drive, shaft drive, and chain drive. You will learn that these terms are often used interchangeably, causing unnecessary confusion.

That’s why I decided to make this post to help clarify some of the terminologies and provide an overview of which shaft-driven ATVs are on the market.

Most utility and recreational ATVs on the market are shaft-drive; they use metal drive shafts to transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. This includes both ATVs with a belt-driven CVT transmission and beltless alternatives offered by Honda. The exception is most sport quads and some youth ATVs that are chain drive.

What do we mean by shaft-drive, belt drive, and chain drive in an ATV?

To understand why most ATVs are considered shaft driven, we need to clarify what we mean when we talk about an ATV being shaft drive, belt drive, or chain drive.

These three different terms are referring to what style of drivetrain a vehicle has. But the terms are not always used in the same way with all types of vehicles. Also, They do not always refer to the same specific component of the drivetrain.

The drivetrain includes every component that transfers the engine’s power out to the wheels, including the transmission. Different setups have different groups of components.

The driveline includes every component that transfers the power from the engine out to the wheels, except the transmission.

The ATVs in the market today come with one of two main styles of transmission systems:

• CVT, continuously variable transmission. A CVT can be belt-driven, but this does not make the ATV belt drive. A CVT can also be chain driven (not so common on ATVs), but this does not make the ATV chain drive.

• Geared transmission. A geared transmission is a gearbox is made from a group of metal gears and shafts, but this does not make the ATV shaft drive. Mechanical gearbox transmissions on ATVs are either manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic.

Here is an overview over ATVs that have automatic transmissions.

Honda used to offer a hydrostatic transmission with their Hondamatic models, but none of their current models offer this transmission style. They do, however, use hydraulic torque converters.

What is shaft-drive on an ATV?

Shaft drive on an ATV usually refers to the driveline style and not the inner workings of the transmission. Regardless of what transmission type an ATV has, it may still be shaft-drive.

The shafts in a shaft drive refer to the metal driveshafts and axles that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels via the front and rear differentials.

Some people refer to ATVs with beltless transmissions, typically the ones with a gearbox and clutch configuration, as being shaft-drive. They might be correct, but not because the ATV has a gearbox. It’s still the driveshafts and axles that would make the bike a shaft drive.

If a beltless ATV with a gearbox and clutch uses a chain to drive the wheels, it is chain drive, not shaft-drive.

While a gearbox is made from a group of metal gears and shafts, it is not considered a shaft drive. With gearbox transmissions on ATVs, it’s still the driveshafts and axles that make it a shaft drive.

So referring to beltless ATVs as a shaft drive may confuse since ATVs with CVT belt transmissions are shaft drives as well.

Let’s compare a few examples:

A Can-Am Outlander has a CVT transmission and uses metal driveshafts and axles to transfer the power to the wheels. It is a shaft-drive ATV with a belt-drive transmission.

A Honda Fourtrax Foreman ES has a five-speed + reverse automatic transmission and direct front and rear driveshafts. It’s a shaft-drive ATV with an automatic gearbox.

A Yamaha Raptor 700 has a five-speed + reverse transmission with a chain final-drive. It’s a chain-drive ATV with a manual gearbox.

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