Anybody ever make any mods to kid quads brakes?

Whenever you read a kid quad review, the magazines always harp on the small amount of suspension or maybe the lack of low end power. I've got no problems with either of those but IMO, the brakes are the real weak point. My boys take their ATV's wherever I go, which means out on the trails in East Tennessee. Everything is fine as long as the trail is reasonably dry, but once they find a mud puddle, the brakes start going south. It looks like the drum brakes are not sealed well enough to keep the muck out, but are sealed just enough to keep the stuff in.

What we've got: A Honda TRX90. Rear brake does have one gasket seal around perimeter of drum housing and there is a bearing seal around the shaft. I've taken to carrying a spray can of brake cleaner with a long thin nozzle, remove the drain plug whenever we stop and try to flush the brakes out. For the next ride, I've drilled a small hole in the upper inside housing, so I can spray directly on top of the shoes. I'm also going to run it with the drain plug out. I'm hoping that maybe alternating mud holes with some clear water crossings will help keep the brakes clean. Front brakes have stock - two 1/4" holes drilled in the brake housing. No seals of any kind.

LT80 - Granted, we've only had it out on the trails once, but like the TRX, once it made a few passes through a mud hole the brakes were shot. There is sort of a seal ring on the drum perimeter, but it is not very tight or effective. The rear brake has a drain hole plugged with a one way flapper valve, but since it's only about 1/4" in diameter, it can get clogged easily. Here too, the plan is to just spray things out every once in a while.

On both quads, we also wind up tightening up on the brake adjustment, then readjusting after getting home and tearing the brakes down for a cleaning. Both quads have new or in good condition shoes. Anybody know any tricks? Anyway to modify either front or rear to discs?

 

I'm in about the same situation with my son's Scrambler 50. As long as the brakes are clean and dry, they seem to work ok. It appears to me that part of our problem is that the brake lever doesn't have enough "throw" to spread the shoes an adequate amount. Pondered the thought of going disc... anyone who has the know how to do this without fessing up an arm and a leg, please let me know.

 

My son has a '03 Predator 90 and like many drum brake systems, his plugs up in the mud too. One day, I took the front hubs off and noticed they were full of mud. If wondering, we only do deep trail riding and for our trips, his unit is in the mud over 80% of the time. I have an '02 Arctic Cat 500i with visible disc brake system, and have NO problems with mud plug-ups. Streams and clear water crossing keep my brakes rinsed out. If we had the extra cash, I would replace the drums on my kid's unit with visible disc system as well.

On the rocky trails, sand and during our dry summer months (when he's in the mud < 10% of the time), his brakes work great. He can stop on a dime (well, almost!!) and we don't have to worry about washing them out on a regular basis.

Perhaps over time, it will be mandatory to have visible disc brake systems (operated by both foot & lever) on ALL mini-quads. Only time will tell...

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Hey guys, I have a lt50 for my son and I can't seem to figure out how to get the backing plate and the drum apart so that I can replace the brakes or atleast inspect them. Help please.

 

I'm NOT too sure how to perform a brake inspection on the LT50. On our Pred-90, I removed the left axle nut and slid its tire and drum off the left size of the axle. Once the big nut was off, everything else slid off with ease. If you can get your hands on a Parts manual for your LT50, it might show you pictures on what is holding its drum brake system together. Hopefully, someone on this forum can provide experiened feedback for your LT50.

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Here's a cut / paste from another forum...

-Pull the black cap off the right rear wheel, remove the castle nut.
-Slide the wheel off, followed by the axle spacer.
-Remove the 4 bolts holding the black cover to the swingarm, pull the cover off.
-Slide brake drum off.
-Enjoy a cold adult beverage.

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Got it. Thanks.

 

sorry 'bout the long PM last night, I read it first and replied before i saw this topic. the last part about the cam lever is still useful though.