Brake Lathe

Replacing drums, rotors, and other sections of the braking system can be an expensive venture. One of the best ways to lower this cost is by doing a brake lathe repair that resurfaces these items to restore their effectiveness. Brake lathe parts and machines are available that can repair all different styles and fix a variety of problems, including sticking and noise. Whether you are an at-home mechanic or working in a professional repair shop, these systems allow you to achieve the highest quality repair. Many different styles and models exist to help you reach this goal.

Bench Brake Lathe Repair Systems

Bench type models require you to remove the drums and rotors from the vehicle in order to repair them. These are commonly found in private and commercial settings. To use these systems, you only have to set the part into the machine and start the cutting process. With a high quality machine and practice, you can produce parts that are equivalent or even better quality than the original piece. The brake lathe parts, known as adapters and mounting cones, determine the majority of the quality. If you are looking for the best quality, these are the brake lathe parts that you want to be careful about selecting. If they begin to wear, replace them immediately.

With bench units, you have the option of single, variable, or high-speed styles. Digital measuring and printouts are another great option for achieving the best possible results. Some of these repair machines are designed specifically for rotors or drums. Other units can repair both, which is a huge advantage over the second type known as an on-car system.

On-Car Brake Lathes

A great addition to bench styles is on-car brake lathe repair systems because they allow the work to be performed directly on the car. One of the biggest benefits to this style is that there is no risk of wrecking the hub or wheel bearings because all of those parts can be left in place. They are also known for their ability to reduce the risk of runout on the rotor and uneven surfaces.

This type of system attaches in one of two ways. One style, called a caliper mount, attaches directly to the knuckle where the caliper mounts. On the down side, it requires some movement in the wheel bearing which means you may need to tighten adjustable styles. A hub-mounted style is also available. It can produce the same level of quality, but has similar issues to caliper-mount versions.

Brake Lathe

The biggest downfall of both brake lathe repair systems is that they need to be set up perfectly in order to get a high quality repair. Standard models are made with either a one or a three-point system with a dial to help you define the perfect setup. To help eliminate this problem, some have brake lathe parts, such as a computer system, to set up the equipment accurately with very little effort.

Both bench and on-car brake lathe repair systems can repair rotors and drums to the point that they are the same or even better than the original manufacture. On-car models are great for styles and vehicles that can cause issues while standard bench models allow you to repair both with the same system.

For increase quality and convenience, both styles have a variety of brake lathe parts that can be added to the machines to make them easier to use and far more accurate. Private garages often purchase the style that matches the vehicles they will need to repair while commercial shops will have several of each to match each situation they may encounter.

Buying a Brake Lathe

Brake lathes, like many pieces of equipment available to mechanics, are available from a variety of different manufacturers and distributors. Like most things, the quality of a brake lathe is dependant on many things, and some models are known and trusted better than others.

It is important to ensure that you know what you should be looking for when you’re buying a brake lathe, partly because you want to know that you have the right equipment for what you’ll be doing, but also because brake lathes can be expensive, and finding out that the lathe that you got isn’t the one that you wanted (after having spent thousands of dollars) is a very frustrating thing.

Buying a Brake Lathe

Look for the following when you are shopping around for a brake lathe: 1. Spindle motor – Different motors are available depending on your particular brake lathe. We recommend that you purchase a lathe with at least a 1 horsepower spindle motor.

2. Interchangeability – How easy is it to switch from drums to rotors? It may seem unimportant, but how much time do you really want to waste changing components? Certain brake lathes are able to change over quicker than others, and while brake drums are a rarity in today’s car market, chances are that you will be encountering them from time to time.

Make sure that the brake lathe that you buy is capable of turning both drums and rotors, as not only will you be able to work on more types of vehicles but you will also be able to accept more kinds of work.

3. Expandability – Many brake lathes can be expanded via the addition of tooling and various components. Suddenly your brake lathe can work on heavier duty materials, flywheels, and other components, saving you money as you no longer have to buy additional equipment.

4. Cost – This is (obviously) important. Brake lathes range from $1,500 to $10,000 (and more). How much are you willing to spend on a brake lathe? It may be wise to determine what features you want and at what cost you’re willing to spend before you go shopping.

5. Reliability – Some brake lathes are better known than others. Do a bit of reading and research before you buy a lathe. Check for information pertaining to reliability, performance, and maintenance.

Having all these aspects in mind before purchasing is really important for maximum results.

Brake Lathe

It seems as if there is always some kind of catch or limitation when it comes to the equipment available to mechanics. Their car lift, for example, may only be able to lift 7,000lbs, restricting which vehicles can be loaded on it. The welding machine may only be able to operate on certain types of metals, restricting how it can be used and necessitating the purchase of additional equipment. The brake lathe, of course, is no exception to this rule.

There are numerous differences between a light-duty brake lathe and a heavy-duty brake lathe. In Texas, it is actually more common to see heavy-duty brake lathes as there are more large vehicles, SUV’s, and trucks in Texas than there are in other parts of the country.

Aside from the price tag, what are the major differences between a heavy duty brake lathe and a light duty brake lathe?

* Capability – Many light-duty brake lathes are quite limited in what they can actually work on. Where a heavy duty lathe may not have had a problem working on both rotors and drums, a light-duty model may only be able to work on one or the other. In today’s market, that is not very practical.

While it may seem wise to save a bit of money and purchase a rotor-only brake lathe it would be limiting the work that you could handle. Many new cars, from trucks to economy cars, still use drum brakes on the rear of the vehicle.

* Bigger is better – A heavier duty brake lathe will be able to take larger components that weight more, whereas a light duty brake lathe will not be able to take larger components. It could even be argued that heavy duty brake provide more value simply because they can handle and accomplish more than a light duty model.

* Reliability – Heavy-duty equipment isn’t exactly known for its reliability. In the case of the brake lathe, heavy duty equipment tends to point towards a longer life and increased capability. It is less affected by weight, bumps, vibrations, etc. simply because it has been engineered to better handle increased stresses.

Brake Lathe

* Speed – A heavy duty brake lathe is usually capable of completing its work faster than light duty lathes. This is because the motor has more horsepower and the components themselves are ruggedly designed. In the end, it´s wise to have these aspects in mind when deciding to purchase.