Ausco Rear Disc Brake install

gornoman

Finally got the time slotted to install the Ausco Rear Disc Brakes on my EZ-Go. These replace the OEM drum brakes and utilize the original brake cables. The provided instructions are very well written and the pix are decent. All work was performed on my deck at the campground, so you driveway/garage/backyard guys can do it too. BTW, I forgot my good camera, so all these pix are from my phone. I did the best I could with it. Sorry.

Let's get started.....

Prepare the Lab:



Get the rear axle securely on some stands (note: loosen all lug nuts slightly before raising the cart):





Remove cotter pin, castle nut, dust shield, washer and brake drum/hub (note: my drums slid right off because last time I replaced them I used some anti-seize). Having the brake pedal locked down was enough for me to loosen the castle nut. Other carts may not be so lucky.:



Remove all the old springs, shoes, clips, etc. Look what I found:







It seems the inner flange of the drum/hub had broken clean off the drum and was resting in a groove of the backing plate. From the looks of the pads, it happened quite a while ago.

BGW

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gornoman

Install new hub onto splined axle (don't forget to use the anti-seize again). secure it with the old washer, castle nut, and cotter pin. Also install the new backing plate using the four bolts you removed for the old plate:



Since the cart is off the ground and has no brakes to hold the axle from spinning, you gotta get crative to properly install that castle nut. It wants to be at 100+ lb/ft of torque. Here was my temporary solution:





I actually broke the first piece of wood right at the wheel stud. Gorno have more muscle than brain sometime. Yeah, I know the pic shows the cotter pin installed already. I reset the shot once I cut a new length of 1x2.

Install the rotor, hub extension (if using them), and caliper:







Mount the cable to the backing plate and attach the cable to the actuator using the old clevis pin and cotter pin:

kgsc

I have a couple sets of these but I wish they didn't hang down so far.. Have a fear I will tear one off

gornoman

You will need to adjust the cable lengths under the cart, forward, at the draw spring. I ran mine all the way out to make attaching the cables a bit easier. All pedal adjustments are now done right at this location, there are no adjustments on the calipers themselves.

I got the adjustment dialed in correctly on my second try. It stops firmly, straight, and the pedal is easy to modulate. I can lock the wheels on command, well before the hill brake engages.

I did have a clearance problem with the equipment. My 4 leaf HD springs are much thicker than normal, and this caused the cable return spring to obviously bind against the u-bolts. I solved this by removing the return spring and remounting it UNDER the actuator bar. Ausco has provided a second mount point, perhaps just for this scenario. It worked perfectly.

I also lost one of the brake cable clevis pins. I was very mad, considering i laid the tarp down just for that reason, but the little sukka disappeared anyway. Off to the local Ace Hardware for a replacement. It was too long to fit properly, so I had to modify it by cutting it to length and drilling a new hole in it for the cottter pin. Just try doing that on a 5/16" diameter pin without a drill press and a vise, LOL! ViceGrip Pliers to the rescue!

Another thing I noticed, all of the u-bolts that held my rear springs to the axle tubes were loose, VERY LOOSE. They haven't been touched since I installed the HD springs years ago. Check yours out each year, takes 5 minutes.

This is a good quality kit, very nicely machined and turned out. Gorno Approved!

gornoman

I share this concern. I will try the local trail at the campground next week and report back about any issues. My cart is 99% paved roadways, so for now, it is a non-issue.

blake80

my brother and i were worried about the same issue, so we switched sides and fliped them to the top. it works great

scottyb

Nice clean work Gman. Great pics too...

gornoman

Thanx, scottyb. Did you ever see a drum break like that before?

gornoman

Do you have a pic of this treatment? I would be concerned about the angle of the cable casing where it attaches to the caliper.

blake80

It worked great on his workhorse. Ill take a pic tomorrow night.