I have SN:40936 with 380 hours on it. I had the original brakes from Vans until recently. Van's RV-10 brakes seem inadequate to me comparing to other aircraft I have flown.
First off, I know there are a bunch of RV-10's out there that have original calipers and have had no problems with the brake system. Even though I believe they are undersized for the weight, I'm sure there are trouble free operations out there.
I had some problems with my brakes that I will share. The way the pedals are mounted is sloppy to me. You really can't tighten the bolts and have the pedal geometry right for the actuator with loose bolts. The pedal does not want to return and release the brake fluid after use. I think this was my first problem. I found my brakes dragging and heating up the brakes after a long taxi. I finally installed some return springs on the master cylinder pistons. Using this configuration was a little better but I didn't like the springs rubbing on the cylinder pistons so I designed a way to return the pedal using clock springs.
This worked well so I made a kit for four pedals.
Time went by and my pedals were returning back but there was still brake dragging and heat so I took my calipers apart and discovered the pucks had an interference fit in the caliper. At first I thought it was a manufacturer defect but later thought it was probably caused by me overheating the brakes by taxiing long distance without the pedals returning and releasing fluid.
I was sick of my brakes and wanted better parts. I new I had to do something quick since I had a big trip to the Bahamas coming up so I took the pucks out and sanded the calipers out so the puck would fit better. I opened them enough so when taking the o-ring of the puck it could be rotated by my thumb freely. I polished the inside and slapped them back together. Now the brakes worked as designed even though (in my opinion) they were inadequate for the RV-10 gross weight. I also knew my fix was probably temporary.
Matco Manufacturing is located at KBTF which is where I finished my RV-10. I spoke to George on occasion about the parts he makes for aircraft. One day I asked him about the RV-10 brakes and he told me they were working on a set. I was pretty excited and told him I wanted to buy a pair. The day came I could finally buy them so I called him up and read off my credit card.
The parts came and they looked beautiful. Here are some pics of the calipers and wheel set.
I installed them and conditioned them after reading the manual. These brakes feel great and can definitely stop the airplane. I know we don't use a lot of runway and really don't need to get on the brakes BUT when you need to and you don't want them to fade off while aborting a takeoff it's nice to have a set that can handle the weight!
More pics to come....
First off, I know there are a bunch of RV-10's out there that have original calipers and have had no problems with the brake system. Even though I believe they are undersized for the weight, I'm sure there are trouble free operations out there.
I had some problems with my brakes that I will share. The way the pedals are mounted is sloppy to me. You really can't tighten the bolts and have the pedal geometry right for the actuator with loose bolts. The pedal does not want to return and release the brake fluid after use. I think this was my first problem. I found my brakes dragging and heating up the brakes after a long taxi. I finally installed some return springs on the master cylinder pistons. Using this configuration was a little better but I didn't like the springs rubbing on the cylinder pistons so I designed a way to return the pedal using clock springs.
This worked well so I made a kit for four pedals.
Time went by and my pedals were returning back but there was still brake dragging and heat so I took my calipers apart and discovered the pucks had an interference fit in the caliper. At first I thought it was a manufacturer defect but later thought it was probably caused by me overheating the brakes by taxiing long distance without the pedals returning and releasing fluid.
I was sick of my brakes and wanted better parts. I new I had to do something quick since I had a big trip to the Bahamas coming up so I took the pucks out and sanded the calipers out so the puck would fit better. I opened them enough so when taking the o-ring of the puck it could be rotated by my thumb freely. I polished the inside and slapped them back together. Now the brakes worked as designed even though (in my opinion) they were inadequate for the RV-10 gross weight. I also knew my fix was probably temporary.
Matco Manufacturing is located at KBTF which is where I finished my RV-10. I spoke to George on occasion about the parts he makes for aircraft. One day I asked him about the RV-10 brakes and he told me they were working on a set. I was pretty excited and told him I wanted to buy a pair. The day came I could finally buy them so I called him up and read off my credit card.
The parts came and they looked beautiful. Here are some pics of the calipers and wheel set.
I installed them and conditioned them after reading the manual. These brakes feel great and can definitely stop the airplane. I know we don't use a lot of runway and really don't need to get on the brakes BUT when you need to and you don't want them to fade off while aborting a takeoff it's nice to have a set that can handle the weight!
More pics to come....