Stick with drum brakes over discs for freight elevators in old buildings

I had to decide between swapping to disc brakes or keeping the drum setup on a 1960s freight elevator in a downtown St. Louis warehouse. The disc kit was $2,800 and promised less maintenance, but I stuck with a rebuilt drum system for $1,100. After three months, the drum brakes have been dead reliable with no adjustments needed. The discs would have required new mounting brackets and a controller mod for that old Westinghouse machine. Any of you guys prefer one over the other for older traction jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

gibson.sarah2mo ago

...and honestly, you probably saved yourself a headache down the line. I've seen those conversion brackets on old Westinghouse machines and they never quite line up right without some field modification. That whole "less maintenance" pitch with discs sounds nice on paper, but in an old freight elevator with a low duty cycle you're not gonna see enough wear to justify the swap. Plus, you can still get lining material for those drum brakes from a couple suppliers if you know who to call. I'd keep running the drums until you absolutely can't get parts anymore...

seth_harris362mo ago

Rebuilding the old drum system was the smart play for that era Westinghouse machine.

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mary_foster922mo ago

Wait, you actually went ahead and rebuilt the old drums instead of swapping to discs...? I'm genuinely shocked because every other guy I've talked to around here swears by the conversion. They act like it's the only way to go, but I guess they never had to fight with those bracket kits. Did you have to do any custom machining on the linings, or were you able to get them to fit straight out of the box?