Coaster Brakes

[wildrice]

Is there a trick to getting the coaster brakes back together and working right? I always seem to get the bearings where they are too tight to spin or too loose that they wobble.

 

[dromang]

having a set of cone wrenches helps, they are very thin so you can set you bearing preload and then tighten the outer locknut to help prevent it tightening/lossening when installed on the bike.

 

[Wildcat]

I have the bike upside down when I put the wheel on. I adjust the cone by the sprocket before putting it on. You should feel just a slight amount of side to side play in the axle. After tightening it on the bike, check the roll of the wheel. The chain can make a difference if it is too tight, leave some slack in it. if it rolls well, good, then check the bearings side to side play.

If it's got a lot of play, or is binding, I loosen the sprocket side, keeping the other axle nut tight, and use needle nose pliers to adjust the cone on the drive side. If there's room when you back off the nut, a wrench would be even better. I adjust about 1/4 turn at a time, then tighten it back up. Your wheel should only have a tiny bit of side to side play. Check it again because it may change as it's tightened. That should get you where you need to be.

If you have the hub lubed and adjusted perfectly, it should last for years.

 

[clamdigger]

Here is a trick that might be helpful to you. After servicing the coaster brake hub and having the wheel completely mounted ( chain and brake arm too ),check for the tightness of the hub bearings. If you need to make an adjustment,remove the screw from the strap that keeps the bake arm from rotating. Loosen the axle nut on the brake arm side,but do not loosen the nut holding the brake arm on.Rotate the brake arm until you have the hub bearings adjusted. Then loosen the other axle nut ( on the chain side ) and rotate the whole hub so that the brake arm is in position to reattach the strap.Put the screw back into the brake arm & strap. Center the wheel,adjust the chain tension,tighten both axle nuts,then tighten the screw in the brake strap.