Bidule 170 Hydraulic Brakes!!! Can fit other big tugs too

[gunny11]

Wow,! Excellent report Jim. That's what I was imagining how you would use them.

[JimD]

Got a chance to really try out the Bidule brakes yesterday in Delaware...they are great!

Temperature was on the very cool side, so being able to keep a fast idle while waiting for the next sailplane to get hooked up was very helpful. Just taxi to position, click on the park brake, and throttle up. Even used the brakes to slow down after landing a couple of times...just a super cool feature.

[ljsoarinson]

Wow, where were these brakes when I built the 1/3 Super Cub seven years ago? With 12" bush wheels on ball bearings and a 34" prop it would only stop rolling on the thickest sod. It was a hazard on the field.

I ended up using mechanical disk brakes from a 1/4 scale RC car. Mounting involved several custom pieces but the results were well worth it. I ended up using a servo on each caliper for differential braking. That also added to safety as it takes much less room to line it up for the next tow.

The key to avoiding wheel lock-up or flipping the plane over is to set full engagement to be light drag on the wheel. I have the brakes on the right slider and the mid-point detent gives light drag for slowing the plane down. Full slider travel gives a firmer hold on the brakes. A mix to rudder is always on. This releases one brake and clamps the other tighter with rudder movement. Maneuvering with differential braking is best done with the brake half way engaged.

The fun part is using the brakes for short field takeoffs. With full brake and half flap, throttling up the DA-150 gets the plane light and the tail up. Releasing the brake while going to full throttle gets the plane off the ground in about a wing span!

Good to know these hydraulic brakes are out there. These look very easy to mount and may find their way onto my next big plane...

Larry

[Mosquito]

They will be on my Bidule! Unfortunately not differential braking but brakes none the less!

Tim

[JimD]

Update:

It seems that brake fluid is slowly lost around the O-ring seals in the master cylinder and reaches empty after about 15 hours of use. Air can then get into the hydraulic lines and the brakes start to fade and then stop working altogether.

Our fix for this is to use an auxiliary brake fluid reservoir.

Bidule #1 has this auxiliary reservoir mounted directly above the master cylinder with a short piece of tubing connecting the two together.



Bidule #2 has the auxiliary reservoir mounted away from the master cylinder and connected by way of two 90 degree Festo fittings and tubing.



Both of these mountings seem to work, but the one on Bidule #2 is the best because it allows the fuel tank to slide further aft making it easier to get to the front wing bolts. Also, more fluid can be added without having to bleed the lines provided the master cylinder is not allowed to go empty.

[gunny11]

O darn! I'll have to jump in here. Jim is beta testing the resevior and it's been a great success. Upgrade products and reservoir will be coming soon to Aviation Concepts.

[Mosquito]

Are carbon discs available? Love my brakes!

Tim M.

[Swiss1]

I would no recommend Carbon Brake Discs, we used to sell them for RC cars, the problem is when they get to a certain wear point they explode into fragments without any warning!

[lenb]

http://www.kingmotorrc.com/index.php?p=catalog&mode=search&search_in=all&search_str=KM66035-2o

[MarnochS]

I've been using carbon brakes from the beginning, disc and pads show minimal wear over 60 hours of operation , They are 80mm in diameter, so a spacer is necessary to move the caliper out. Of course, taking Swiss! experience to heart, ....I inspect them periodically.



Scott

[Mosquito]

So you need to move, or shim, the brake caliper out a ways since the carbon discs are 80mm, which is bigger than the 3 inch aluminum disc provided by Aviation Concepts?

[MarnochS]

The aluminum rotor is 76 mm......so a 2mm shim is required

[kd4jaz]

My Bidule 170 was having issues with air getting in the lines, there were several mods that were done once I called Gunny. 1) New O-ring in the master cylinder, 2) small reservoir added, 3) T fitting was allowing air into the system. Gunny sent me a new T that was manufactured to tighter tolerances, the lines fit much tighter in the new T. Did 35 tows at an event on Saturday 3/17/18 and the brakes worked great! Thanks Gunny for your time on the phone and getting me the new T. Great customer service.
Marc

[gunny11]

Thanks Marc,
glad everything worked out great.
All new brakes now will come with upgraded master cylinder gaskets and O rings and the better quality T fitting.

[Mosquito]

Gunny, getting ahead of this for the upcoming flying season, can you let me know how I obtain the upgraded gaskets and O rings/T-fitting? Also, what are people using for the spare reservoir?

Signed a happy customer that loves his brakes on his Bidule 170!

Tim

[gunny11]

Hi Tim, just give me a call at Aviation Concepts (631)766-6009

[gunny11]

You know, I never told the story how these brakes actually came about.
In 2014 I was playing with some electro-mechanical brake designs for my 1/3 scale cub. It wasn't very strong or practical, so I abandoned the idea.
In 2015 I saw a set of hydraulic brakes at the WRAM show for my 1/5 scale buggy and just made a mental note.
Now here is the funny thing.... This same year the Bidule 170's are starting to pop up at aerotow events and Len B. one of the first owners quietly muttered to himself "I wish this plane had brakes!" So, later that year Jim D. gets his Bidule 170 going and said out loud "I wish this plane had some brakes!" I was 3 feet away from him and I heard him say that. I told him that could be a possibility because last year I saw something at the WRAM show that could work. So Jim sends me his gear and wheels and I started designing. Jim and I keep this a secret from Len and everyone else until the reveal at the 2016 WRAM show. He he, Jim for once wanted something cool before Len. After a short while when Jim got his first set installed and testing them in his basement... I got a text from him and it read "I couldn't hold it in anymore! I spilled the beans to Len" 😬 LOL.
Funny how thing come about.

[gunny11]

Oh and then the following towing season, Jim as a joke was going to add a booster bottle with a hose connecting to the master cylinder and have Len see it and say "now what's that's! I want one too!" LOL
Funny, after a while I thought about his idea and said to myself, "that's actually not a bad idea" A see through reservoir was developed.

[Mosquito]

Well it all worked out to a great working product. Yes, the Bidule 170's can roll for long distances and having brakes is awesome.