Can any-one tell me if a hand brake for a three wheeler has to be fitted to more than one wheel? I am building a three wheeler with one wheel at the rear two up front, can I fit the parking brake to the rear wheel.?
do I need a brake at all? I see trikes that don't have them.
Over to the font of knowledge that is the locost builder forum

go on I dare you to fit it to just one of the front wheels, yeeeehhaaa!! spin like a top!!

the rear wheel will be fine, I don't think you legally need one but I'd fit it if pos as they can creap even if left in gear on a hill.

I'm sketching out a streamlined 3 wheeler right now, also looking at buying a Ultima windscreen too, then a pile foam...



[Edited on 29/7/08 by Mr Whippy]

The handbrake has to be fitted to all the wheels on 1 axle. You can fit it to the single wheel axle if you want. The brake force it has to achieve is a percentage of the mass of the vehicle, the same kind of thing as a 4 wheel car's handbrake. If you have it on 1 wheel, it has to be a good brake. If you fit it to the other axle, the brakes share the work between them.

My handbrake works on both front wheels, so should stop the car pretty well if the main system fails. It also means I could do burnouts if I really wanted to.

cheers for that, I suppose for a car sized trike a Saab 900 front callipers could be used as the have the handbrake on them, the only car I know which does. For a lighter machine standard rear sierra brakes could be used.

The Citroen BX has its handbrake on the front wheels, IIRC.

quote:

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Originally posted by David Jenkins
The Citroen BX has its handbrake on the front wheels, IIRC.

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Thanks for the replies, I think I will be putting the brake on the rear wheel, I am using a Piagio scooter, 400cc which has a convenient spare bracket on the swinging arm.
I have been looking at some Hispec hand brake calipers on their website , they look ideal.
Regards Kipper.......AKA Denis.