In creating PermaGuard, Bendix says it has reformulated the coating and wash process, improving its ability to adhere to the metal shoe. The company stands behind its coating with a new, extended, three-year warranty against rust jacking, the company says.
Rust jacking occurs when rust builds up on the steel beneath the brake lining, exerts upward pressure on the friction material, and eventually causes cracks in the friction material. Although rust jacking can occur year-round, the combination of wet roads, temperature swings, and chemical de-icers – such as road salt or chemical compounds (for example, magnesium chloride and calcium chloride) – makes winter conditions ideal for corrosion to take hold on a brake shoe. For this reason, rust jacking is most prevalent in regions with cold-weather climates, Bendix says.
In addition to tractor wheel-ends, Bendix says trailer brakes are susceptible to rust jacking as well – particularly trailers sitting idle for long periods. While idle, trailer brakes can continue to have moisture linger beneath the brake friction material, where it can continue to attack the brake shoe coating. The damaging moisture builds up in the brakes and doesn’t get burned off during brake applications as on a tractor in regular use.
“It’s important for fleets to choose a reman brake shoe with an effective brake shoe coating, because that’s the first line of defense against rust jacking. Our new PermaGuard coating advances our successful coating technology to provide improved protection from the harsh environments that contribute to rust jacking,” says Keith McComsey, Bendix director of wheel-end marketing and customer solutions. “And our confidence in PermaGuard is reflected in our new three-year warranty.”
Reduced Stopping Distance (RSD) Compliant
Since launching its remanufactured brake shoe operation in 2012, Bendix says it has assembled more than 5 million shoes and expanded the production capabilities and capacity at its Brake Shoe Remanufacturing Center in Huntington, Ind. To help vehicle operators maintain performance of RSD-equipped vehicles (those built after 2011), Bendix offers both original equipment (OE) and aftermarket RSD-certified friction options.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s RSD mandate, which took full effect in 2013, ushered in a new era of stopping requirements (under FMVSS-121) for drum brakes. When servicing RSD brakes, more and more vehicle operators are choosing remanufactured shoes with OE RSD-certified friction from a trusted original equipment supplier in order to preserve the vehicle’s original stopping distance.
Demonstrating the popularity of Bendix reman brake shoes, the company’s production levels have steadily increased annually to meet growing demand from fleets and owner-operators who want the powerful combination of optimum value, quality, performance, and compliance of their RSD brakes, the company says.
OE Quality
Expanding on nearly four decades of remanufacturing expertise, Bendix significantly increased the capabilities and capacity of its Brake Shoe Remanufacturing Center in 2014. The center is part of the multisite Bendix manufacturing campus in Huntington, the company says.
“Rust jacking protection is about much more than a quality coating,” McComsey says. “At Bendix, we also coin 100 percent of our reman shoes to return them to OE geometry and remove the gap between the shoe and friction, where rust jacking can initiate more easily.”
According to McComsey, the combination of Bendix PermaGuard coating, along with coining and high flexural strength friction that resists cracking, adds even more rust-jacking protection. “It’s a powerful combination delivering a longer lasting brake shoe that provides consistent brake performance and reduced maintenance costs,” he says.
