Function

When the floating-caliper brake was introduced, it had to be combined with a drum brake in the rear. Or the drum brake had to be integrated with the disc brake in the rear. The automatic adjustment created the limitations, because it was technically not possible to combine the automatic adjustment with the floating-caliper brake and the handbrake. This problem was solved only later on.

How it works

The handbrake cables affect a pivot lever, which in turn affects with a large transmission ratio a tappet. Through this the piston is pressed and at the same time the floating brake pliers are applied.The picture above exaggerates the process somewhat to show it explicitly.In reality, the play (through the automatic adjustment) is much smaller and pulling the handbrake only a short way is sufficient. Nowadays, even heavy vehicles are equipped with such a type of handbrake, and vans might have a double piston brake.