We have all been there. That moment when you feel the tell-tale sign of fatigue from the brakes you have been running. While uneven wear and excessive runout to your brake rotors can lead to heavy pitting, spotting, and even cracking requiring a replacement, the option to resurface your brakes in-house have advanced over the years.
Off-Vehicle Resurfacing
The new Heavy-Duty RL-8500XLT Combination Brake Lathe from Ranger features an extended capacity spindle and can turn a drum that’s up to 10-inches deep. The longer spindle and the relocated rear bushing provide the RL-8500XLT arbor with enough support to handle your heaviest drums, rotors, and flywheels.
The durably crafted RL-8500XLT brake lathe resurfaces brakes quicker and more precisely than any other lathing unit on the market today. Like the RL-8500, the RL-8500XLT features unlimited feed rate settings, allowing the user to modify resurfacing rates with an easy turn of the dial. Now you can decrease or amplify the cut duration for the perfect finish regardless of if you’re rushing through the first rough cut or performing a single-pass micro-finish. The RL-8500XLT brake lathe is the total package and comes with a strong bench plus ample tool storage backboards, so all your adapters are always nearby.
One of the common problems that plague other brake lathes is the vibration and chatter transfer that directly affects the tool-tip and leaves an imperfect cut on the machined surface. The RL-8500XLT Brake Lathe by Ranger is specifically designed to address this issue by eliminating the need for gear-driven mechanical drives and variable-speed transmission devices.
On-Vehicle Resurfacing
Pro-Cut has been the name many OEM’s have approved for mandated warranty rotor service, including GM, Ford, Honda, BMW, Acura, Toyota, Mazda, VW, and even Ferrari, among others. Their line of rotor matching products allow for On-Vehicle resurfacing.
The PFM 9.2 DRO has been the versatile industry standard. This mid-sized lathe features a speed lock cutting head, four-wheel adjustable trolley, and electronic reporting on lathe use, ROI, and service needs. Pro-Cut boasts that close to 30,000 of their PFM 9.2 DRO’s have been sold to date. 9.2’s come bundled with all accessories including silencer and cutting bits, a five adapter package, and a fixed post trolley which excepts Pro-Cuts GYR command center.
In terms of adding a heavy-duty powerhouse to their line up, Pro-Cut has developed the 
A10 Warthog. Packing ten pounds more body mass, and twice the start-up torque to the 9.2 model, the A10 is burly enough to cut a Ford F750 and still nimble enough for the smallest sub-compact. The A10 is designed for heavy use where large vehicle applications are found.
Both the 9.2 and A10 Worthog can be equipped with Pro-Cut’s optional GYR. For the first time a technician can know precisely where the rotor stands versus the spec before, during, and after the cut. Using Pro-Cut’s proprietary software, the GYR Validated Brake Service directs the technician to make in-spec repairs and captures the finished metrics (rotor thickness and run-out) of every rotor machined. Finished results are automatically saved to the included Microsoft Surface tablet and on-line database and can be printed for records.
About Ranger
BendPak’s Ranger Products division offers your garage or shop an extremely diverse array of outstanding equipment to suit every need. Ranger makes sure that all of their garage products live up to the same high standards as BendPak car hoists and equipment. Whether you need wheel service equipment like the best tire machines, brake lathes, wheel balancers, and wheel alignment systems; workshop equipment like workbenches, oil drains and toolboxes; lifting solutions such as their wide array of floor jacks, jack stands, and bike and quad lifts; or even industrial-grade parts washers that blast the dirt off of just about any part or component, Ranger is quality garage gear.
For more information, visit www.bendpak.com
About Pro-Cut
In 1988 Joe Willey and Paul Hooper acquired the US distribution rights to a piece of equipment – a so-called on-car brake lathe – that had been languishing in the US market. The partners made a few design changes and before the end of 1989 counted Sears and General Motors as their customers. In the years that followed, virtually every auto manufacturer in the world came to either recommend or require a Pro-Cut lathe for their dealers. Similarly, most national service chains in the USA came to rely on Pro-Cut machinery for their brake service.
For more information, visit www.procutusa.com
