I fitted a full set of these now available, vital brackets to a bus about three months ago.

As a reminder, assuming that the actual slack adjusters are in good condition and operating freely then it is the condition of the brake operating links and most importantly the amount of wear to the bracket which governs whether the brakes self adjust or not. In many intances these links are severely worn and have worn away the slot in the bracket to such an extent that auto adjustment does not happen.

I can now report that even though the original brackets were not excessively worn fitting a set of these has made a noticeable difference to performance. Not only have no manual adjustments been made when normally it would have been necessary, but it is clear that automatic adjustment has been taking place. Tapley testing proves the point.

Not only is the length of the operating slot important, but the angle in relation to vertical is too, since if it is wrong the operating link will bend. I cannot see anyone being able to make their own copies of these but certainly not produce the same quality of product any cheaper than the price being asked.

These are easy items to fit, made easier by each bracket being stamped with its location on the vehicle. It is probably best to purchase these in conjunction with the operating link. I would go further and recommend that if needing to overhaul a slack adjuster then it is absolutely pointless not renewing the complete adjustment system.