Long brake shoe in front or back?

Does the long brake shoe go on the front or back of a KBS-5?

I've heard the long shoe goes on the front because most of the energy is moving forward and; therefore, the larger (longer) shoe is needed for the additional braking ability.

I've also been told that the larger side of the brake cylinder corresponds with the longer shoe too.

When I started disassembly on mine, the long shoe was in the front and the larger side of the brake cylinder was forward facing as well, but that doesn't mean it's correct. I believe the service manual photographs support this theory as well.

What say y'all?

Thanks!
Frank

I have never seen one assembled that way - I have always seen them with the long shoe to the rear - attached to the smaller side of the wheel cylinder. I know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that's how both sets of axles I had were set up and that's how every other type of drum brake I have ever worked on was set up.

the factory service manual doesn't directly specify and pictures are kind of blurry,

however factory parts manual is clearer,

on the FRONT brakes the stepped wheel cylinder goes with larger bore forward, AND LONG shoe in front off of larger bore,

on the REAR brakes the larger bore is forward and the SHORTER shoe is on front off larger bore,

yea, I know,

USUALLY brakes with floating anchors like in L, R, S, the short shoe is forward primary, rear secondary, as the base of the shoes move,

on the older ones the FIXED anchor shoes are different, gets confusing, but factory pictures don't lie,,,,,,,,,,,usually

BRJ,
Those are the exact diagrams I was going by, but I kept getting conflicting information which created doubt.

I'm going with the manual for now.

Thanks a bunch!
Frank

BRJ,
I hate to ask, but I'm out of town and don't have access to my parts manual.
Can you look on page 457 (the next page of previous post) and tell me the part numbers for FF and GG?
I'm running down brake parts and not sure if I'mn looking at the correct part or not.
Thanks!
Frank

BRJ,
I hate to ask, but I'm out of town and don't have access to my parts manual.
Can you look on page 457 (the next page of previous post) and tell me the part numbers for FF and GG?
I'm running down brake parts and not sure if I'mn looking at the correct part or not.
Thanks!
Frank

FF has 4 part #s listed:
95 975HX,<left side, increase capacity brakes, MFR. part no. FC-7570
95 976HX. <right side increase capacity brakes, " FC-7571
102 631HX,<left side. standard capacity, " FC-7568
102 632HX,<right side. standard capacity, " FC-7569

GG has 4 part#s listed:
102 635HY,<left. standard " FC-7281
102 636HY,<right. standard " FC-7282
103 681HY,<left. increased " FC-7289
103 682HY,<right increased " FC-7290

hope this helps

It helped and kept me from buying the wrong part. Thank you!

For what it's worth, I just got the front hubs and backing plates off my 1949 KB5. Long ones to front, short ones to rear. In addition to the manual, a real life example.