Abstract

A hand truck having a flat, rigid, annular disc coaxially fixed to each of a pair of outboard wheels between the hand truck frame and the wheel. A respective caliper having two parallel fingers which hold respective brake pads is mounted on the hand truck frame adjacent the periphery of each disc so that the two fingers are disposed on either side of the disc for forcibly pinching the disc between the brake pads. The calipers and associated mounting hardware are specially structured so as to minimize the space between the inside of the wheel and the outside of the frame. To ensure even wear of the brake pads the wheels are mounted on bearings which permit axial sliding of the wheels on their axle so that the discs float between the two caliper brake pads. The calipers are actuated in response to hydraulic pressure produced by a master cylinder which in turn is operated through a bell crank linkage by a lever placed directly below a hand truck handle so that the lever may be pulled upwardly by a squeezing motion. The wheel and disc structure is designed so as to permit the use of a single common axle for both wheels, thereby minimizing the weight and cost of the hand truck brake system.