Abstract: An illustrative brake apparatus includes: a brake body; a first retaining means for retaining a brake shoe against the brake body while permitting the brake shoe to be actuated in a brake actuation direction; and a second retaining means for selectively retaining the brake shoe against lateral movement in a direction of movement of an object to be braked. An illustrative brake shoe retainer apparatus includes: first and second brake shoe connectors connectable to respective spaced apart regions of a brake shoe; a force transfer element connectable to the first and second brake shoe connectors; a guide connectable to a brake body and configured to guide the force transfer element relative to the brake body in a brake actuation direction and in a direction opposite the brake actuation direction; and a means for urging the force transfer element in the direction opposite the brake actuation direction.

Abstract: In a cam actuated brake, an adjustable cam disposable intermediate a pair of following surfaces on first ends of a pair of arms. The arms being rotatable about parallel axes and having a pair of opposing brake surfaces at second ends. The cam comprises a body having a first and second opposite cam surfaces adapted to engage the following surfaces and a bore intermediate the cam surfaces and a piston receivable in the bore. The piston is releasably coupled to the bore. The cam further comprises an adjuster for varying the position of the piston in the bore. The piston may be engaged by an actuator so as to wedge the cam between the following surfaces of the arms so as to rotate the first and second arms about their respective axes thereby frictionally engaging an object between the braking surfaces.