Failed Brakes

In 2 years I had one brake can blow out. Lucky for me, I was still in the yard.

Mountain-wise, I'd say that would mostly come from decending too fast amd having to "ride" the brakes causing them to overheat. Smart drivers dont do it; Dummies (me) do it only once and live to tell. Then there are the ones whose family gets a phone call....

As some wise folks here will tell you: "You can go down a grade too slow a thousand times. You'll only get to go down it too fast ONCE."

Pay careful attention to your teachers on gear selection for down hill. Best of luck and see you on the highway.

 

Sure it's a major concern if you don't have them. The brakes are your best safety device. Learn all you can about them and how to inspect them. Until you get some experience and know exactly what the truck will do I'd keep your speed down to 35mph down any grade and slower if the signs tell you different. It's harder to stop down a grade with all the weight on so you'll want to drive with the idea that you may have to stop dead because of accidents, rock slides, or any other of many incidents that may happen.

 

now failed breaks are more common then you might think in particular in the west and north west where steep grades are common and a lot of drivers never made it .

California for example has some pretty strict laws when it comes to speed limits and there enforced WHY? because many a driver didn't make it down the mountain alive and here is a clue once your breaks get to hot there is no way for you to stop the hotter they get the less breaking power you have. I've had them literally catch fire and had to stop and put the fire out not a good thing.

rule of thumb if you can pull the mountain going up in third gear thats the gear you need to go down in speed will catch up to you real quick and sometimes you realize it to late then it is to late.

make sure you no your equipment and how the equipment works such as a Jake break , a Jake will work much better in your lower gears the faster your going the less it will work, try to maintain a speed that the Jake will hold preserving your breaks, it cost nothing to use the Jake it cost a few Penny's to replace your breaks.

check your breaks before you start down the grade, check for things like breaks out of adjustment , or broken break drums they really do break and when they do you no longer have breaks on that wheel and with a heavy load you need all the breaks you have and then some . bout half way down pull over and sit for awhile and let em cool if there is a place to do it safely a hot break is a disaster waiting to happen.

if you have an application Gage try to apply no more then 10 lbs of pressure to your breaks and hold a steady pressure never pump the breaks the get hotter quicker if you try to pump them.

if your inexperienced and you find yourself on a steep grade such as Donner pass remember slow is the magic word better to get down the hill slow then not to get down at all.

now when i speak of a Jake break I'm talking about a Jacobs engine break not a break retarder or engine retarder there next to worthless without much breaking power , learn the difference.it can save your life.
if you look in that mirror and see smoke coming from the breaks there to dam hot , stop right then and let them cool.

and most trucks come with a 2.5 lb fire extinguishers thats all our wonderfull dot requires so if you got one do yourself a facor and throw it in the #### trash and buy yourseld a 5lb it acually works to put out a fire.

hope this has helped a few of you , stay safe.

southernpride

 

"Until you get some experience and know exactly what the truck will do I'd keep your speed down to 35mph"

If you want to kill someone. Imagine cresting a hill and going around the bend at the 55mph speed limit to find this guy and the hammer lane is blocked? Find out how your truck works BEFORE you find yourself on a 6% grade and 40k in the trailer. Learn how to stab brake. Remember we are "professional drivers" we have to be concious of 4 wheelers and other truckers.

 

Southernpride where are you pulling a mountain in 3rd gear? Or are you talking about 8th?

 

They don't make mountains the way they used to when Southernpride was a rookie!

 

Very informative. I agree except going down the the grade in the same gear you pull the grade. The down side might be as steeper as the up grade. If it was the same on both side sides then that would be ok. Take it slow no matter what. I've had many years driving and I still take it slow because of what can happen. I don't care about the hot shots that think it's safe to fly down the grade. Besides, most of the time they are the ones that are at the bottom of the grade with smoke pouring off their brakes when I just cruise by.

 

Go down Two Gears Lower than when you went up.