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Putting Alcohol in the Brake Lines

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by anothercupajoe, Jan 4, 2014.

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  1. Jan 6, 2014 #11
    Cetane+

    Cetane+ Road Train Member

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    You can always turn the gladhand so you can pour it in. The best would be get a red gladhand and get a large diameter hose to screw in to the fitting that you can dump into.
     
    Cetane+, Jan 6, 2014
    Cetane+, Jan 6, 2014
    #11
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  3. Jan 6, 2014 #12
    duramaxnb

    duramaxnb Bobtail Member

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    Feb 3, 2012
    Climax Saskatchewan
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    Are you running in lots of snow or slushy conditions, if your brakes are freezing on it the the pads to the drums that are frozen not an air problem. If you are freezing up on the air side you will have trouble airing up the trailer. When you park make sure you are only applying your tractor brakes.
     
    duramaxnb, Jan 6, 2014
    duramaxnb, Jan 6, 2014
    #12
  4. Jan 6, 2014 #13
    Joetro

    Joetro Road Train Member

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    Something to consider: Try not to get any on your hands. You think it's cold now, wait until that stuff gets on your skin.
     
    Joetro, Jan 6, 2014
    Joetro, Jan 6, 2014
    #13
  5. Jan 7, 2014 #14
    anothercupajoe

    anothercupajoe Bobtail Member

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    Nov 24, 2011
    Minnesota
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    So your saying get a hose large enough to fit into the red gladhands hole and pour into that? How do you keep the alcohol in the spiral hose as you bring it down to hook to the trailer - without getting it all over your gloves?
     
    anothercupajoe, Jan 7, 2014
    anothercupajoe, Jan 7, 2014
    #14
  7. Jan 7, 2014 #15
    anothercupajoe

    anothercupajoe Bobtail Member

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    Nov 24, 2011
    Minnesota
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    Last year the last little storm coming out of Denver snow wasn't even sticking on the road in fact it was a misty day more than a snow, I got it into my head that I wasn't going to use the brakes as much as possible, just use the jake and see how far I could get. I made to Ovid Just a few miles from the Nebraska border and man did I have to pee so I pulled off using my brakes to come to a complete stop at the stop sign at the bottom of the exit got out did my thing got back in and the trailer was locked up so tight I thought I had lost my transmission - I mean there was no snow on the road and just a salting on the dessert around. It took me about ten minutes to realize that had I touched my brakes anyplace between slowing down there Ovid and after reaching 70 miles an hour that I would've burned up 3,000.00 worth tires. There was a coating of ice nearly 3/4 inch thick on everything underneath the truck and trailer; almost as if someone and taken a hose and sprayed it. It took two quarts and 40 minutes to unlock those brakes, he was about to crawl under and release by hand when we heard each one give. I travel that road a lot.

    My temp read 32 degrees.
     
    anothercupajoe, Jan 7, 2014
    anothercupajoe, Jan 7, 2014
    #15
  8. Jan 7, 2014 #16
    Cetane+

    Cetane+ Road Train Member

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    Albany, NY
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    I was thinking about the trailer side. But you could pour it into the tractor side glad hand. Just keep it high when pouring. Then lift it to get it to flow up the spiral then hook up fast. Then charge. You could do it on every new to you trailer you hook to. I am more concerened with being stuck with a frozen truck/trailer than shortening the life of the air components on the trailer. Keep warm brother!
     
    Cetane+, Jan 7, 2014
    Cetane+, Jan 7, 2014
    #16
  9. Jan 7, 2014 #17
    Sublime

    Sublime Road Train Member

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    Twin Cities, MN
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    Funny, I've been driving for 26 years/2.5+ million miles and added airline anti-freeze just about exactly two times. More than a few times I've helped drivers free their brakes by pounding on drums when they insisted they needed to dump that junk in their air system.
     
    Sublime, Jan 7, 2014
    Sublime, Jan 7, 2014
    #17
  10. Jan 7, 2014 #18
    allan5oh

    allan5oh Road Train Member

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    Agreed with Sublime, brakes locked up is almost always the brakes themselves, not the air system.
     
    allan5oh, Jan 7, 2014
    allan5oh, Jan 7, 2014
    #18
  11. Jan 7, 2014 #19
    mtoo

    mtoo Road Train Member

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    Always carry a 2 or 3 pound hammer when it gets cold. If the brakes are froze, hit the brake drum. When the shoe is froze to the drum, the drum will make a thud sound. Hit the drum a few times, when it breaks loose it will ring like a bell.

    The brakes need to be released when you do this. So if you are working on the trailer brakes set the tractor brakes and release the trailer brakes. If working on tractor brakes set the trailer brakes and release the tractor brakes.

    We don't want the truck/trailer to run over anyone when the brakes release!
     
    mtoo, Jan 7, 2014
    mtoo, Jan 7, 2014
    #19
  12. Jan 7, 2014 #20
    IH Truck Guy

    IH Truck Guy Road Train Member

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    Purgatory
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    And this is exactly how to tell if you need to add brake line antifreeze..

    Though I think that some of the drivers just don't want to crawl under a sloppy trailer and swing a hammer..lol
     
    IH Truck Guy, Jan 7, 2014
    IH Truck Guy, Jan 7, 2014
    #20
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