Brake Adjustment Test?

Not just that, they need to be kept clean and the clevis pin needs to be free.

A lot of owners think that they can work with all of it gunked up with crap.

 

Until you get the guy I worked with who adjusts them tight every morning instead of reporting worn out adjusters.

 

They probably just want you to pull the truck ahead and hit the brakes to see if it pulls one way

 

Not trying to sound rude at all so don’t take this the wrong way my friend, but adjusting auto slack adjusters is not rocket science. It works the same way. Turn them in all the way and back out one half turn. You can really dial them in by tapping on the rotor with your wrench or you can verify your adjustment with your 20 ton jack if you are that unsure. Check your measurements on freeplay after words. Then let her rip down the road.

 

i don't have a 20 ton jack. i have Penske.

 

They should have a course called Slack Adjusters for Dummies, not difficult to adjust....just takes someone with a few braincells left to know how much is enough.

But then, most fleets will send a certified trailer tech to the yard and have them babies nicely adjusted.

 

Unless you're a blonde chick in Alaska on a certain reality show...snugged 'em up and couldn't back them off because she didn't know to pull out the pawl. If it's a small little square drive to adjust (3/8" wrench IIRC...I don't see them too often around here), there's a pawl to keep it from backing off.

The ratcheting type will prematurely wear out if manually adjusted too frequently. They'll have a 7/16" hex adjuster bolt.

If it takes a 9/16" wrench, it's a manual slack, which means if somebody doesn't regularly adjust it, it'll be more and more out of adjustment as the brakes wear. The piece of equipment better be 1994 or older (I forget the month) or else it's a violation just having it installed on the truck or trailer...even if it is properly adjusted.

 

It's a 5/16ths open end for the small square nut. The only kind i run cause like you said, backing the other kind off will eventually wear them out.

 

I knew it was one of those 2...nothing else on the truck takes a wrench that small, except for maybe a the hose clamps.

 

You brought up the other kind, those are a huge pet peeve of mine. Why in the hell would an engineer design a product that gets worn out when you back it off? You have to back them off every time you pull a drum. So every wheel seal and every brake job is cutting into the life of the slack adjuster. That's just assinine.