That trailer brake handle, how does it work?

Yes it's like a brake pedal. The more you pull the more it applies brakes. It is not for parking.

If your is the trailer brakes and not the truck brakes as well, you are not very smart.
You will be more likely to burn the trailer brakes, or start the whole thing on fire on a down grade situation.

It is plain stupid to try and use trailer brakes to save tractor brakes. Brakes are cheap use them properly.

 

Yes the more you push the Johnny Bar the more brake it applies... Be warned though... I have yet to find a newer truck that the Johnny Bar will apply anything less than 20 psi. So when it first lets air to the brakes it is 20+ psi of brake application. The older trucks you could easy on the Johnny Bar and get as little as 2 or 3 psi, they were much better... I dont even try to use the Johnny Bar in newer trucks except to slide axles or do tug test.

 

I'm not qualified to say any more.

 

Tug test, sliding axles, or during my pretrip to check brake lights and listen for leaking air on the trailer. If you pull a frameless end dump, it is also useful while dumping, as it holds better than the spring brakes and releases quicker when it's time to transition from pulling the truck back to the trailer to pulling the trailer towards the truck as the load piles up on the ground behind the trailer.

There really isn't a good practical use for them on the road. If you're that concerned about "saving" your tractor brakes, you're not being paid enough. Brakes are cheap and last quite a while under normal use...certainly not worth the risk created by using only the trailer brakes while driving.

 

Not for use for parking.. OR DRIVING! Look at it this way.. the foot valve is like the volume knob on the stereo.. the trolley valve is like an on off switch.. it takes longer for the air to release.. and if (as many a super trucker legend insists) you try and save a jackknife with it.. it will only make any slide worse! Be cautious! There are reasons that a lot of carriers have removed them from the trucks. They are great to have, but the potential for disasters is more than likely. Like lots of great things we used to have, the Jethro brigade has caused lots of them to disappear.

 

Lots of container haulers use it to save on the tractor brakes. Not that I'd recommend it though.