Winter weather and Brakes..

OK, Winter is here (I'm in Colorado today) and there are lots of things that can bite you on your ### this time of year...I'm going to address one of them here because I had to help a guy deal with it this morning.


When you have been running in wet weather,rain,slush and wet snow for instance and then you stop for the night one of the things that can and will happen is that your brake shoes can freeze to your drums and if that happens, you're not going anywhere till they are un-frozen & released!

The guy next to me this morning had this problem...Here's a couple of things you don't want to do!

Don't put it in gear and start yanking on it like a madman thinking you can power out of it! (You can and probably will break a driveline!)

Don't drive off (if you're empty) and think it'll loosen up in a minute! (You will wind up with a square tire)

Don't sit there and pound on the steering wheel and scream M/F at the windshield!

Try one or two of these possible solutions first...

If it's not too cold out (yes there are variations of cold) take a fairly large hammer (I used a 4 pound sledge this morning) and with the trailer brake valve in the released position (make shure your tractor brakes are set) hit the drums on each brake with a good deal of force till they release!

If it's REALLY COLD and they don't want to release then you'll have to apply some heat to the process. (I carry a propane torch in the winter time) Find someone to help if possible and have them hold the torch while you do the pounding and you'll get them to release. (Sometimes it takes a few minutes per wheel so be patient)

To prevent this from happening in the first place DON'T SET YOUR TRAILER BRAKES!

Sometimes you can release a frozen tractor brake by applying a little power to it but don't over do it because you will more than likely break something and that's always a bad thing...

I carry a set of wheel chocks and when it's real cold and I'm on LEVEL GROUND I chock the wheels and don't set the brakes at all but unless you really know your situation don't try it....I only use this method as a last resort when I know its safe to do so.

I don't know if this helps anyone but it shure would have helped the poor guy next to me this morning that was mercilessly yanking, bouncing up and down and cussing at his truck until I went over and helped him solve the problem.

 

No, It was a scrawny little guy in a Wylie truck and I figured that if I didn't intervene, he was gonna break something for shure! I've never been one to let a guy tear something up when I can help him figure out how to get it going...

Besides, My wife was sitting here with me and probably would've messed up the whole goochy goo thing anyway!

 

You're very lucky, Hopefully you'll keep and cherish those "old school" ways that you were taught...

They are disappearing fast in this world of no drivin' steering wheel holders that are taught to drive by "six month wonders" that don't have the first clue about what they're doing!