Truck Shop
Well-known member
Every winter about this time the outside customers start showing up with brake problems, mainly trailer brakes. The usual complaint is
brakes are touchy and come on sudden. And these are usually trailers that are only used maybe once a week or so. Since the DOT in
most every state drenches the roads with deicer it has caused alot of problems.
The biggest thing I find is the pins on slack adjuster where there attached to the yoke are froze-up, and that really screws with the
adjuster link and paw in automatic slacks. The pins are rusted to the slack and yoke. If trailers are used constantly there doesn't seem
to be a problem. So I tell customers when parking a trailer for short or long periods to spray the auto slacks with PB Blaster or something
like it. So far this year less problems have come to the shop. The tire shops like it though, they can sell more tires because of flat spots.
And keeping the S-cams greased, amazing how much water collects in those bushings and slacks.
The other problem air systems not being serviced and air tanks holding water. I service the air dryers twice a year, changing out the
spin on cartridges. I hate airline antifreeze-alcohol is hard on air valves, dries them out. I've had to change out four speeder valves
this last month that were not that old because of it, IMO.
Truck Shop
brakes are touchy and come on sudden. And these are usually trailers that are only used maybe once a week or so. Since the DOT in
most every state drenches the roads with deicer it has caused alot of problems.
The biggest thing I find is the pins on slack adjuster where there attached to the yoke are froze-up, and that really screws with the
adjuster link and paw in automatic slacks. The pins are rusted to the slack and yoke. If trailers are used constantly there doesn't seem
to be a problem. So I tell customers when parking a trailer for short or long periods to spray the auto slacks with PB Blaster or something
like it. So far this year less problems have come to the shop. The tire shops like it though, they can sell more tires because of flat spots.
And keeping the S-cams greased, amazing how much water collects in those bushings and slacks.
The other problem air systems not being serviced and air tanks holding water. I service the air dryers twice a year, changing out the
spin on cartridges. I hate airline antifreeze-alcohol is hard on air valves, dries them out. I've had to change out four speeder valves
this last month that were not that old because of it, IMO.
Truck Shop