Your air brakes (also commonly referred to as your service brakes) are one of the most critical safety components on your truck. Your truck's air brakes are necessary to bring your vehicle to a safe stop, but they require periodic maintenance to keep them in good working order. Although modern air brakes are incredibly reliable, they are not immune to failure. Your truck's air braking system has enough fail-safes that a mechanical failure will rarely cause an immediate inability to stop the truck, but regular servicing is still essential to both check for hidden problems and maintain your stopping power.
Understanding Your Truck's Brakes
Nearly all modern American trucks use air-actuated drum brakes. This system is standard for three primary reasons:
- Hydraulically actuated systems are challenging to implement on diesel engines since no vacuum power is available
- Air brakes will fail with the brakes applied rather than released
- Drum braking systems are often cheaper than air-actuated disc brakes
This second point is particularly important to understand when it comes to the safety of your rig. In a typical passenger vehicle, applying the brake pedal actuates a lever that increases hydraulic pressure and compresses your brake pads against your brake rotor. In a truck, brake springs keep the drums in the "on" position by default. Air pressure keeps the brakes "off" as you drive, and pressing on your brake pedal releases air pressure and allows the springs to return to their resting position.
Which Parts Require Service?
As with any vehicle, your truck's drum brakes will require regular servicing to function correctly. While drum brakes tend to last much longer than disc brakes, the drum brakes found on older passenger cars do not have to contend with stopping a 40-ton truck. The lifetime of a drum brake will vary considerably, however, depending on your driving habits and the weight of the loads that you typically haul. For many trucks, drum brakes can last several hundred thousand miles, but unusually heavy usage can result in a significantly shorter life span.
In addition to the drums themselves, the slack adjusters will require regular servicing. As drum brakes wear down, your truck will become physically more difficult to stop. This impact on braking ability can occur long before your brakes have worn out, which is where your slack adjusters come into play. Slack adjusters compensate for wear, allowing you to quickly stop your truck even if your brakes are not brand new. You only need to adjust your slack adjusters by hand if your vehicle uses manual adjusters, but both manual and automatic slack adjusters require regular greasing.
Creating a Service Schedule
Since the amount of wear placed on your braking system depends so heavily on your usage habits, it is impossible to develop a routine plan for replacing parts. Instead, it is crucial to have your truck's braking system regularly inspected by a mechanic who specializes in heavy-duty equipment. Likewise, your daily pre-trip inspection should always include a check of your braking system. Any problems with your braking system should always be addressed immediately, even if they do not present an immediate danger. Regularly servicing and repairing your brakes is the most important thing you can do for your safety and the safety of those around you.
For more information, contact a business such as A & B Truck Recycling.
After struggling for years with a terrible car, I knew that it wasn't going to last another season. It was beat up, worn out, and completely unreliable. Instead of giving up on the car, I decided to talk with a friend of mine who was really great with vehicles. We worked together to take care of things, and we even found some great prices on auto parts to take care of business. When we were finished, the car ran like new, and I was really impressed with the results. If you like learning more about cars, read this blog to learn about everything from auto parts to routine repairs.