|
|
ks | 1st, let me say that I don't know a lot about air brakes. With that being said, I bought a 1980 Hobbs flatbed trailer that is in very good shape, including the brakes. It made the 350 mile delivery with no problems. The guy dropped it off about a month ago, and now I'm wanting to use it. I hooked it up to the truck and I can't get nothing to move on the brakes. I've switched the glad hands ( I think you call them that) back and forth. I've opened both bleeder valves on the tanks on the trailer and nothing but air. I've tried to back up and drive forward to release them and nothing. I can't hear any air leaks on either the truck or trailer.
Thanks for any advise you can give me.
p.s. its 42 degrees out today, but it was below freezing last night.
Edited by tfr454 1/26/2011 17:31
|
|
| |
|
franksville wi | some times when trailers sit the drums get rusty. BLOCK THE TIRES and release the brakes go back and on the slack adjusters (piece that the brake chamber rod attaches to ) you should see a hex head put 9/16" wrench on and hit the wrench inwards to release the lock that covers half the depth of the hex head and loosen the hex bolt to release the brake away from the drum may need to hit drum with hammer to help release. |
|
| |
|
LeRoy IL | Drums are most likely rusted. take a hammer and give top and bottom shoe a wack on the metal part. You will need to have the brakes on the tailer released and the brakes on the tractor applied so you dont get run over. Also make sure air is full like 100+ psi. Sometimes the valve on the trailer won't open when it has set for a while. |
|
| |
|
mid minnesota | My wilson grain trailer did that this fall out of the blue. It was a connection box at the back of the trailer that let air go to the brackes. Nice to have a relitive thats a deisel tech. Sucked when it happened at the elevator during harvest, dragged the trailer to the side and backed off the brakes. Good luck |
|
| |
|
Liberty, MO | Red glad hand on drivers side. |
|
| |
|
Southern MN | That happend to us once too on a grain trailer. Turns out my dad had bumped the lever on the right hand side of the steering wheel that is the "emergency brake" for the trailer. We flipped the lever back and away we went. |
|
| |
|
West central ND | If you the trailer is unhooked for a while without plugging the lines bugs crawl into the line and plug the parking valve in the rear. A new valve cost about $100 +. You need to have glad hand pacifiers to plug the lines when not in use. |
|
| |
|
NC ND | On some of those old construction use trailers they had a different type of system. When sitting parked there is no parking brake, when you hook up the brakes apply, they will not release until the system builds up completely with air, on the old gravel trailer I have sometimes it takes 10 minutes. Otherwise valves screw up pretty regular, especially when sitting. |
|
| |
|
Near-north Ontario, French River | First off, when you push in the red button on the dash, can you see the slack adjusters backing off on the trailer? If they don't release you may have a bad trailer protection valve on the truck. Unplug the red glad hand from the trailer, with the red button on the dash in, do you have air coming out the red line?( you should have) If you have air getting the the trailer, are all the valves on the air tanks CLOSED? . If they are closed, try shutting the truck off and pushing in the red dash button, if you have a blow maxi-can ( the parking brake side of the trailer brake system) you should hear air blowing out, a badly blown maxi will be difficult to hear if the truck is running. Ok now you have those possibilities eliminated, when your trucks air system ( again with red button IN ) reaches 90psi or so, the trailer brakes should release. Do you see the slack adjusters moving at the brake chambers? If they don't move you have a plugged/defective valve at the trailer, either on the service side( the side that operates when you hit brake pedal ) of the air circuit or on the spring side (the emergency side ) Another possibility if the slacks don't retract is a faulty foot valve, or the trailer spike ( the lever on the right side of the steering column) is engaged. . If you see the slack adjusters retract, but the brakes don't release then its more likely a case of the shoes being stuck to the drums. Give the drums a whack with a small hammer and they should just pop loose. Lots of possibilities but should be very simple to figure out, just work you way down the line eliminating possibilities. |
|
| |
|
ks | Well, I got my neighbor to come over. We finally got them to release bye not doing anything different. But then they stuck again. I think I'm going to start with new rubbers on the trailer glad hands. And, yes the glad hands on the trailer have been sitting open for the last month. I think tomorrow, its suppose to get to 58degrees, so maybe that will help. And when they were unstuck, we moved the trailer so it will be in the sunshine.
Do people add alcohol in the glad hands to help with air line freezing?
Thanks again for all the info! |
|
| |
|
Ontario,Canada | yes, dump some brake line antifreeze in there. |
|
| |
|
Liberty, MO | I prefer the neopreme gladhand seals, the red and blue ones and a couple of spares in the parts rack would be very handy to have around . |
|
| |
|
Liberty, MO | I prefer the neopreme gladhand seals, the red and blue ones and a couple of spares in the parts rack would be very handy to have around . |
|
| |
|
Near-north Ontario, French River | You say you got them released and then they stuck again? Were you able to cycle the brakes a few times before they stuck again or was is a one time deal?. Generally if they are froze up and you get them to release they will work fine until parked again, generally. Tommy could give you the proper name for the valve but it almost sounds like a quick relay valve is sticking, if you follow the lines on the trailer, there its most likely the the valve that both the blue and red lines feed into. The service line ( blue) is was sends the 'signal' to the valve that allows it to take air from the supply line ( red) to activate the brakes. If that valve is stuck, it may not be allowing the brakes to release. |
|
| |
|
ks | They released enough the 1st time, that the tires actually turned. I don't how well they released, I was just trying to get the truck in a better spot. And it was getting pretty dark bye this time. The glad hands seals are pretty old and rough, and one of them has a pretty bad spot on it. Its the blue side thats bad. I was thinking to start there and then maybe the relays valves or whatever there names are. Thanks!!!
Edited by tfr454 1/26/2011 21:03
|
|
| |
|
NW Ohio,near Findlay | I think you have inside troubles, like pins that hold pads, or rollers frose up. If possible remove backer plate and look at pads. Maybe can use some rust stuff to loosen and get going now. |
|
| |
|
| Make sure you got 120 psi with the air valves pushed in + the tanks on the trailer at 120psi also. Crawl under the axle and smack the metal on the shoes with and big blacksmith hammer! When I do a break job I replace the slack adjusters, they get full of dust & don't operate properly. They are twenty bucks apiece! |
|
| |
|
Saskatchewan, Canada | try greasing all the brake moving parts, like the slack ajusters and such. the have a habit of sticking and not allowing the cam to rotate enough. |
|
| |
Air brakes on trailer won't release, need help.
