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Posted 8/29/2012 12:15 (#2564635)
Subject: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

All they are is a service brake for the trailer. What's the point?

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Posted 8/29/2012 12:17 (#2564638 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: RE: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

SW KS, near Dodge City

Doubles and triples. Get to weaving, pull the johnny bar to straighten them out. Use it to check hookup also, or to help move a 5th wheel plate when hooked up. Other than that I have no clue.

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Posted 8/29/2012 12:25 (#2564645 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

sw ontario

broker brake. uys who own their own trucks and pull company trailers use the spike instead of truck brakes. That way they don't have the repair costs.

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arcticcatfarmer

Posted 8/29/2012 12:39 (#2564657 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: RE: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Tip of the Thumb of Michigan

Ice.

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Posted 8/29/2012 12:43 (#2564662 - in reply to #2564657)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Eastern North Carolina

Save your tractor brakes, wear out someone elses trailer brakes.....

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Posted 8/29/2012 13:31 (#2564712 - in reply to #2564662)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

West Tennessee

retento - 8/29/2012 11:43

Save your tractor brakes, wear out someone elses trailer brakes.....

That's what I was told. :-)

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Posted 8/29/2012 13:16 (#2564697 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: RE: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Bethany, MO

Slide tandems on trailer.

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Posted 8/29/2012 13:23 (#2564705 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

s.e.mn.

When you look out your window and see the trailer trying to pass you its time to grab your "johnson"

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Posted 8/29/2012 13:51 (#2564728 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Texas/New Mexico Stateline

Using it to "straighten out the rig" is a big no no but everybody does it I guess. Locking up the trailer brakes will only make a jackknife more probable. You need the trailer wheels turning to stay straight, locked wheels will only make it worse. It is hard to tell how much braking you are doing with the handle.

I use it to test the trailer brakes when I first hook up. Also sometimes when I am waiting at a light or stopsign, I will use it to give my leg a rest.

Doing drop and hook milk a few years back I was known to use it more, since they were never my trailers..... ;-)

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Posted 8/29/2012 14:39 (#2564793 - in reply to #2564728)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

All of the above plus allowing the truck to roll when using a frameless dump. I also use it when loading grain so that the trailer air bags will fill and let the Air Weigh read accurately.

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Posted 8/29/2012 16:08 (#2564849 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: RE: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Hudson, South Dakota

Also works for starting out going up hill, foot on the clutch. foot on the throttle. hand on the bar.

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Posted 8/29/2012 17:00 (#2564902 - in reply to #2564849)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

some of the new trucks dont come with that anymore

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Posted 8/29/2012 17:56 (#2564978 - in reply to #2564902)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Near-north Ontario, French River

To the guys that use the spike to move trailer axles , slide fifth wheel plates, or dump frameless trailers, why not just set the trailer maxi's?? FWIW I only use them to test trailer brakes when leaving yard at start of the day, and to activate brake lights while doing circle check. I've been told, but never had the honor of trying , that pulling the spike if the trailer is skiding on you ( on ice ore wet pavement) while staying OFF the tractor brakes ( ie keep your foot off the brake pedal) will straighten on the trailer. Having said that, once while plowing snow on a provincial highway I had a semi go by me, when he went to cut back in the trailer whipped and headed for the median. Trailer axles were completely in the median, truck starting to jackknife ( tractor basically at 90 degrees to the trailer). Then I saw brake lights, trailer popped right back out of the median, truck stayed straight and off he went. I doubt he lost 10mph from his start to end speed. Never seen anything like it in my life , happened 100ft in front of me, I can only assumed he pulled the spike as jumping on the pedal would have surely jackknifed the whole shebang.

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Posted 8/29/2012 19:30 (#2565102 - in reply to #2564978)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Thud - 8/29/2012 04:56

To the guys that use the spike to move trailer axles , slide fifth wheel plates, or dump frameless trailers, why not just set the trailer maxi's?? FWIW I only use them to test trailer brakes when leaving yard at start of the day, and to activate brake lights while doing circle check. I've been told, but never had the honor of trying , that pulling the spike if the trailer is skiding on you ( on ice ore wet pavement) while staying OFF the tractor brakes ( ie keep your foot off the brake pedal) will straighten on the trailer. Having said that, once while plowing snow on a provincial highway I had a semi go by me, when he went to cut back in the trailer whipped and headed for the median. Trailer axles were completely in the median, truck starting to jackknife ( tractor basically at 90 degrees to the trailer). Then I saw brake lights, trailer popped right back out of the median, truck stayed straight and off he went. I doubt he lost 10mph from his start to end speed. Never seen anything like it in my life , happened 100ft in front of me, I can only assumed he pulled the spike as jumping on the pedal would have surely jackknifed the whole shebang.

Super trucking at it's finest. Wonder if his hands were shaking after that little ride or if it happened all the time for him?

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Posted 8/29/2012 19:54 (#2565146 - in reply to #2565102)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Near-north Ontario, French River

Oh I'm sure his hands were shaking, probably wet himself to but still I thought it was a pretty good piece of driving. He didn't lose hardly any speed through the whole thing but he wasn't flying to begin with. I was salting the road, and we are limited to 50km/h ( 30 mph) , when he passed me he was MAYBE doing 55kph. Was very windy that night, icy roads, when he went to change lanes the trailer caught the slush along the inside of the road ( median edge) and it sucked the trailer in, toss in a good stiff wind and not hard to see how it happened. The way the trailer acted I assume it was empty. slid over WAY to easy to be a loaded trailer.

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Posted 8/29/2012 19:24 (#2565093 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Morris, IL

I use it for checking brakes on trailer and checking if fifth wheel got locked. Also sliding fifth wheel and sliding trailer axles sometimes it's nice to not dump everything.

At work they have roller decks which basically if you have something that goes strait to a jobsite (lumber and trusses mostly) you can roll everything off just like a flatbed with hoist can. With roller decks you need air supply to keep trailer functions working (what ever the extendable frame part is called out from 42' to 62' i believe, roller locks and unlocks, load brake, slide the trailer axles, and some need air to lift and lower rear bumper) Since most of those functions fail locked without air, sometimes you have to have trailer supply at same time as moving truck hence the trailer brake.

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Posted 8/29/2012 22:58 (#2565609 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

So. IL

Loading grain.

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Posted 8/29/2012 23:09 (#2565638 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

East Central SD

I use it to check if the roads are getting slippery. Pull the handle a little and if it don't pull down its tme to slow down.
Also always ready to use it when turning icy or snowpacked corners when the drivers cross over the sharp crown on some of our narrow township roads the trailer can shove you in the ditch.

Edited by Straitpipe 8/29/2012 23:18

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Posted 8/30/2012 01:18 (#2565822 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

NE Indiana

It is a option. You have to order it. A lot of company trucks don't have it.

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Posted 8/30/2012 16:23 (#2566620 - in reply to #2565822)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Cleveland, MS. Own small farm near Booneville, MS

Polar Bear - 8/30/2012 00:18

It is a option. You have to order it. A lot of company trucks don't have it.

That is probably because most of these young kids who are now the company drivers were "trained" in "truck driver training schools" and probably think that lever is for the right turn signal.

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Posted 8/30/2012 19:18 (#2566803 - in reply to #2564635)
Subject: Re: Truckers: what do you use Johnny Bar for?

Central Nebraska

I used the Johnny bar today to move the air slide fifth wheel.

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