About 1 in 10 fatal road accidents involve a heavy truck. That should be enough to make you stop and think twice about brake maintenance. Luckily, it doesn’t take much to get brake maintenance done – and you’ll want to do it regularly so you have as much control as possible on the road. Consult with heavy truck repair specialists about your maintenance needs.
Why You Should Care About Brake Maintenance
The massive weight of a truck means that it takes a lot more feet to come to a stop than a car does. Once you account for brakes with a lot of wear and tear on them, that distance increases more and more with each imperfection. Needless to say, it’s much better for the truck to come to a stop with its brakes, rather than by coming into contact with another vehicle. If you find yourself in a critical situation on the road, you want all the braking power you can get so you can stop sooner.
It’s not only that, but also the control of the brake. If the components on the right side of the truck are in better condition than those on the left side, you could enter an uncontrolled left turn as you brake. This could prove disastrous, depending on the situation. You want to do maintenance on all braking components so you know how you’re going to slow down.
Brake maintenance is one of the important types of maintenance for big trucks. It’s not just about slowing down efficiently – it’s also about control. Control of your vehicle is essential for keeping you, your cargo, and other drivers safe on the road.
Checking Brake Pads
You can take a look at some of the braking mechanisms yourself to see what you’re working with.
Check the brake pads to ensure they are still ample thickness for further use. Also make sure to look out for contaminants, which can decrease braking efficiency. You’ll need these brake pads to come to a stop in good time.
Slack Adjusters and S Cams
The slack adjusters should only have about an inch of give. These components help control how much brake is applied, so you need them to be tight to brake effectively. These get severely worn out after some years and then need replacing.
Also be sure to check that the S cam isn’t too worn out. A worn out cam bushing will keep the tires from making enough contact with the breaking mechanisms, keeping them rolling and making your stopping time longer. S cams should be replaced every so often.
Bust out the grease. Greasing the slack adjusters and S cams every few thousand miles can increase the lifespan of these components. These not only provide lubrication but keep out contaminants and water.
The air compression pressure gauge should read around 100 PSI generally, and an abnormally low reading should alarm you. Don’t drive that truck. Adequate tire pressure is essential for proper handling and braking of the truck.
If you’re wondering whether or not your vehicle needs some maintenance on the brakes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Check with a service that does trailer repair in Las Vegas today.
