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All trucks, truck tractors and buses must be equipped with emergency brakes and parking brakes. They must be held on by mechanical force (because air pressure can eventually leak away). Spring brakes are usually used to meet these needs.
When driving, powerful springs are held back by air pressure. If the air pressure is removed, the springs put on the brakes. A parking brake control in the cab allows the driver to let the air out of the spring brakes. This allows the springs to apply the brakes. A leak in the air brake system, which causes all the air to be lost, will apply the spring brakes.
Tractor and straight truck spring brakes will come fully on when air pressure drops to a range of 20 to 45 psi. Do not wait for the brakes to come on automatically. When the low air pressure warning light and buzzer first come on, bring the vehicle to a safe stop right away while you can still control the brakes.
The braking power of spring brakes depends on the brakes being in adjustment. If the brakes are not adjusted properly, neither the regular brakes nor the emergency/parking brakes will work right.
Why is spring force used instead of air for emergency and parking brakes?
All trucks, truck tractors and buses must be equipped with emergency brakes and parking brakes. Mechanical force must hold them on because air pressure can eventually leak away. Spring brakes are usually used to meet these needs.
The braking power of spring brakes depends on the brakes being in adjustment. If the brakes are not adjusted properly:
When you want to apply the parking brakes, what does the parking brake control in the cab actually do?
Tractor and straight truck spring brakes will come fully on when air pressure drops to a range of:
Which of the following is true about air brakes?
If there is a leak in the air brake system and it loses all of its air, what happens?
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