Did you know it usually takes the length of two football fields for a semi-truck traveling at 65 mph to stop moving when brakes are operating normally? Because big rigs have longer stopping distances, it’s important to understand the different types of brakes, how they function, and how to maintain them so you can drive and stop safely. Commercial vehicles have air brake systems that are equipped with drum or disc brakes (or both) — the information below can help you understand each type.
Drum brakes and disk brakes function similarly (turning kinetic energy into heat), but the way heat builds up when friction occurs is the primary difference. Learn how each type functions and their advantages and disadvantages.
How they function
Drum brakes are composed of the brake chamber, push rod, slack adjuster, S-cam (camshaft), rollers, shoes, lining, drum and return spring. When the brake pedal is pressed, pressurized air (stored in air reservoirs) travels to the brake chamber. This forces the push rod to actuate the slack adjuster, which rotates the S-cam. The rotation of the camshaft allows the rollers to spread the shoes apart and force the lining against the drum. As the lining rubs against the drum, kinetic energy (wheel movement) is converted into thermal energy (heat). The created friction causes the wheel to stop moving. Once the pedal is released, the return springs pull the shoes away from the drum back into resting position and allow the drum to resume rotating along with the wheel.
Advantages
The benefits of drum brakes include:
Disadvantages
While drum brakes have many benefits, they do have one downside — overheating may cause increased stopping time, which is called brake fade. This happens because the components are housed within the metal drum with limited air circulation. When heat builds up, it causes the drum to expand and creates more pushrod travel, which can impact stopping ability.
How they function
The primary components of disc brakes include the brake chamber, eccentric lever, power screw, brake pads and rotor. When the wheel is in motion, the rotor spins with it. As the pedal is pushed, compressed air travels to the brake chamber where the eccentric lever activates the braking force. The power screw then clamps the brake pads down on both sides of the rotor, causing friction to build up and stop the vehicle.
Advantages
The benefits of disc brakes include:
Disadvantages
While disc brakes do have faster stopping capabilities, they’re more expensive than drum brakes. Even though performance is a priority for many carriers and drivers, the added cost can lead many to choose vehicles equipped with drum brakes instead.
To help offset costs and provide the benefits fleets are seeking, many manufacturers have found it ideal to use both brake types — discs on the front wheels and drums on the rear wheels. Manufacturing a vehicle like this is considered ideal because it provides the necessary stopping force in the front, but helps reduce costs in the back.
Whether your vehicle has drum brakes, disc brakes or both, it’s important to maintain them on a regular basis. Ignoring brake issues (big or small) can lead to breakdowns and accidents — which may mean extended periods of downtime and loss of revenue. Make sure your brakes remain in good condition by:
Need help keeping your brakes working efficiently? FleetNet America offers a preventive maintenance (PM) program so that you can stay ahead on brake maintenance and reduce the likelihood of mechanical issues. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can care for your brakes with PM, call 877-559-9640.
If you have any questions about heavy-duty vehicle brakes, leave a comment below — we’re happy to help.
This means that brake repairs for heavy-duty vehicles are more complicated and require the expertise of professional mechanics with specialized equipment. Taking an auto class will teach you how brake systems work but it won't compare to the benefit of working with experienced brake technicians who are familiar with common heavy-duty brake repair problems, which tend to be much more expensive than smaller brake repairs. At Iron Creek Truck & Trailer in Daysland, Alberta, we know your brake system inside and out. For all of your brake repair service needs, pick up the phone and call our team today. Here are eight reasons why you should bring your heavy-duty truck in for professional brake repair services.
One brake repair might not seem like a significant expense but when the brake system fails completely you'll have to replace all of your brake pads, brake shoes, brake drums or rotors, brake lines, and calipers in addition to the brake service costs. Brake repairs are always more expensive when they're performed by amateurs who don't know what they're doing. Professional heavy-duty brake repair services can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in additional expenses by catching potential problems before they get worse and having all necessary replacement parts on hand for optimal efficiency.
If your brake system is failing it's understandably stressful, but one thing that shouldn't stress you out is the brake service itself. At Iron Creek Truck & Trailer in Daysland, Alberta, we know how important it is for you to get back on the road quickly and safely so brake repairs are always efficient and convenient when they're performed by our team. In addition to proficiency in all aspects of truck repair, we have constantly strived to stay conversant with technology as it advances. We invest heavily to keep ahead of the constantly changing and ever more complicated electronics of today's trucks.
For brake services that require brake line replacement or brake caliper removal, brake technicians will bring in specialized tools that allow them to save your brake lines from unnecessary damage during the process of replacing them. This means that your brake system can be repaired without causing additional damage to your vehicle's exterior or interior.
Heavy-duty truck parts are designed with increased durability in mind but this means that they need special brake services as well. With brake disc and drum brake repairs, the brake technician will remove brake parts that are worn down to their metal backing plates before replacing them with new brake parts that will help your truck stop more efficiently and safely than before. This type of brake work can double or triple the life of your brake pads and shoes depending on how worn they were and what types of heavy-duty brake repair services you need.
In addition to brake service efficiency and brake part durability, brake technicians will make sure that your brake system is completely up to safety standards by inspecting brake lines for leaks or damage, examining brake pads/shoes for wear, checking brake rotors for warping, replacing brake fluid as needed, inspecting master cylinder performance, testing your brake warning light functions properly. If there are any problems with your brake system they'll be able to find them before anything goes wrong on the road. If you run a fleet of heavy-duty trucks, keeping up with your brake repair services and maintenance can ensure the safety of your operators.
If you've ever pulled over because one of your brakes went out unexpectedly you know how stressful it can be to deal with a potential accident scene on a crowded highway or local street. The situation can often escalate quickly if other drivers also have brake failures, which is why brake service efficiency, brake part durability, and brake system inspection are vital for fleet owners. If your brake technicians can catch potential brake problems before they escalate into a roadside emergency you'll be saving yourself time and money.
A vehicle's braking system is powered by the brake hydraulic pressure that is transmitted to the brake shoes or pads via fluid from the master cylinder. When brake fluid leaks out, it has to be replaced which adds extra wear on your brakes components due to increased usage of brake fluid in order to stop your truck with higher hydraulic pressures than what's available with lower levels of brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir. In addition, when your brake pedals become mushy after several years of brake fluid leak or brake system damage, brake technicians will replace brake master cylinders to restore brake pedal responsiveness and reduce brake pedal replacement costs down the road.
If your drivers aren't experiencing any brake problems then you won't be seeing brake repair claims on their vehicle performance reports. It's as simple as that: if you take care of your brakes and keep them performing efficiently and safely with heavy-duty brake repairs from your local company, your parking lot is going to be a much safer place for your customers, delivery personnel, and employees which means fewer potential legal issues for you as well as lower risk of damage to other vehicles on the road.
When your drivers are driving safe vehicles with well-maintained braking systems, everything else seems to fall into place much easier because customers are less likely to complain about damage claims or accidents involving other vehicles on the road. In addition, brake technicians will ensure that brake warning lights function properly during brake service appointments which reduces the risk of brake failure-related legal issues like brake malfunction accident claims.
As you can see, there are plenty of benefits included with professional heavy-duty brake repair services. To learn more about how Iron Creek Truck & Trailer in Daysland, Alberta, can handle your brake repairs and maintenance, we encourage you to pick up the phone and give us a call today.
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