| Author | Message | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 993 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.113.23 Rating: |
For those of you who haven't seen this thread yet, you might want to take a look. It's over on the MAK BBS, but it's well worth ALL busnut's reading. Here's the link: http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=1489.0 Enjoy! | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 58 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 69.82.158.243 Rating: N/A |
Hilarious!! What isn't mentioned at all, is the fact that once the parking (emergency) brake is dispatched, only a full application of the service brake will disengage it... in the same manner as if the parking brake was applied in a parking spot. A little cumbersome in traffic, ehh? Test the parking brake as Jack Conrad suggested, prior to travel. Leave these foolish roadway experiments to those that can afford to lose. (my opinion) | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 170 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 63.97.117.41 Rating: N/A |
John, Not so on spring brakes-all it takes is pushing in the button. | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 994 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.113.23 Rating: N/A |
John MC9 - Hilarious? Please elaborate. You're correct about releasing if it's a DD3 brake, Gus is correct if it's a spring brake. Can afford to lose what? | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 60 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 70.202.136.232 Rating: N/A |
What over-the-road coaches have spring brakes? (I never drove one with spring brakes) | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Registered Member Username: Pvcces Post Number: 979 Registered: 5-2001 Posted From: 65.74.70.16 Rating: N/A |
Russ, you just named another good reason for spring brakes; I've made good use of that manual release a few times. Which system would you prefer if you lost your air? Thanks. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher Ketchikan, Alaska | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 175 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 63.97.117.26 Rating: N/A |
John, I guess you haven't driven them all!! | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 865 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 64.231.202.113 Rating: N/A |
Great question Tom! Leads into another line of thought: How do you lose air pressure while driving? and, related: What will it look/feel like? and How will I know? As to which parking brake system would I choose, if I was free to make the choice? I would choose spring brakes, but in saying that, a properly working DD3 system is a good alternative. Only because if you somehow manage to flip the right piece of road debris up under there and cut enough lines, well, best to be on good terms with your Maker, because you'll be seeing Him shortly. Chances of that? Well pretty slim, but never say never! My faith in the DD3, other than that? Knowing what I know about brakes, I run my family around with DD3 under us, and have no plans to do the extensive retrofit neccessary to try and fit them into an MC8. FWIW. happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Registered Member Username: Pvcces Post Number: 980 Registered: 5-2001 Posted From: 65.74.70.16 Rating: N/A |
Hi, Buswarrior. The answer to your questions depends on your level of attention, I guess. How do you lose air pressure while driving? You lose a compressor or develop an air leak. If it's bad enough, you might hear it. If I ran over something like a gator, I might pay extra attention to the gauges for a while. What will it look/feel like? The pressure gauge would fall when air was lost, but nothing else much would happen until the pressure dropped to around 65 psi. Then, the buzzer and tall tale light would come on. By then, if I hadn't already noticed the gauge dropping, I would start figuring out how to get out of any traffic and get stopped safely. If the pressure fell to around 45 psi, the dynamite knob would pop, and I would notice the coach trying to stop pretty quickly. If I still needed to travel some to get out of traffic, I would probably hold the knob in to prevent the loss of air from the parking brake system when it tried to pop. Depending on how quick the loss of air was, that might let me get the coach completely clear of traffic before it came to a stop. If we already had DD3s, we probably would not retrofit either, but all we had was the johnson bar and the ICC valve. I didn't think that was sufficient, because I was sure that I could improve on that. Thanks for your answer! Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher Ketchikan, Alaska | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 871 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 67.68.35.35 Rating: N/A |
Good fellow, Tom! Good responces, all. One of the biggest causes of air system failure (short of the neglect of old age) is road debris being kicked up by the tires and cutting an air line. Air pressure drop under these conditions is a steady drop in pressure, which cannot be simulated by brake pedal applications, it can, however, be simulated by opening drain valves. You might be surprised by how your coach (not Tom, everyone!) might react to a steady drop in pressure instead of the sharp bursts that brake applications make. Your low air alarm may not signal until a bit lower than you expect!!!! Please remember that you may either adjust or retrofit low air alarms that are set higher than what your bus comes with! When does your bus operate below 80, 90, or 100 pounds? How early do you want to know that something is wrong? I might suggest the settings of the stock low air alarms are too low for smart folks like us. We own it, and we want to know early. We aren't unionized drivers looking for any excuse to take the coach out of service..... Might I be so bold to suggest that a low air warning when dropping through 90 pounds is a good thing? As for handbrakes and ICC related stuff of days gone bye, I agree, the earlier coaches with driveshaft or other less than adequate parking mechanisms definately benefit from an upgrade to spring brake chambers, and i would encourage that type of upgrade, fer shure! Let's keep on learning, knowledge is safety! happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| christopher l cole sr. (Muziklvr)
Registered Member Username: Muziklvr Post Number: 20 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 68.119.228.79 Rating: N/A |
i am getting ready to take delivery of a 1954 4104,what kind of brake does this bus have?how can i tell if it has factory,or if it has been upgraded?still a 'newbie',so i don't know | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Registered Member Username: Pvcces Post Number: 981 Registered: 5-2001 Posted From: 65.74.70.16 Rating: N/A |
If it has one hose to each rear pot and has a hand brake, that's what I would expect for a stock setup. It would take a good examination to be sure that it was ALL stock. For what it's worth. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher Ketchikan, Alaska |
