| Author | Message | ||
| Johnny (67.242.221.246) Rating: N/A |
I emptied a couple good-sized CO2 extinguishers today. I was driving a wrecker (361 gasser-powered 72 F-800 rollback), & saw a 10-wheel flatbed (loaded with lumber) stopped at the bottom of a hill (about a 2 mile 5-6% grade), with the RF tire...smoking?! Uh-oh, this guy could probably use some help! I pulled the F-800 over (since this was a 5-6% grade, I was only running ~40MPH in 4th gear, so stopping was no problem), hit the beacons, set the brake, jumped out, & grabbed one of the fire extinguishers off the headache rack. I'm not sure exactly how big (lbs) that extinguisher was, but it was about a foot in diameter, a good 3+' tall (excluding the handle & valve), & I emptied the whole thing onto what proved to be a brake fire. When that was empty, the drum was still smoking...so I grabbed the OTHER extinguisher off the right side of the rack, & ended up emptying THAT one, too. By this point, the fire was apparently out & the smoke had stopped...which was a good thing, since I was out of extinguishers. The guy thanked me profusely, and said he'd tried to put it out himself, but the extinguisher ran out too fast. He then showed me what he'd used...one of those dinky 5lb (if that!) dispopsable dry-chemical things! About now, I asked what had happened--he said he was just driving along, smelled something burning, pulled over, & saw the smoke. He emptied his extinguisher, and that was about where I came in. I asked how fast he'd taken the hill, & he replied "about 70, like always" (uh-oh). I asked if he used his Jake, & he replied "what's that?" (Uh-Oh) I asked him what gear he'd used, & he said (with a puzzled look), "Well, I just left it in Drive like always." (UH-OH!) Then, I asked him if he'd adjusted the brakes lately. All I got was a blank look . (ARRRGH!) Turns out this big Stirling 10-wheeler (GVWR 48,000, huge super singles on the front) is an AUTOMATIC, with no jake! That, and I really wonder just how this guy (about 22) managed to get his CDL. I wonder what the boss will say to putting another extinguisher on the F-800? | ||
| two dogs (209.246.134.164) Rating: N/A |
don't tell these guys..they think an automatic is cool...and going down a mountain with the cars is funny | ||
| Johnny (67.242.221.246) Rating: N/A |
Mountain? Uhh, no, just a New England hill. I didn't think it was even POSSIBLE to cook brakes on that short a grade! | ||
| Luke Bonagura (Lukeatuscoach) (12.90.8.235)
Rating: N/A |
Hi Johnny: Thanks for being a good Samaritan. I am sure the young driver is thankful that at least he probably?? still has his job???? And Two Dogs, don't lose the faith!!!! There are a whole bunch of avid readers of this Board who read daily, but don't post (and some do) & will put this story in their memory bank, so they don' find themselves in a similar situation. Valuable info. in the original post for thinking people, in my opinion!!! Happy Bussin All!!!! LUKE at US COACH | ||
| Johnny (67.242.221.246) Rating: N/A |
Actually, I'm a tow truck driver. Helping disabled drivers is part of the job description. Unfortunately, so is explaining to the boss that he now has to pay to have 2 big CO2 extinguishers refilled.  Glad I did that on the Nextel! Unfortunately, the 800 is now OOS until at least Wednesday. I'll probably be in the F-550 tomorrow. | ||
| Mark R. Obtinario (Cowlitzcoach) (204.245.250.168)
Rating: N/A |
With the new materials used in brake linings it isn't hard to get brakes smokin' after just a very short period of us, if the use is hard enough. I have been sitting on freeway offramps and have smelled that distinctive odor more than once. The young driver should be thanking his lucky stars that two large CO2 extinguishers did the trick. Most of the time when you get a brake fire it takes a lot of water to cool things down enough to keep things from starting back on fire. When a brake fire expands and gets a tire going, then you really have a mess. Even with a fire truck pumping gallons on the flames it can be a real iffy situation of whether or not you will be able to save the vehicle. The moral of the story, go slow at the top of the hill so you can stop at the bottom. Mark O. | ||
| Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.120.232)
Rating: N/A |
You might check with the local fire department-- around here they will have your extigishers refilled for free if you put out a fire. --Geoff '82 RTS CA | ||
| Peter Broadribb (Madbrit) (65.37.90.225)
Rating: N/A |
Johnny, The truck driver should have offered to pay for the extinguishers, bet his insurance company would love to thank you too. If you get a smoking brake, the worse thing you can do is to stop. If possible you should keep rolling and that gets air around it and aids cooling, hopefully stopping the chance of a tire fire. Stopping can allow the heat to build up into a brake fire and ignite the tire. You gotta be kiddin', an auto without a Jake, I would have thought a modern auto in a truck would have a gear lock to help on hills and make a Jake usable. Peter. | ||
| ron rice (66.13.100.158)
Rating: N/A |
My experience with Allison auto transmission is that they will hold in the gear selected until you overpush them, then they will shift up to protect the engine. A smart driver slows at the summit and locks the transmission down and then keeps the speed slow all the way to the bottom. Greyhound has run millions of miles without jakes in their coaches as have a number of other carriers. I prefer to have a jake and will add one to my MC9 when I get the interior done and can afford the added cost, however, if you do not drive smartly nothing will save your backside. Ron | ||
| two dogs (67.30.23.2) Rating: N/A |
sounds like he has a little sense.....if it says TRUCKS 30 MPH....that's what a BUS should do....READ THE SIGNS.....they are at the summit of most bad hills | ||
| lost inthe woods (67.233.187.213)
Rating: N/A |
I spent 18 years driving big rigs from coast to coast.learned real fast about how to come down the other side SLOW.Had a couple of runaways and it aint no fun. Burned off a brand new set of trailer brakes from Tahoe to Carson City on old hwy 50.Had the drivers door open and ready to bail but with someone on my side I got it stopped. Took a couple of hours before everything was cool enough to move again Had to block the wheels and take a hammer and chisel to seperate the rear linings from the shoes. Went the rest of the way down in 1st gear. So read those signs at the top.If the sign says 30 better start off at 20 especially if youre not familiar with the road Terry Mac | ||
| Derek (24.66.241.23) Rating: N/A |
Lucky he was only at the smoking stage, I saw a Peterbilt rolling down the Coquihalla and the left steer tire was on fire, the duals were smoking worse than a bushfire, and he was still doing 120km/h. | ||
| Johnny (67.242.221.65)
Rating: N/A |
Actually, the company is paying to refill the extinguishers. And the boss is now trying to figure out how to mount 2 more to the 800. | ||
| Mark (66.43.13.84) Rating: N/A |
The owners manual on my Allison tranny says NO jake brake is allowed! | ||
| two dogs (67.30.23.6) Rating: N/A |
LEARN HOW TO READ THE ROAD SIGNS...ya' can't solve problems by throwing money at it....ya' don't need a jake,ya' need to learn how to operate heavy machinery | ||
| lost in the woods (67.233.187.132)
Rating: N/A |
Good answer two dogs Like I said if the sign says 30 start at 20 seen more than one down the other side Terry Mac |