Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!
pulling the manual shut off in center dash will kill it dead in the water as it closes the fuel feed completely.My first impression was to kill the engine, but a diesel can keep going if it can pull hard enough on the fuel source and especially if it has an engine driven mechanical pump.
Aim for a row of Prius' I guess...
BDGR
That's a parking brake and not going to do much with any weight or speed other than come apart.emergency brake. tighten the knob as you pull it up.
Yep and don't think a telephone pole will if you have enough speed.Aim for the least expensive thing in front of you.
Sounds like I got lucky! I pushed mine and it slowly went to the floor so I realized I wasn't going to have any breaks. I started to slow down by downshifting and had one more push that slowed me down a little more before it was totally gone. Mine was a seal in the wheel cylinder that let go. The wheel cylinder was NOS so I replaced all with Wagner parts from the auto parts store.Since I was doing about 45Mph when I pushed on the brake pedal of my 813 and realized I had no brakes I'd say it was a pucker up moment. Even with a remote reservoir I had no "two pumps" and I know darm good and well the parking brake is just that, a parking brake, not an emergency brake.
In too many of the trucks I have seen even the parking brake isn't going to help in a full up emergency. If you have time you might be able to use it to slow you down but a panic stop you are going to hit something. If the engine and power steering are still working at least you have a choice in what you hit.
In my case I just didn't panic. It isn't like the trucks accelerate so fast we are bunched up on another bumper so you may have time to make a decision. I just began down shifting as the truck slowed until I got it slow enough to pull into a parking lot. Then I turned around and drove it home in first gear with my hand on the parking brake and went slow that I knew the brake would stop me.
The biggest thing I can say is just try not to panic. I've had stuck throttles and blew out brakes on two vehicles and I don't give a rat's azz what they say about dual brake systems, NEITHER helped in my brake failures. No brakes period when the fluid went.
They are indeed, single circuit brakes. There is a fair amount of discussion in the Deuce sub-forum about upgrading them to the Air Force dual-circuit master cylinder.Have you ever had the brakes fail on you in your M809?
Not sure but are they not single circuit brakes?
On a 5 ton you would be better off upgrading to full air brakes over some kind of dual circuit hydraulic conversion.They are indeed, single circuit brakes. There is a fair amount of discussion in the Deuce sub-forum about upgrading them to the Air Force dual-circuit master cylinder.
If they are successful, I'm hoping the procedure can be adapted to the older 5 tons. One guy just completed the upgrade but is having some sort of air leak.
In the meantime all you can really do, is do your PMCS and check on things regularly and frequently. Pay attention to the "feel" of the pedal when you drive (I realize that a sudden, total failure can occur without warning). The jump in gearing from 4-3 is big. I can make a smooth downshift from 5-4, but 4-3 is difficult to get the synchros spun up in time. Bleed off what you can by downshifting, then get outta the way.
Drive like a motorcyclist and try to always leave yourself an "out." At 52 mph maximum, you really have no business in the left lane. If you're in the right lane and lose your brakes, you can (hopefully) dive off the road. I'd eat a ditch or a utility pole before I'd plow into a car with my truck if I have a choice. Just like pilots, we need to put the safety of others before ourselves. Don't use a Prius as a crash pad.
Ok, now that all the dire warnings have been said, if you're doing your maintenance and inspections, you're probably worrying too much.
We get it, advertisements are annoying!
Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!