Community Forums

CamJam1 · 09-06-2020, 09:56 AM

Is the hydraulic drum parking brake on a W22 effective in stopping the coach in the event of a total brake system failure? i'm heading to Colorado next week so guess why I'm asking?

Bleeding the brakes with DOT4 before leaving.

Oemtech · 09-06-2020, 09:59 AM

No...

CJ7365 · 09-06-2020, 10:02 AM

Here is a thread I started in 2016 about using the e brake in an emergency.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/has...cy-290714.html

Oemtech · 09-06-2020, 10:04 AM

On a Pusher by not on Gaser. Anyway I would not bet the farm on it.

twinboat · 09-06-2020, 10:31 AM

A good, properly adjusted, parking brake should stop you in an emergency.

Although its small, it has a 4 or 5 to 1 advantage thru the differencal gears.

edgray · 09-06-2020, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamJam1

Is the hydraulic drum parking brake on a W22 effective in stopping the coach in the event of a total brake system failure? i'm heading to Colorado next week so guess why I'm asking?

Bleeding the brakes with DOT4 before leaving.

The DS mounted PB on the W-22 series chassis is NOT hydraulic, but rather it is foot applied. It certainly MIGHT help you slow down, but is not intended for that use and will quickly become worn down to the point of being useless. All that said, yes I would use it in an emergency, but only after jerking the tranny shift lever to progressively lower gears.
Assuming you have supplemental braking on your toad, I would also try applying the cars brakes before burning up the PB on the DS.

Skip426 · 09-06-2020, 11:00 AM

Setting a realistic control speed at the summit and gearing down the transmission to increase the engine hold back , to help keep the brakes cool on the downhill will keep you out of trouble.

Monitor your slowest uphill speed for the entire climb , that's your control speed at the summit .
Don't ride the brakes , coast allowing the engine/transmission to hold back your speed ; until you get about 8/10 MPH above your control speed , then use the brakes to quickly get 5 MPH below the control speed and start coasting again allowing the brakes to cool.
Remember getting to your destination is WAY more important than , getting there quickly.

MoCoTom · 09-06-2020, 05:55 PM

I have been on extreme grades in the western mountains without problems as I suspect many others on this forum have. Starting with too much speed at the top and then halfway down burning the brakes up and hoping the E-brake will bail you out is not a good plan. Flushing the brake fluid before you leave on the trip is an excellent idea. Three years ago I switched to DOT 5.1 fluid when I flushed my brakes due to it's higher boiling point (270 degrees) and compatibility with all systems that use glycol based fluid. DOT 5.1 is now the standard fluid used in all hydraulic brake systems of class 4 and above vehicles.
Tom

CamJam1 · 09-06-2020, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgray

The DS mounted PB on the W-22 series chassis is NOT hydraulic, but rather it is foot applied. It certainly MIGHT help you slow down, but is not intended for that use and will quickly become worn down to the point of being useless. All that said, yes I would use it in an emergency, but only after jerking the tranny shift lever to progressively lower gears.
Assuming you have supplemental braking on your toad, I would also try applying the cars brakes before burning up the PB on the DS.

I have a Brake Buddy Classic on the toad. Since it's inertia activated, no brakes on the coach means no brakes on the toad too.

Also, this is a gas coach, so no jake brake.

Jumping clear of the wreck isn't even an option as there is no driver's door, lol.

I just replaced the DOT 3 brake fluid with DOT 4, but not having a backup braking system in something with a GCW nearing 24k lbs does not seem ideal.

edgray · 09-06-2020, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamJam1

I have a Brake Buddy Classic on the toad. Since it's inertia activated, no brakes on the coach means no brakes on the toad too.

Also, this is a gas coach, so no jake brake.........

.

True, not a Jake, but the engine braking via Tranny DS is the next best thing, and “should” provide enough deceleration to activate your Brake Buddy. If not, then perhaps you should consider updating the toad supplemental brake system.

CamJam1 · 09-06-2020, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgray

True, not a Jake, but the engine braking via Tranny DS is the next best thing, and “should” provide enough deceleration to activate your Brake Buddy. If not, then perhaps you should consider updating the toad supplemental brake system.

Good point. Maybe I'll experiment with that on a lonely stretch or road sometime. I'm not really too wound up about this, but it's one of those things you think about as you're going down a 7% grade with no runaway truck ramps. I try to keep my brakes bled, treat them well as I'm descending and measure hub temps when I stop for gas. Most brake problems don't happen suddenly from something like a complete master cylinder failure, but have some indirect cause like neglecting to bleed brakes or a stuck caliper that should have been caught earlier if the driver had been paying attention.