We are getting ready to hit the road for the travel season and doing checks on all systems.
I was under the Clipper greasing/inspecting and checking the automatic slacks to ensure pushrod travel was within specs.
I refreshed the paint lines on the pushrods that I use for reference when checking with a flashlight while on the road and doing pretrip inspections.
One question that onlookers ask me when they see me doing this is:
"Why do you bother checking pushrod travel if they are automatice slacks?"
My answer is always that it is nice to know exactly what is going on with all the systems on the MH and that helps build confidence that you are going to have a great day, rather than a possible preventable incident.
The airbrakes when applied with the park valve will show you how much travel by looking at the paint lines on the pushrod.
What happens if one is near or beyond the 2" maximum allowed for safety and mandated by the MOT?
Well this video will enlighten you to what you can do to get back on the road and drive to the nearest service center.
Automatic slacks are that and if they need manual adjustment then they must be replaced ASAP. Manually adjusting them will only last the day and will need to be done again each day until the brake slack adjuster is replaced.
YouTube - Adjusting air brake system slack adjusters
This video was just one I came across on utube. I have no connection to it.
Dave
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