Spring Brake Chamber Can Kill You

The picture below is a spring brake used on Semi trucks and trailers, most guys replace them with a new one rather than repair the old.

So you may come across discards, they are dangerous, they can take your arm off or even kill you should you attempt to take one apart.

You need a special tool to disarm the heavy spring inside the rear chamber, even then I would not recommend this for a novice.

The special tool is intended to be left on to hold the spring compressed while you replace a blown diaphragm.

I use the torch to blow a hole into the rear chamber enabling me to cut the spring while the spring brake is still assembled. You will hear the spring hit the end of the chamber when cut, you need to cut this spring about four times before it is disarmed, then you can safely open it up and separate the steel from the aluminum.

Treat the spring brake the same way you would a rattle snake.

Under no circumstances remove the front or rear clamps, unless you have cut the spring with a torch no less than four times.

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/z...8451999400.jpg

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Originally Posted by Kris Kringle

For the guys that has never Done Brake work on Air Brakes I suggest not to even mess with it sell it as Shread. And Pinning one of these things is not something you want to learn from on the Net. I knew a guy that unhooked one and the pin was off center and it Hit him in the face Needless to say he isn't alive today.

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Yes these spring brakes are dangerous, they can kill or take an arm off.

From what I have read on the scrap forum most members are noobs and need to be warned of the danger.

Most people call it "caging" the brake rather than pinning... (don't take my wording as holier than tho statement, lol) and yes, I agree....the one that have aluminum housings just aren't worth the risk....

Thanks for the heads up. Going to make mental picture and not of this.

You're right i think i will treat it as a rattle snake and stay as far away from them as i can especially since im also a truckdriver.

Awesome, a new idea! In my home business as a Virtual Assistant many of my clients are Owner/OP Truckers. I do their billing, accounting, help getting permits, fuel taxes, handle their BOLS, etc, etc. I didn't even think about asking them to save scrap parts for me. Nice!

Pulling my client list now and will work on an email to blast to them. I also post ads to gain more clients at truck stops, maybe a will do a flyer relating to this also.

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Originally Posted by ixcelr84scraps

Awesome, a new idea! In my home business as a Virtual Assistant many of my clients are Owner/OP Truckers. I do their billing, accounting, help getting permits, fuel taxes, handle their BOLS, etc, etc. I didn't even think about asking them to save scrap parts for me. Nice!

Pulling my client list now and will work on an email to blast to them. I also post ads to gain more clients at truck stops, maybe a will do a flyer relating to this also.

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Veering off topic a bit, but maybe you can coordinate LTL shipments for some of the forum members that are sending out pallets of E-scrap.

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Originally Posted by IdahoScrapper

Veering off topic a bit, but maybe you can coordinate LTL shipments for some of the forum members that are sending out pallets of E-scrap.

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Another great idea! I didn't think of that either. I am learning so much here. I am very familiar with the trucking boards, free and paid. I have a list of them if anyone needs links for this kind of thing. Would like to share what I know, showing thanks for all I have learned here.

With spring brake chambers is there a safe way to cut them off of the truck while leaving them intact? As long as you do not try to open them, but cut them off of the truck would you be safe? Next time one of our trucks brakes down I will be sure to ask our mechanic to make sure and for him to show me everything, so I do not do something that could be dangerous. I just wondering for those who cut up large trucks what they do when they come to the brake chamber? Thanks.

I would never break one apart. Always torch a hole in the side and cut the spring 5 times.

Hey!
Thanks a lot for making us realize about such complicated process. I am new here and looking forward for your upcoming posts. Keep updating.

David

Do you guys really find it worth the gas and time to cut one up? Idk I've never even considered selling one as anything other than shred, as you mentioned, a lot safer also.

I do it just to be nice. My yard loves me for it! ;)

1 or 2 not worth bothering with, 20 or more makes for a nice addition of easy clean aluminum. Like the man said cut a small slot into the pot then cut the spring 5 times.

AQll you need a a hole the size of a quarter, once you cut the spring it snaps into a new position under the hole you cut, proceed cutting the spring until no more new pops into place then you know your done. All the tentsion will now be released so that you can safely disasemble the brake pot with out killing yourself.

Using the tool that comes with the brake pot to compress the spring is only creating a dangerous situatyion for some port sap who may accidently release the compressed spring much safer to cut then you can toss it aside and sleep with a clear concience.

I could not live with musefl if that compressed spring fell of my truck on the way to the yard and some 12 year old kid found it thinking it would make a good addition to some proect he's working on at home. Cut the **** thing an be safe.

that's true biscuit, i certainly wouldn't recommend anybody using one for scrapping