Question:
Last week, I saw a driver standing outside his rig, bending over and looking at the smoke pouring from his brakes (lots of smoke) towards the bottom of Oregon I-5 coming off the Siskiyous.
Of course, he blew it -- going too fast and building-up too much brake heat. This isn't about that. What I want to say (and what lots of newer drivers don't seem to know) is:
If your brakes are smoking, do not stop your truck unless it's absolutely necessary.
As long as the wheels are moving even slightly, your tire heat is spread-out around the whole tire. As soon as the wheel stops moving, the chances of the most stressed part of the tire rupturing increases greatly. And when the tire explodes, it will really EXPLODE!
A truck pulled in next to me at the downhill rest area on Donner this summer. He set his brakes, and a couple minutes later, KABOOOOOM!! One of his trailer tires exploded from heat. It blew some of the lights off the back of his trailer, twisted his brake assembly, and sent a shockwave thru the parking lot that rocked my truck. Thank God no one was standing nearby. Assorted hardware and chunks of tire blew all the way across the parking lot.
Keep your truck rolling -- in low-under at 3mph, flashers on and warning others on your cb, whatever it takes, just don't stop till things have a chance to cool down a bit.
If you do have to stop, stay away from your tires. Grab your fire extinguished and triangle kit. Set-up the triangles (or flares) behind you, but don't linger near the wheels -- they may be time bombs waiting to go off at any minute. Stand at a good distance, prferrably behind the truck so you can see underneath it. Do not play firefighter. Carry the extinguisher with you, but save it to protect yourself.
If your trailer catches on fire, pull the kindpin handle and drive-out from under it. Don't worry about the landing gear, the hoses or the pigtail -- just pull the handle and drive out with full throttle and let it crash to the ground. Take the extinguisher with you. At least you may be able to save the tractor.
note: Your little fire extinguisher is mostly there to help you get out of a burning cab. It's insufficient to do much else.
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[This message was edited by Shuffler on October 30, 2002 at 14:37.]

Answer:
Anyone who has ever seen that test video that was made years ago with a 150lb dummy being blown about 7 feet into the air while standing over a tire will remember how dangerious exploding tires can be. They can blow your head off.
I always check my tires. I was checking the inside tires on my trailer and I had my head between the tanker fender and the top of the tire. I noticed a hugh bubble on the back of the out side tire. The bubble was so big it came pretty close to touching the inside tire. I got my head out of there fast. I've seen bubbles before but nothing ever that big.
I was running in hot weather in AZ doing 75mph, that tire developed a weak spot in less than a day. I always keep my tires aired properly but you never know whats going on unless you check your tires often.

Answer:
I thump them every time I stop, especially if I'm heavy and the roads are hot.
But I also put my other hand on the wheel near the hub. If you've got a heat problem on that dual, the outside wheel will feel warmer than the others.
Heat from brakes, heat from tires -- they both transfer heat through the center of the wheel. So this is a good place to check the temperature with your hand. All wheels should feel about the same temperature.

Answer:
EXCELLENT post. If I may add my 2 cents worth as a mechanic with 24 years of experience (aircraft), I would NEVER approach a known hot wheel from the side (wheel face or lug nuts visible side). If it blows, it will, as explained above, ruin anything in it's path. If at all possible, approach a known hot wheel from the front or rear only. Also, NEVER attempt to quickly cool a known hot wheel by putting snow or water on it. Thermal shock (sudden cooling) can cause catastrophic failure.
Hey...you lookin' at me?-Arthur Spooner

Answer:
"smoke pouring from his brakes (lots of smoke) "
In most cases one or 2 will start smoking before the rest,due to the fact all brakes are almost never at exactly the same adjustment
If you ain't almost at the bottom,stop before lots of smoke is pouring from lots of wheels
Drive like you pay for the brake jobs and you won't be burning up the brakes in the first place
Wyle E. Coyote
Supergenius!

Answer:
The guy I saw last week managed to get them all smoking pretty good -- that takes some effort -- then he's crouched down next to them as the smoke cloud rises above the freeway. We were yelling at him on the radio to get it rolling at a slow walk. Even if he didn't have a jake, he could have walked it down the hill in the lowest gear. He had enough brake to stop and hold the truck where it was -- within a mile of where it levels out to 2% or 3%.
I think it's a mistake to not teach stab braking in the schools anymore. This 'feather braking' technique helps light-up the brakes with the less slack, like you said.
If there's no one behind me, I apply the brakes much harder at regular intervals, then let them cool a bit while I drift back up to speed. Applying them less, but harder, opens enough pressure to overcome some misadjustments and get them all participating pretty good. But if there's someone close behind me, I featherbrake too, out of consideration to the drier behind me. I suppose that's why they teach it -- to keep slow trucks moving at even speeds down hills, instead of speeding-up and slowing down when they're stab braked. In any event, there's no excuse for smoking brakes. It only proves to everyone else you're not particularly skillful, knowledgable or experienced.
The other day someone finally told me the secret unofficial chicken hauler's motto:
"Drive it like you stole it!"
(And if you buy your own brakes, try not to use them! )
.
[This message was edited by Shuffler on October 31, 2002 at 04:16.]

Answer:
The other thing that happens is you blow the oil seal on the back of the hubs and soaks your brake shoes. If the area is hot enough the oil catches fire but even if it doesn't you still got todo a brake job because the linings are coated in a nice layer of brake dust and oil.
If you can't keep rolling try find a place to jam the front wheels of the tractor against so you have time to get out and block the wheels. Don't ever apply the maxi brakes you will have a set of oval drums and may not beable to move afterwards.
We had a paving company that was from out of town come pave our driveway anyhow one of their trucks lost the operation of the JAKE brake. The driver didn't know the area and he had a heavy load in the box his brakes were justa cooking when he got here. He said to me how can you drive around here without a JAKE and I said you can but it takes alot of downshifting and knowing where the steeper twisty sections are.
While they unloaded the truck they blocked the wheels and by the time they were finished the brakes cooled and the driver was trying to fix the JAKE.
GL

Answer:
And don't go down Lewiston grade too fast and then go by the port of entry, with your axles too far back....scale master is a great guy, he'll even help you do the calculations to find where your axles need to be.....in exchange for an inspection.
If at first you don't suceed, get a bigger hammer

Answer:
"... he'll even help you do the calculations to find where your axles need to be ..."
Well, someone will have to help me with that formula they've got. They explain it to me every time I renew my '53 permit, and I've read the sheet they hand out....but my eyes glaze over every time it gets to the square root of something divided by half of something else.....


Answer:
My neighbor is a fire captain that responds to that area of I-5 . The first question they always ask when they get to a situation like that were it has actually now caught fire is , " Why did you stop ? " . If it smoking but now flames , let it roll , more air cools faster . Always like coming over Donner and the cool signs they have posted up there , " Let her drift ! " .
Fred H.

Answer:
When i watched him measure axles and fill out the worksheet, blew me away, he knew what he was doing. Only had to use the permit once though.....95 sure gets nasty, especially around the river with all the people fishin and parkin wherever they want. You run 95 much?Had a usexpress try and pass me going down the last hill, i was fully loaded, he must have been empty. Funny as hell, he starts comin up on me, i see the last curve then a uphill, so i let it go and blew his doors off.
If at first you don't suceed, get a bigger hammer

Answer:
I think my company buys the cheapest parts they can find, including brake pads. This truck, with the brakes adjusted properly, still doesn't roll down a grade like some other trucks I've had. I found out what its limitations are on I-70 Vail Pass.
I rolled out of the Eisenhower tunnel at about 35 -40, in 7th gear. Before I knew it, I was rolling along at almost 50. Way too fast. I braked and slowed, but almost immediately picked up the speed again. The gear wasn't low enough.
As you know, that's a pretty steep grade, and by the time I rolled down to the scenic view area, my brakes were smoking. This is the first time I have ever smoked my brakes, and it scared the h.h. outta me.
Contrary to the above advice, I stopped at the view area hoping to let them cool. It occurred to me that they probably would be better off if I could keep rolling, but I just didn't want to have to use them any more. And I was scared. If this had happened after I read this post and thread, I would have not stopped there.
Since then, I have adjusted my driving to the truck. Not all trucks are equal. I go down hills in lower gears than I used to. You don't get second chances when you screw up on a hill!
According to Charles Kuralt, "Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything."
Semisweet

Answer:
even the best brakes will smoke some when you slow down from 55 to 35. Heat builds up, and brakes smoke...especially on eisenhower. Were you east or westbound?for a real fun drive you should take the over dimension route in winter......yee haw!
If at first you don't suceed, get a bigger hammer

Answer:
"Heat builds up, and brakes smoke...especially on eisenhower. "
Yeah, on Vail too. And the Grapevine,,,and Rt. 6 in VT. to name a couple more. Especially in a Cannon truck, with no Jakes in the fleet.
I'd gear down till I couldn't take the cussin' anymore, and when I could see the bottom of the hill come into view,,,I cooled 'em off! (they roll really fast when you skip up 2-3 gears)
There have times when I had it geared down as low as I thought it should be, do stab-braking and yet still got some smoke. It takes experience as said before here. I suppose run down all the big hills in the country enough times and one will learn. While you're learning tho, keep it geared down without overreving engine. Don't want to 'blow' engine, or you'll be down a big hill FAST.

Answer:
bigJ,
I run 95 once in a while. I kind of like an excuse to route a trip off the interstates, so I look forward 95 and the other interesting/challenging roads -- so beautiful.
Idaho is just wierd. I always keep my permit up to date -- I've run into a spot DOT check a couple times in the middle of nowhere. But as far as the 'formula' foes, I just throw the tandems as far forward as I can for legal weight. If they decide that's not good enough, they'll just have to explain that darn formula to me again -- I don't think there's much problem as long as you're under about 41' kingpin to rear axel......I hope