Great video very spot on but one thing to add for some people that may not be familiar with air systems anytime you are adjusting brakes you have to have over 90 psi. With the brakes released. I'm not saying anything bad about the video just want someone that has never tried to adjust slacks before to get that important piece of information.
I always go to your videos for a no BS tutorial on how to get shit done . Know that, 4yrs after posting, you're still helping the I/Os, & O/Os save money
Your videos are great! Straight to the point. When I've got grease all over my f'n hands and I'm trying to figure out how something works I don't need any added bullshit! I always check your channel first when I'm working on my Peterbilt. Thanks, Man!
You're one of my favourites on TH-cam and I only have five or six channels that I go to. You do a great job with the way you do things and it works for me.
I always learn so much watching your vides on heavy duty trucks. Straight and to the point. Keep up the great work. Request, curious if you could do a video or two on drum brakes from older trucks would be a great one to do.
thank you. i do have a video on changing shoes on drum breaks, if you mean like stud pilot inboard drums where the drum is bolted onto the hub on the back side of it where you have to dissemble the hub to remove the drum. i do have one trailer that does use that style, but i don't typically use that trailer a lot so it might be a while till it needs some brakes done.
i really appreciate all of your videos. keep em coming. by the way i don't need anything done with my slack adjusters. your videos are very educational. thanks
Retired now but... I've worked with guys that would put the truck/bus on the lifts and adjust the brakes without checking adj first. They rarely found a bad slack. My method... visual inspection and mark the pushrods- check travel on application(this also allows comparison side to side)- then, adjust if necessary. tip - you can make a pedal depresser from a caulking gun and a length of 5/16 round stock
Anti-seize is your friend when it comes to this stuff. You did not mention it, but it looks like you did it, anti-seize the clevis pin also. If the clevis pin or slack adjusters will not come out, they sell puller kits. They have saved my butt a few times
Great video . Your a great mechanic . You seem to have all the knowledge of an old timer like me . I wish more young ones would get interested in trucks .
I would love to see new techs change the diaphragm on the spring brake side of chamber, like we had to do .. They even get nervous when I take a torch. And disable the spring before we scrape them..
Unfortunately, for some of us... They haven't wrote the book yet titled. Big Truck Repair and Maintenance for Absolute Morons who have no business owning tools....😂😂😂😂😂
Unfortunately, for some of us... They haven't wrote the book yet titled. Big Truck Repair and Maintenance for Absolute Morons who have no business owning tools....😂😂😂😂😂
thank you, this one wen't quite easy but they don't always go that way. over time you do get better/quicker at dealing with things when they are rusted stuck and f----ed up as well. also taking the time to clean things up and use anti seze on thing you think you might have to take apart some time in the future will help you out in the future as well.
How about rebuilding fifth wheel,or wheel seals,and bearing,races,cab bushings,drive shaft new yokes,s cams bushings,rust abatement on frame,condenser cleaning,ac fan replace,compressor, alternator, belts. You can help hundreds save thousands .thank you for all you do
Except that chamber is sitting in the wrong holes for that 5.5" center to center, 28 spline slack adjuster. You are going to wear out the slack adjuster and brake chamber rod running it like that. The bottom slot of holes is for 6.5" center to center slack adjusters.
Question: first release the brakes Take out old slack adjuster Install new one Turn till you have 1-1.25” stroke Then adjust the automatic pin to hole? Does that sound right
Excellent video. Really like the "meat & taters" delivery of information and the voice over. Well done. I have one question...for Halloween do you dress up as the town serial killer and scare all the little turds?
If you have to adjust a automatic slack adjuster other than when. Re setting things when servicing components it means that the slack adjuster is bad or sometimes excessive wear in other components. At that point adjusting the slack adjuster is just a bandaid. No components last forever
Not sure if the rules apply down there..in bc we have mandatory stroke indicators..yellow discs tha fit the push rod..when doing inspections..I can tell at a glance weather stroke too long..or a simple tie strap on push rod works Great vids and knowledge keep it up..👍
There was a guy that stopped at a truck pull off not too far from here and set his brakes before going down the grade. He backed every one OFF and never made it. That's what came out in the investigation. There was another one not far from here that the brakes faded out and the guy crashed and burned, LITERALLY! When there are warning signs about steep grades it pays to heed the warnings. You live a lot longer.
How in the Sam Hill you got 13 down votes is beyond me but I always set my own brakes. When the guys at the shop pulled a service I always just told them I'd do the brakes so I could tell how much I was using them. I'd always get on a slab, pump the air up, release everything and shut it off in gear and lock the cab with the key in my pocket and tighten the brakes all the way down and back off 1/4 turn. If your cam bushings were good you wouldn't get any draggers and plenty of stopping power. They'd jack the wheels up at the shop, tighten the adjuster down all the way and the back them off till the wheel spun free. That left all the slack in the adjuster that didn't need to be there that the 1/4 turn removed when you first put the brakes on. I set them that way all along and never had any trouble unless your cam bearings were shot and then I toted a grease gun and greased them 2ice a day. Keep on hauling EZ! Fine explanation! Keep the dog barking!
I do mine the same way, but I tighten the shoes all the way and tap the drum with a hammer as I back off the shoes. When there tight the sound is a dull thud. As soon as there away from the drum they ring like a bell.
Your videos are great, when you were replacing the brake adjuster were your brakes released and wheels chocked or were the brakes on, ie Yellow out - Red in when replacing?
brakes released wheels chocked or if a trailer is hooked up you can set the opposite set of brakes from what your working on. i think the one i showed in this video was a service brake only chamber so it didn't matter.
I have a question, each time I adjust the slack adjuster to tighten the brakes within about 2 days the brakes get loose again and I need to readjust again....the slack adjuster will be in a state as no brakes at all
@@Ezrider359 the brake R.E.6 valve also keep releasing air constantly on its exhaust port whenever the hand brake been pulled. Been clueless for some time since the RE6 valve had been changed too
The measurement your after is the difference between released and applied, so both. The adjustment is made released. Should have casted on the body the type but once you've been messing with them a while you can tell the size/type at a glance looking at them
Thanks bud! Less figuring out “reverse “ingineering” for me! 😂 also, is there any reasonable explanation why i dont have nods on adjusting arms on all 4 of mine? Trailer with Hendrickson
thank you, glad my video could help you out. im not really sure what your mean by nods, but there are several different style slack adjusters out there so they may not be exactly the same as the one i showed in this video. there is one that uses a pin off the side of the slack adjuster that bolts into a slot and and then another one that has a longer clevis pin with a second hole that a rod attaches to the clevis pin and then goes into the the back side of the slack adjuster. witch im thining is probably the one you have. those ones come with a little cardboard gauge to check to make sure the slack adjuster is setup properly
Would you happen to know how to cut a new push rod to length without using the old brake chamber as a reference? I redid my trailer brakes but I'm not sure I did it the way it should be done. They are within spec but I figured I would run it by you.
ideally you want your push rod length to put your slack adjuster just shy of 90* (90* is idea but if i set one up from scratch i normally set it for 90* at max allowable stroke so just a couple degrees shy of 90* at proper stroke) to the break can when the break is properly adjusted and full application pressure applied this gives you the maximum breaking force that can be applied. a small variance is probably not enough to make a big difference but if its way off the effectiveness of the break may suffer.
@@Ezrider359 actually its 107 degrees for the ideal set up. you can take that to the bank! they make and sell templates that have different length slacks on it, handy to have
your need the brakes released on the axle your working on so your need to make sure that it cant roll over you, wheel chocks and if the trailer is hooked up set the opposite set of brakes. if i remember right the one i did on this video was a service brake only chamber (no spring brake) so i was able to have the park brake set.
Would there be any reason to cage the spring break during slack adjuster replacement, or would that be for if there were no air pressure in the system during change-out? It did not appear that you had to jump through such hoops.
you don't need to cage the brakes to replace a slack adjuster you will have to back off the slack adjuster, if you have no air in the system you may need to cage the brake so you can back off the slack adjuster. if i remember right the axle that i showed this on was a service brake only chamber with no spring brake.
@@Ezrider359 Thanks for responding. Will it matter if there are spring brakes involved? Would disengaging the parking (spring) brakes and chocking the wheels while changing the slack adjuster be sufficient to not need to cage? I haven't much experience with air brakes, but I have a slack adjuster that is over-tightening one of my rear axle brakes, causing that wheel to skid during moderate or heavier applications of the brake pedal. Your video was highly educational; thanks.
New here. Q: my brakes won’t stay adjusted and keep backing off. Also when I do adjust them they don’t make that ratching noise. Is this indication of a bad slack adjuster? Thanks in advance.
Anyone know if a bad slack adjuster would cause hard braking? I'm getting about 75psi to my brakes when the pedal is fully depressed but im not stopping fast enough for my liking I had about 15k on my trailer last week and smoked my breaks just trying to come to a normal stop at a light
Great video very spot on but one thing to add for some people that may not be familiar with air systems anytime you are adjusting brakes you have to have over 90 psi. With the brakes released. I'm not saying anything bad about the video just want someone that has never tried to adjust slacks before to get that important piece of information.
excellent step by step. im a diesel mechanic and love to see others helping others out to be better
I like how you get right to it and don’t add a bunch of extra conversation along the way
👍🏻
Agree too many other people want to start a podcast
I always go to your videos for a no BS tutorial on how to get shit done . Know that, 4yrs after posting, you're still helping the I/Os, & O/Os save money
Great in-depth, to the point, no BS video. Thank you
thank you, glad you enjoyed the video.
Your videos are great! Straight to the point. When I've got grease all over my f'n hands and I'm trying to figure out how something works I don't need any added bullshit! I always check your channel first when I'm working on my Peterbilt. Thanks, Man!
thank you 👍
Boooooom, hits it out the park, again!!!! Fellas, I think that's a home run...
Saved me 400 bucks, mr mechanic will not be getting. Thank you your ty he best
If your mechanic charges 400 for a slack change, you need a new mechanic.
Hey man I just wanted to say I appreciate the hell out of these videos.
Yep same. He's a good man, it helps out us owner operators alot, especially in today's world with expenses been sky high.
Excellent video. As a operator, It's great to see a video by a professional that I can share with fellow operators.
I know this is an old video, but I have to do this exact job on my 81 Pete and this is the best step by step I could ask for. Thank you!
So that's how it's done.
Very informative and no nonsense straight to the point approach.
Thanks for showing how to do this and the reminder with the adjustment indicates notch location.
you make everything look so simple. thanks for the details
Thanks for the video. I changed 4 today. My first time. Your video really helped! God bless
You're one of my favourites on TH-cam and I only have five or six channels that I go to. You do a great job with the way you do things and it works for me.
The correct way as always in your videos.
Keep them coming.
No, the correct way is to have 100 psi and release all the brakes and make the pushrod. then apply the brakes and measure the stroke.
This guy doesnt try to be a comedian. I like that.
If he's part of a garage, he should mention it. I'd go there.
Thank you for this video! I have a slack adjuster misbehaving on my Reitnouer stepdeck.
I'll definitely get busy on it asap.
I always learn so much watching your vides on heavy duty trucks. Straight and to the point. Keep up the great work. Request, curious if you could do a video or two on drum brakes from older trucks would be a great one to do.
thank you. i do have a video on changing shoes on drum breaks, if you mean like stud pilot inboard drums where the drum is bolted onto the hub on the back side of it where you have to dissemble the hub to remove the drum. i do have one trailer that does use that style, but i don't typically use that trailer a lot so it might be a while till it needs some brakes done.
i really appreciate all of your videos. keep em coming. by the way i don't need anything done with my slack adjusters. your videos are very educational. thanks
thank you for each video i watch i get some of idea and systematical Approach i hope more videos to come
Thank you. There will definitely be more videos to come 👍
Another grand slam performance, pretty soon my mechanic isn’t gonna talk to me anymore, I won’t be filling his pockets
Retired now but... I've worked with guys that would put the truck/bus on the lifts and adjust the brakes without checking adj first. They rarely found a bad slack.
My method... visual inspection and mark the pushrods- check travel on application(this also allows comparison side to side)- then, adjust if necessary.
tip - you can make a pedal depresser from a caulking gun and a length of 5/16 round stock
Anti-seize is your friend when it comes to this stuff. You did not mention it, but it looks like you did it, anti-seize the clevis pin also.
If the clevis pin or slack adjusters will not come out, they sell puller kits. They have saved my butt a few times
Dean , pay attention he did mention it.
Great video . Your a great mechanic . You seem to have all the knowledge of an old timer like me . I wish more young ones would get interested in trucks .
most "mechanics" now days are parts changers if you took there scan tools and there laptops away they would be clueless.
Ezrider92356 You got that right .
I would love to see new techs change the diaphragm on the spring brake side of chamber, like we had to do ..
They even get nervous when I take a torch. And disable the spring before we scrape them..
Unfortunately, for some of us... They haven't wrote the book yet titled. Big Truck Repair and Maintenance for Absolute Morons who have no business owning tools....😂😂😂😂😂
Unfortunately, for some of us... They haven't wrote the book yet titled. Big Truck Repair and Maintenance for Absolute Morons who have no business owning tools....😂😂😂😂😂
great video, you really make things look so easy
thank you, this one wen't quite easy but they don't always go that way. over time you do get better/quicker at dealing with things when they are rusted stuck and f----ed up as well. also taking the time to clean things up and use anti seze on thing you think you might have to take apart some time in the future will help you out in the future as well.
How about rebuilding fifth wheel,or wheel seals,and bearing,races,cab bushings,drive shaft new yokes,s cams bushings,rust abatement on frame,condenser cleaning,ac fan replace,compressor, alternator, belts.
You can help hundreds save thousands .thank you for all you do
Hey im 14 and i have my own truck along with my dad i have replaced most of these some are difficult but most are easy
Thank you for the insight how to do slack adjusters
Except that chamber is sitting in the wrong holes for that 5.5" center to center, 28 spline slack adjuster. You are going to wear out the slack adjuster and brake chamber rod running it like that. The bottom slot of holes is for 6.5" center to center slack adjusters.
Great video brother
Thank you Extremely helpful.
Nicely made video. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.
Thank you
You made it seem easier than most videos. What about making sure the emergency brake is off and the brakes are caged? Does that matter?
Good job, GOOD tutorial thanks William Orange county, ca.
my man you explain it and make look easy, but I know it's not, great video
Thanks helped me on the road....
Great video dude you provide so much information
Thank you
That makes sense. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for the video
You helped a bunch appreciate it!
Dude you are awesome!!! Thanks for your videos.
Thank you glad you are enjoying the videos
Great video!Right to the point!
Nicely done!
thank you!
Question:
first release the brakes
Take out old slack adjuster
Install new one
Turn till you have 1-1.25” stroke
Then adjust the automatic pin to hole?
Does that sound right
Nice man.......🔨🔧
Thank you
Good video, thanks bud!
thank you for your feedback appreciate it!
Excellent video. Really like the "meat & taters" delivery of information and the voice over. Well done. I have one question...for Halloween do you dress up as the town serial killer and scare all the little turds?
Another great video. Thankyou
thanks man very useful video love you
Nice video… thanks 👍
very good no nonsense video.
Hi my Freightliner, Columbia, 2007 dump truck Adjusted every week and lose the adjustment again again what is the problem? Please let me know.
Very helpful videos 👍
Thank you so much! But why did you not just re-adjust the slack adjusters? Do they have a limitation tuse and adjustment?
If you have to adjust a automatic slack adjuster other than when. Re setting things when servicing components it means that the slack adjuster is bad or sometimes excessive wear in other components. At that point adjusting the slack adjuster is just a bandaid. No components last forever
Nice job 👍🏼
Not sure if the rules apply down there..in bc we have mandatory stroke indicators..yellow discs tha fit the push rod..when doing inspections..I can tell at a glance weather stroke too long..or a simple tie strap on push rod works
Great vids and knowledge keep it up..👍
There not required here they are nice though
Thanks
It helps me lot
great video! Thanks!!
Great job
Thanks for the video!
I've always just snugged up the slack adjuster then back off 1/4 turn for back brakes and 1/2 turn for front brakes
good explanation thank yuo very much
Awesome job their dude
Thank you
Video was helpful thx man
Great teacher!
Thank you
So good !
Thanks man
Thanks for the video, very helpful
Glad you enjoyed the video thank you
Positive comment...
Can a slack adjuster over tighten and be locking my brakes up?
Good work.
There was a guy that stopped at a truck pull off not too far from here and set his brakes before going down the grade. He backed every one OFF and never made it. That's what came out in the investigation. There was another one not far from here that the brakes faded out and the guy crashed and burned, LITERALLY! When there are warning signs about steep grades it pays to heed the warnings. You live a lot longer.
There was a fatal accident near here a few years back found the truck only had one functional brake driver is serving time
@@Ezrider359 There you go!
I have a question regarding a 92 T600 with a bad clutch pedal bushing up in the dash. Do you have a video showing how to remove and replace?
Good stuff
It's all good.👍🏻
How in the Sam Hill you got 13 down votes is beyond me but I always set my own brakes. When the guys at the shop pulled a service I always just told them I'd do the brakes so I could tell how much I was using them. I'd always get on a slab, pump the air up, release everything and shut it off in gear and lock the cab with the key in my pocket and tighten the brakes all the way down and back off 1/4 turn. If your cam bushings were good you wouldn't get any draggers and plenty of stopping power. They'd jack the wheels up at the shop, tighten the adjuster down all the way and the back them off till the wheel spun free. That left all the slack in the adjuster that didn't need to be there that the 1/4 turn removed when you first put the brakes on. I set them that way all along and never had any trouble unless your cam bearings were shot and then I toted a grease gun and greased them 2ice a day.
Keep on hauling EZ! Fine explanation! Keep the dog barking!
People can have all kinds of reasons to down vote can't please everyone no skin off my back...lol
@@Ezrider359 Perzactly! It' a brake job, not the space shuttle as Teryl Dactyl says.
I do mine the same way, but I tighten the shoes all the way and tap the drum with a hammer as I back off the shoes. When there tight the sound is a dull thud. As soon as there away from the drum they ring like a bell.
Your videos are great, when you were replacing the brake adjuster were your brakes released and wheels chocked or were the brakes on, ie Yellow out - Red in when replacing?
brakes released wheels chocked or if a trailer is hooked up you can set the opposite set of brakes from what your working on. i think the one i showed in this video was a service brake only chamber so it didn't matter.
Dude thanks great video I just subscribed
glad you enjoyed the video thanks for the sub 👍
Ur awesome bro
thx
I have a question, each time I adjust the slack adjuster to tighten the brakes within about 2 days the brakes get loose again and I need to readjust again....the slack adjuster will be in a state as no brakes at all
Most likely the slack adjuster is bad bad and needs to be replaced
@@Ezrider359 the brake R.E.6 valve also keep releasing air constantly on its exhaust port whenever the hand brake been pulled. Been clueless for some time since the RE6 valve had been changed too
I had a new brakes, brake drums, and new chambers my slack adjuster works BUT MY BRAKE IS BAD. WHY PLEASE ADVISE?
Nice video thanks
glad you enjoyed it, thank you
So you don't have to replace both sides of an axle or no?
Exactly
Good how to. Thx
thank you
Thank you bro a lot for this video. Where is your location/shop? It would be nice to see what you do live (right on the spot)
So by twist the little screw in the back of the slack adjuster. Are u also adjusting the brakes?
Pretty much
Probably a stupid question but when checking the travel do breaks need to be released or applied. Also how do you tell what break chamber you have
The measurement your after is the difference between released and applied, so both. The adjustment is made released. Should have casted on the body the type but once you've been messing with them a while you can tell the size/type at a glance looking at them
You dont have arrow in guide window
Thanks bud! Less figuring out “reverse “ingineering” for me! 😂 also, is there any reasonable explanation why i dont have nods on adjusting arms on all 4 of mine? Trailer with Hendrickson
thank you, glad my video could help you out. im not really sure what your mean by nods, but there are several different style slack adjusters out there so they may not be exactly the same as the one i showed in this video. there is one that uses a pin off the side of the slack adjuster that bolts into a slot and and then another one that has a longer clevis pin with a second hole that a rod attaches to the clevis pin and then goes into the the back side of the slack adjuster. witch im thining is probably the one you have. those ones come with a little cardboard gauge to check to make sure the slack adjuster is setup properly
Would you happen to know how to cut a new push rod to length without using the old brake chamber as a reference? I redid my trailer brakes but I'm not sure I did it the way it should be done. They are within spec but I figured I would run it by you.
ideally you want your push rod length to put your slack adjuster just shy of 90* (90* is idea but if i set one up from scratch i normally set it for 90* at max allowable stroke so just a couple degrees shy of 90* at proper stroke) to the break can when the break is properly adjusted and full application pressure applied this gives you the maximum breaking force that can be applied. a small variance is probably not enough to make a big difference but if its way off the effectiveness of the break may suffer.
@@Ezrider359 actually its 107 degrees for the ideal set up. you can take that to the bank! they make and sell templates that have different length slacks on it, handy to have
Your vids are great man, keep it up. So when doing this job should wheels be shocked, and trailer brakes off and truck brakes on? Thnxs
your need the brakes released on the axle your working on so your need to make sure that it cant roll over you, wheel chocks and if the trailer is hooked up set the opposite set of brakes. if i remember right the one i did on this video was a service brake only chamber (no spring brake) so i was able to have the park brake set.
and thank you, glad your enjoying the video's
Would there be any reason to cage the spring break during slack adjuster replacement, or would that be for if there were no air pressure in the system during change-out? It did not appear that you had to jump through such hoops.
you don't need to cage the brakes to replace a slack adjuster you will have to back off the slack adjuster, if you have no air in the system you may need to cage the brake so you can back off the slack adjuster. if i remember right the axle that i showed this on was a service brake only chamber with no spring brake.
@@Ezrider359 Thanks for responding. Will it matter if there are spring brakes involved? Would disengaging the parking (spring) brakes and chocking the wheels while changing the slack adjuster be sufficient to not need to cage? I haven't much experience with air brakes, but I have a slack adjuster that is over-tightening one of my rear axle brakes, causing that wheel to skid during moderate or heavier applications of the brake pedal. Your video was highly educational; thanks.
New here. Q: my brakes won’t stay adjusted and keep backing off. Also when I do adjust them they don’t make that ratching noise. Is this indication of a bad slack adjuster? Thanks in advance.
Yeah slack adjuster is bad
Your Awesome Sir SUBSCRIBED
glad you are enjoying the channel. thank you for the sub 👍
Thanks man.
your welcome. glad you enjoyed it
Anyone know if a bad slack adjuster would cause hard braking? I'm getting about 75psi to my brakes when the pedal is fully depressed but im not stopping fast enough for my liking I had about 15k on my trailer last week and smoked my breaks just trying to come to a normal stop at a light
Also my pedal feels extremely hard I just had my treble drums and pads replaced