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What is the advantage of using air brakes?

Home > Discussion Forum > Mechanic's Corner - Brakes

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What is the advantage of using air brakes? DBB 11-9-03  
I was wondering if someone could tell me why larger diesel motorhomes use air brakes rather than a hydraulic systems like the ones used on gas motorhomes and passenger cars ect...

I can understand that air systems are used on semi's to allow for easy connecting/disconnecting from trailers, but what is the advantage of an air brake system on large motorhomes, buses ect..

This question came up in a discussion I had with a friend the other day,when he told me that a guy he works with bought a bus with air brakes and did not need a CDL to drive it provided it was registered as an RV.

Does anyone know of a web site that gives a good explaination of air brake systems? Thanks
Re: What is the advantage of using air brakes? Ron 12-1-03  
I drove a bus(1946 vintage) for several years before it was mandatory to have an air brake endorsement.
After taking the two day course, I felt it was pretty dumb on my part to run a vehicle that had air brakes without some knowledge. You can have some leakage on air and usually get the sucker stopped, but drop hydraulic fluid and your toast!
Re: What is the advantage of using air brakes? Phil Feinstein 11-10-03  
Everything is a trade off. For each advantage you get a disadvantage.

The size of an RV is huge when compared to a car. Usually a class "A" weighs in at about 8 to 10 times a standard car. Here's your main advantages: No fluid to house or cool, simplified brake maintenance, more power to stop with. Air brakes also run what's called a "Dead man", so if you lose your air pressure the parking brake engages automatically. With a hydraulic system, you lose fluid you've lost your brakes. Air brakes must have a safe level of pressure to disengage the parking brake, so if your brake system is faulty you can't move the vehicle. An air brake system is a little less complex than a typical ABS setup. An airbrake system *WITH* ABS is a bit more complex.

The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. To make the vehicle move, you take heat and turn it into mechanical force. To stop, you turn the force back into heat for the brakes to dissipate. If you get air brakes too hot (or any brakes for that matter) they will "fade" and your vehicle will no longer stop. Air brakes are not fade proof, but can dissipate heat a lot better than hydraulic brakes. When racing "Super trucks", the brakes are actually sprayed with water to cool them.

If you'd like to get an idea of the technology available for HD brakes, take a look at the site: http://www.wabco.info/intl/en/. It's a little clunky, but there's some neat stuff.

BTW; The law is that you need a CDL for anything over 26,001 pounds GVW or anything that will carry more than 15 passengers *UNLESS* you are using the vehicle for private, non-commercial use (like an RV). There are a few states that have Driver's licensing requirements/endorsements for RVs, but this is the general situation.

Hope that helps!
Re: What is the advantage of using air brakes? DBB 11-15-03  
Thanks for the info Phil. It was very helpful.
DBB
Re: What is the advantage of using air brakes? akash 9-2-08  
I want more information about air brakes with DIAGRAM.
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