Towed truck rolls downhill after cable snaps - GIF

Towed truck rolls downhill after cable snaps.

<video controls autoplay loop> <source src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/hmt-forum/towing_uphill_cable_snaps.mp4" type="video/mp4"> Your browser does not support the video tag. </video>


Previously:

https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...745#post223480
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...908#post152760
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...293#post192269
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...646#post170525
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...580#post117713

Good save...

He was wearing his brown pants that day!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by IntheGroove

Good save...

---

...YA!...stopping that puppy without a roll over saved everybody involved a ton of grief.

Let me see if I can understand something here. semi-trucks and trailers have air brakes. Air brakes mean there are spring brake chambers which require air to be released this is true the world over. Meaning there must also be air pressure in the tanks so just stepping on the brake pedal should stop the rig. before a huge amount of momentum was built up the unit was being towed by a single cable this means there had to be a driver to steer it. He had a minimum of 2 ways to stop the unit 3 if you could count putting it in gear Sometimes not an option turning and engine in reverse can cause not good things to happen.
The only way that truck trailer combination would not have any brakes would be if there was no air pressure and the spring brakes have been what is called caged open. in which case then you would need a towbar or at the very least a pipe with the cable run through it because if the towing vehicle stopped the towed vehicle would ram into the back of it. I saw no pipe SO why couldn't the driver stop it before it rolled backwards? I can think of only 1 reason they were not familiar with where the parking brake button or lever in the case of Asian and European trucks was located. On them instead on being in plain easy reach on the dash they are sometimes near the floor at the side of the seat not always in the best position to be activated without having to reach down.

Didn't see anyone in the cab.

Cab too dark to see operator but towing with cable would require a steering wheel holder. My opinion: All of the brakes are out of adjustment except the right front on the tractor as evidenced by skid mark on pavement.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dollar Bill

Cab too dark to see operator but towing with cable would require a steering wheel holder. My opinion: All of the brakes are out of adjustment except the right front on the tractor as evidenced by skid mark on pavement.

---

Working in the braking system supply industry back 40 years ago the local TIP rental depot (truck trailers) needed shoes relined weekly if not daily, on the low bed swan necks especially so, they did an audit on who had rented the trailers and it was one company that seemed to be wearing those particular trailers brakes out, it turned out they had wound off the tractor units rear axles brakes to save wear and money, relying purely on the trailers brakes and the tractors front axle brakes.

In this case it may have been the tractors rear axle brakes were wound off/worn out , and due to some other failure the trailer brakes had been wound off too...

There was no steering that truck with both front wheels locked up from the start after the chain broke. They're not turning, just skidding along.