proper way to use trolley brake

[ncduece]

can anyone tell me the proper way to use the trolley brake on the m818 ill be towing a m871 trailer with a deuce on it along with some other stuff. i will be going down some steep grades in wv. any hints on how i can load the deuce on the trailer. i thought about backing down in a ditch or trying to find a loading dock. thanks

 

[EO2NMCB]

I'm sure some might disagree , ONLY use the trolley brake to check for brake lights when doing your pre trip. That being said make sure all of your air valves are working right, with no air leaks. When you are loaded heavy, use your low gears and motor to hold you back while coming off a 4-6% grade. It only takes one "OH @%# to make a bad day"

 

[wreckerman893]

Never use the trailer brake lever (trolley brake, Johnny bar) in conjunction with the foot pedal....YOU DO NOT NEED IT AND IT DOES NOT PUT MORE AIR IN THE SYSTEM.....
It is used for holding a trailer in place when backing under it (the old military trailers had air over hydrolic brakes and would roll if they had no air in the system).
When I was a drivers trainer/tester I would fail any driver that grabbed that trailer brake lever when road testing.
Rule of thumb for mountains: never go down a hill faster than you went up it, if you have a heavy load (and no Jake Brake).
Never "fan" your brakes on a hill.....they will get hot fast and fade.
It is better to keep a light, easy pressure on them going down the hill and avoid letting the vehicle build up too much speed.

 

[m16ty]

I driven tractor trailers since I was 16. The only time I ever used the Johnson bar (trolley brake) brake is one time when I was in snow and ice. I was going down a hill and looked in my mirror and saw the trailer trying to pass the truck . I pulled on the lever to apply the trailer brakes to get the trailer back under the truck.

When you hit the foot pedal it applies the trailer brakes with the truck brakes so 99.9% of the time you just leave it alone. I wouldn't be at all concerned pulling a trailer with a truck that didn't have a trolley brake.

 

[reb87]

Loading dock will work for loading the duece, a ditch might work too. When I had to load two 818s on mine, we found a construction site where there was dirt piled and I drove them right on.

 

[cranetruck]

Uploaded this a few weeks ago....

Steel Soldiers :: Military Vehicles Supersite

Mike (mangus), it would be nice to have a link to the PS Magazine articles in the "Resources" above....unless you plan on moving them to the new site, of course.

 

[kendelrio]

When I was driving in N.E. Pa, I used the trolley valve when I had to stop on an incline so I wouldn't roll backward when I started moving again.

Another way to brake on inclines (if the road is dry/not icy) is to use a lower gear for compression and to "stab" brake the truck. Pick your safe speed, when the truck reaches it, brake quickly until until you are about 5mph below it.