why did Dodge cheap out on the e-brake set up on our trucks?

I just had my whole system replaced and still I can only use it on the slightest of grades. otherwise I shut off and leave it in Reverse gear

the pedal is too flimsy for a truck this size, it torques when pushed hard

the cable is too small too, it buckles when the pedal is cranked

since I tow a 3-ton boat and trailer in & out of the water, I need the truck to stay in place at the bottom of the ramp...NO WAY could the e-brake hold even the truck on the average saltwater boat ramp

I wonder what JIM LANE did to improve his e-brake set up????

 

 

LOL but you got to shut the truck off and put it in gear prior to placing them, so they're really just an insurance policy if you're alone

 

Brakes in general
Primer and paint
body sealants
rust proofing
Steering components
Wiper bushing cover
Electrical systems including fuse panel mounting location
torque converters


Add whatever you like to the growing list...


From personally experiencing several different pickup manufacturers, there are very few older pickups that can "hold" themselves under those conditions. From what I gather, drum brakes don't hold well when the parking lever is applied, when the truck is facing "reverse", IOW the truck movement is to the rear of the vehicle, while facing forwards, the brake holds. Don't know why, but it seems as though it shouldn't matter which direction its facing. My dodge E-brake system is completely new except for the actuator under the dash. It works very well, and even on my driveway, which is a slight incline, the truck holds its ground.... but it has NO WEIGHT behind it pulling it down the hill. Can't say this would be the same if I had 3 tons of boat and trailer behind me...

This is pretty much most of the vehicles I've owned, be it ford, chevy or other dodges. My toyota, OTOH, has always been a vehicle that holds itself where it stands. I guess it must be designed better, considering it's a pull handle actuator and not a depress type as in our trucks.

 

For some reason, my e-brake only holds up when I'm nose-down. My e-brake does no good at all keeping it from rolling backwards.

 

Its the design of the brake, one shoe is the primary and it leverages against the drum to push the secondary shoe. They are designed for maximum leverage in forward travel.

In rearward travel is actually how the brake is designed to ''self adjust'', we all know how well that works.

In short, you don't get the same leverage from the shoes to drum with force to the rear like you do with force to the front.

 

Lots of the old work trucks had these.
http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS-Performan...69685/10002/-1
Although it says not to use for an emergency brake many 40s-50s & 60s Power Wagons etc had this type of lock on them.

 

I think the conversions to rear disk use a mechanism like this, I was looking at them the other day. Not hydraulic but more of a cable type.

 

They have electric ones now too.

 

That would be the cadillac calipers with the cable e-brake. They are very unreliable. Most people are going to driveshaft or pinion brakes for e-brakes when converting the rear to discs now, they hold up much better.

 

Are you referring to line-locs? They are not meant to be used for long periods of time, the solenoids overheat and burn out.

 

In my experience, I've found that if you forget to release the driveshaft parking brake in a greasy old truck, you can burn it down pretty quickly.

When it happened to me, I happened to be driving past the fire barn, so I drove right up on their apron and hit the horn.

They said it's the first time a fire was brought to them.

 

I wish they used the old Mercedes Benz set up, where the e-bake a totally different system. It works really well, but that is on the old cars. I have not seen an MB set up for their trucks or Sprinters.

 

When I had my Chevy diesel truck I had installed a MicoLock system on it, I also have one in the box to go on my D-350 when I get the time.

http://www.mico.com/products/brake-a...on/brake-locks

I put one of them on my old bosses Chevy crew cab dually truck AFTER it got stolen and recovered the next day completely stripped.

They will hold the truck exactly where you left it,, you flip the system on and then step on the brake and the valve holds the brake pressure until it is reset.
They are used a lot on tow trucks and construction equipment also forklifts, when it absolutely cant move, you use one of these.

I want it as part on my security system, if I leave it activated and someone steals my truck, he might get away till the first intersection when he applies the brakes then they will remain locked and he can't get away.

They also have caliper brakes you could retrofit to a disk on the rear end.

Home

http://www.mico.com/welcome-mico-inc

Jim

 

But if he's just using it on the ramp while loading & unloading he should be alright shouldn't he? I wasn't really advocating the electric, I like the manual ones myself.

I agree j martin on the driveshaft brake! But when its all adjusted properly (and clean) they hold real good.