Is Crud Crippling Your Trailer Air Brake System?

Your trailer air brake system is comprised of multiple components, each designed to cut crud, keeping your system clean, safe, and operational. Without proper maintenance, however, these essential components will fail to function properly, crippling your trailer or worse, leading to brake failure and crash.  

How Clean is Your Air Brake System?
These components, when properly spec’d and maintained, work together to keep your air brake system clean and operational:

• Compressor filter
  This filter, located at your compressor outlet, removes most system contaminants including moisture, oil and dirt, making regular replacement key to safeguarding air brake system components.
• Air Dryer
  Virtually standard on today’s semi-trucks, air dryers, as the name suggests, keep moisture out of your air brake system. Checking the condition of your air dryer at-least annually, including desiccant, purge and check valve operation, ensures the function of this key component.
• Air Tank Drain Valve
  After the compressor filter and dryer clear things up, your air tank drain valve allows for the removal of what moisture and contaminants remain. Making certain this valve is drained regularly is essential, and should be part of your pre and post-inspection checklist.
• Gladhand Clamps
  These coupling devices are located on the rear wall of the cab/sleeper. When twisted on,
  they connect the tractor to the trailer, supplying air to the trailer brakes. With the aid of a rubber seal, they prevent water from entering and air from escaping the system. ‘Dummy’ gladhands, used when the truck and trailer are not connected, likewise keep dirt and debris from entering the air brake system, and should be used every time the trailer is detached from the tractor. Because rubber seals on gladhands get dirty and brittle over time, regular cleaning and replacement is a must.

Cutting the Crud
If you’ve ignored your air brake system, or a contaminant test reveals a need for attention, professional inspection and maintenance is advisable to ensure the safety of your air brake system. Cleaning system components typically involves a multi-step procedure where safety and attention-to-detail is paramount, from safely securing wheels, to carefully blowing out the system with clean, dry compressed shop air (without introducing additional contaminants), and inspecting valve diaphragms for oil.   

Are Your Brakes Safe?
At Ainsworth, our certified, professional technicians have 115 years of combined experience, quickly identifying and rectifying air brake system repair issues in our 20,000 square foot, 13-bay repair facility with OEM-quality replacement parts. Ensure the safety of your truck, cargo, and most importantly yourself and roadside passengers. Smooth-out and balance your brakes with the help of the A+ BBB-rated services of Ainsworth Trailer Repair. Contact us for a free estimate today.

This post was originally published at http://www.trailerrepairdenver.com/crud-crippling-trailer-air-brake-system/

Gravity Stinks: (How to Tell) When Semi -Trailer Leaf Springs Go Bad

Over time, gravity can take as big of a toll on semi-trailer leaf springs as it does on your body. All the bangs, bumps, and mileage-related wear-and-tear inflicted over time will eventually warp its figure. Also like your body, it’s easy to overlook the changes of time and assume trailer components remain the same beneath the surface.

Are Your Leaf Springs Secretly Shot? Look for these 3 Signs:
To find your leaf springs, look beneath the front or rear of the trailer, above or below the axle. They’ll look like a smiley or archery bow, a configuration which helps them absorb gravity – and the load in your hauler. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to determine the state of your springs. To find out if they’re in need of an upgrade, put on some clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and look for these signs:

1. Evident abuse.
   Cracks in the spring, or jagged, broken or missing pieces are a sign you need new leaf springs now, before they fail.
2. Sag.
   Sag under heavy loads is a prime indicator of worn-out leaf springs in need of replacement.
3. Bounce and sway.
   We’re not talking dance moves here. If your trailer endlessly bounces or sways like a cartoon every time you hit a bump, they’re not absorbing shock like they should, and are in need of replacement.

Leaf Springs Fallen Flat?
At Ainsworth Trailer Repair, our warehouse stocks an array of OEM-quality replacement parts, including leaf springs, coils, and other key suspension components, ready and waiting for express lane service, or for use in our 20,000 square foot, 13-bay repair facility.

Bring your ride back with the experienced, industry-renowned, A+ Better Business Bureau rated services of Ainsworth. Give your trailer a lift and your cargo a smoother surface, free of sags. Iron out the wrinkles in your suspension with the help of Ainsworth Trailer Repair today.

This post was originally published at http://www.trailerrepairdenver.com/gravity-stinks-tell-semi-trailer-leaf-springs-go-bad/