SAguirre

It has been discussed quite a bit in this form and various threads in this forum. Downshifting that is.

I have mentioned on previous posts that I usually see a few 18-wheelers that seem to have trouble using lower gears to stop and have their brakes get so hot that they ignite and catch the tires on fire. I have personally called 911 twice this ski season.

Now that the weather is warmer, I decided to leave the comfort and security of my W211 and set foot on I 70 to take this picture. It is of a West-bound truck just coming into East Vail. I saw it catch fire the night before and took a picture early the next day.

Needless to say, I think that this driver is in trouble! In the mean time, if you are driving on steep downhill grades, USE A LOWER GEAR AND STAY OFF YOUR BRAKES!!!

Enjoy,

Steve

vraa

I can't help but laugh. That should be in one of the important lessons in truck driving school!

And on the other hand, does anyone have a high resolution picture of the warning that comes on in the display about the over heated brakes? I would love to modify it and what not to turn it into a nice background.

JimPurdy

Steve,

I wonder how many drivers in this country, both truck and auto, understand what you mean? The lack of driver education is appalling. For a truck driver to not realize the issue means that he didn't pass Truck Driving School 101. I am amazed by watching drivers riding the brake while turning as well as seeing a car going up a hill with the brake lights on. It is no wonder we have so many "interesting accidents". Yesterday I came upon a car against the guard rail in the median strip on an expressway. It had started to rain and he apparantly hydroplaned and lost control. I could feel the tires start to hydroplane on my 210 wagon so his Honda S2000 must have just lifted off. He didn't appear to be hurt, only the one fender seemed to be bent. Another lucky driver.

Jim

Spartan

I drove a truck for a year while edukating meself in a very mountainous country. First thing I learned to do is use my breaks properly...........or fall off a cliff.

Obviously this guy learned how to drive a truck through a correspondence course.

BenzVince

Semi Trucks do not use oridnary brakes like cars and trucks. They use air brakes. I think wth that picture you showed, that there was probably a problem with the hydrauics. Since hydrauics are very flamable.

Spartan

Nope. Air is the means of actuation (applying force) , but the brakes themselves are still drum brakes and can overheat like you wouldn't believe. The next thing that happens is they set the tires on fire. Then the cargo. Then you bring in the winnies and have a BBQ.

benzboy

I hope that wasn't a load of Coors he was truckin!!

C43AMG

That was a truckload of Snapple !

sosh

There are no hydralics on most semi trailers. They use air for both brakes and in some cases suspension. The fire could also have been caused by tires running at too low a pressure

sosh

You did not educate yourself very well!! Learn how to spell educating, myself, and brakes.

E55AMG99

The biggest reasons that trailer brakes catch fire are because 1) the driver does not own the trailer but owns the tractor and is riding the trailer brakes (hand valve) to save wear and tear and money on his own or 2) he is afraid of putting the rig into a jack-knife and therefore is riding the trailer brakes to drag the rig from the back.

Gregs210

SAguirre, thanks for the post and useful reminder.

Coupla' things on the myriad replies, though.

What often ignites first is the lubrication in the hubs/bearings and the grease-encrusted crud on the axle housings/hubs before spreading to the tires and wood floor of the trailers. As you can see, it doesn't take much to melt the aluminum skin and expose flammables inside the trailer as well. The driver at least got this one out; I've seen these things burn until just the steel framing and hubs was all that remained.

Second, if you want to see hot brakes, head over to that 1/3 mile track off I-25 and watch the modifieds run. Since the track is so short they're on the brakes more than the gas and by the end of the race every rotor is glowing bright red; it's pretty amazing.

Take care and enjoy driving in the beautiful CO weather,
Greg

Brian_I.

Wow, those are crazy pics.

SAguirre

Tires running at low pressure DO get very hot, but nowhere near the point at which rubber starts to burn. The tire will break into pieces well before it ignites. Also, this picture shows that the tire is still in one piece all around the wheel (but burnt of course). It is obvious that the wheel hub got really hot since the center cap is melted.

Also, the main thing that is missing from this picture is the amazing smell that was STILL there the morning after this happened. I personally saw this truck catch fire the evening before and it was clearly a burnt brake smell that I smelled. The only flames visible (when I saw it) were coming from the inside of the wheel (and from both sides of the tire).

This is a real dangerous situation when this happens, both for the trucks and drivers who don't look in their rear view mirror! This is the second or third truck that caught fire since September of 04!

Glad that this was amusing for some,

Steve

SAguirre

Sosh! WOW! The only thing that I wanted to show burned here are the brakes of the truck . There is no spell checker on this forum and I personally am a terrible speller since I use three languages on a daily basis and I end up screwing up all three when it comes to writing.

However, if you wanted to get more specific, you misspelled "hydralics" (should be hydraulics) on your post. So you see . . . people who live in glass houses should not throw stones . . .

I am not trying to be mean, but I just thought I should point this out. I still find both of your comments very insightful (Spartan's and Sosh's).

Steve

sosh

Sorry to say that tires running underinflated, under a heavy load can and will get hot enough to ignite. They can also ignite when on a dual wheel one goes flat with the entire load to that side of the axle on the good tire, if the driver continues to run at high speeds. I spent my youth in the truck tire business as my family owned what was the largest independent truck tire retreading and services Co. in the US (no longer exists).