OT:Air brake guys, Bent plungers in chambers?

redtom · Feb 17, 2015

What causes the "plungers" as I call them in the piggyback brake chambers to get bent? Not the pushrods going to the slack adjusters, the actual plunger in the chamber. This happens at my job occasionally and just happened to both the rear ones on a tandem dump. There is NO external damage either.

NCWayne · Feb 17, 2015

Most air systems will have a valve that prevents compounding of pressures within the brake chambers. Basically it keeps air pressure from being put on the chamber to apply the brake when the park brake isn't released. This means there is a combination of both spring pressure as well as air pressure being applied at the same time.
One thing this is supposed to prevent is putting too much force on the slack adjusters, etc.

That said, it's possible that the valve is leaking by with the end result being too much force inside the chamber bending the rod. That's the only thing I can think of that would have the required force, inside the chamber, to cause a problem like your talking about.
How it works

schumy ia · Feb 17, 2015

usually that is caused by the spring breaking inside the chamber,which makes it hard to cage it to remove it, because it is off center

504 · Feb 17, 2015

You said the magic word "dump truck",they get bent from two things all of the time. Dumping pup trailers from a jack knife, and backing into a pile and dumping. That rod is coming out, and if something is blocking the slack adjuster, the rod bends.

OT:Air brake guys, Bent plungers in chambers?

redtom

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NCWayne

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schumy ia

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504

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