ABS brakes

how many farm people unhook there ABS system on there pick-up's?

Some may answer, some may decide not to based on liability and insurance factors that might just create a nasty situation if injury or property damage were to occur. I would not, Though my Pickups are way old. Jim

I have a '96 Ranger that has had a yellow ABS light glowing on the dash for 15 of its 20 years. Several dollars were spent at the dealership to extinguish it, but it always came back on within days. Is ABS on or is it off? I don't know, and no longer care.

Abs works on my good truck 05 f350, old truck 98 ram 3500 abs doesn't to didly... No light on dash, but I've never felt it work... My old pasture vehicle 90 range rover has proper 4 channel abs which works great off road...

I have had 3 trucks with ABS, no issues on any of them with 150K each.

ABS has saved me from rear-ending someone twice when I looked up from my phone to see a car right in front of me. I felt it pounding hard but it brought me to a full stop amazingly fast with no tire screech.

Only one vehicle have I unhooked the ABS on. A 98JImmy. I slid thru to many intersections that I should have been able to stop at, ABS just let it roll thru. Snow, ice, even an emergency stop on gravel for a deer. I pulled the fuse and no more problem.

So far the rest seem to work as advertised.

(quoted from post at 11:29:12 03/19/16)
ABS has saved me from rear-ending someone twice when I looked up from my phone to see a car right in front of me. I felt it pounding hard but it brought me to a full stop amazingly fast with no tire screech.

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Really?? Using your phone while driving??

Remind me to never ride a motorcycle in front of you . Get off the phone.

Same with my '97 Chev 2500. Anti-locks are downright dangerous on some of GM's late 90's vehicles. Mine's had a 'boat load' of elec. Gremlins.

ABS work's fine on both my pick-up's [chevy], unhook when I pull loaded wagon's around the farm and when I plow snow, when I want to stop don't want the break peddle pushing back at me, have better control with out it. really hate it pushing snow!!

The ABS light came on in my 1989 Chevy one time- turned out to be the black box. I picked up a used one for $10 or $25, replaced it and have never had another issue.

My wife's 02 Montana has had five front wheel bearing/ABS sensors, and the one I just put on last week already threw a code again...

Funny you should ask about that. That auto transmission in one of my Rams started acting up while out of state, took it to a transmission place and they said that the computer said that the temperature was -80 degrees, so was affecting the shifting. I got it home to the ATRA transmission place that rebuilt it about 150,000 miles ago, they told me the same thing...thought it was something like -80 degrees, so affected shifting. Since had some metal in the pan, they recommended going through it, cost me about $2,000, but still had that temperature problem, so they replaced a computer for about $700 more. I don't know how many computers are on board, but I thought they said "PCS" or something like that. However, ever since they replaced whatever computer, and may just be "timing", now I'm showing an ABS/Brakes idiot light on the dash. All works well, but gotta take it in for that now because its not a fluid, disk pad, or drum shoe issue. Appears to be monitoring only, so far.

As far as ABS goes in general, I remember reading an article in a 4x4 magazine back in the '80's about Chevy pickups for one, possibly others, 1988 on regarding ABS and fellas that went out and bought huge Monster Mudders, Super Swampers, and the sort and put them on, tooled around town seven feet off of the ground looking cool, clean, not a speck of dirt on their tricked out looking STREET rides, would come to stops at traffic lights and either blow through the lights or drive into the backs of other vehicles because they didn't have the computers reworked for ABS after putting the new huge diameter tires on that through the calculated stopping of ABS off for the standard issue smaller diameter tires. And that fellas is the extent of what I know about ABS.

Mark

My wife's 03 Montana has never had a front wheel bearing/ABS sensor problem.

On my 88 Chevy pickup I used a couple of fittings and a little bit of steel tubing to bypass mine. It has/had rear wheel antilock only. No more petal creeping to the floor at stop lights. And a piece of black tape over the brake warning light. TDF

I really need to disable mine. I nearly rear ended someone a few weeks ago because of the ABS.

At 178000 miles the abs light came on in my 2003 Ford F-150. It was caused by a front wheel bearing going out. The abs sensors are in the hubs.

I will never understand why people think they must talk on the
phone while driving.

They need to pass laws to make that illegal with at least $1000
fine

ABS is a good idea : too bad reality in use is not the same as the idea. In a semi : abs will release brakes: then reapply: release : apply :etc..... only have brakes half of the time applied in hard braking. Doubles the needed stopping distance. Much rather be trying to control a skid than have no control over stopping and brake pressure.

I thought the purpose of ABS is to maintain steering control and directional stability under slippery conditions rather than to shorten stopping distances. Even with ABS some people will continue to drive too fast for the conditions, ABS helps them steer around the worst troubles.