Winter Driving

[eagle61_PREV (deleted)]

When Driving in the winter especially in sub zero weather always carry a bottle of airline anti freeze.this will help unfreeze airlines . Some drivers keep their trl.brakes released all winter so they wont freeze up,this is really an unsafe way to go,works fine as long as your on a flat surface but how many times do we park to go to sleep on a flat surface.
you can put something in front of your wheel to keep from rolling or you can run anti freeze in you airlines and not worry about it,its up to you and its just a thought,Im by no way perfect I wish tips could come as easy as they do now when I was learning. If you have any questions maby I can help just leave a message here any time.

Eagle 61///////Dispite what your dispatcher say,s about a load has to be there if it causes you to be on ICE remember you DISPATCHER will not be the one to have to answer to the public if and when you have an incident.If you play on Ice you will slide[sliding 80,000 lbs is not pretty] and if you touch anything it will break or bend,dont get in this situation if you have to run on ice long enough to park take it slow and easy but Park it when you can.It dosent matter how much experience you have black ice or freezing rain is nothing to play with! Snow driving can be just as Dangerous but you can drive with more control you can still slide but not as quick,Things to remember are on dry roads we tend to watch about five vehicles but when your on ice or snow we should watch about five hundred or if possible sevenhundred feet ahead of us.If a car or truck should pass you look ahead of that vehicle and see if there is slush in front of them for two reasons, if a truck passes you and hits the slush you are going to get splashed right between the eyes with slush or if you have your drivers window cracked an ear full,believe me it happens.If a car hits the slush they will tend to slide and you dont want them making contact,Back off and let them have room to correct, a few more seconds added to the trip wont change anything.Remember when your on ice and snow all bets are off on a incident free trip!

[smartsolutuions]

Eagle61-can u be a little more specific in requard to brakes freezeing ?there are ppl that may need a little more information.also this advice would depend on what kind of brakeing system u had .a TIP for those who want to avoid this problem also draining ur air tanks during pre and post inspections will help with this problem if the mostuire is not there in the line u have less chance of line blockage,also make sure ur air chamber seals are intact and sealed properly to avoid any outside debry or mositure.but a line blockage is not the only way for brakeing system to freeze.TO be continued....


Also i would like to say kudos to eagle one -drivers never do what u r not comfortable with.if possible see if ur company will authorize a reroute. carry plenty of supplys (proper chains food for 2weeks a survival kit kitty litter a bottle of bleach many layers of clothing a snow suit and boots and a portable heater a subzero sleeping bag ect.anything u can think of at some point u will use.never be took by suprise keep a constant eye on the weather networks and remember stay study calm consistent no sudden changes in acceleration or steering beware corners bridges any area that may be blocked during the day from son or have fewer hrs of daylight ect.more likey to be ur problem areas and remember "ALLWAYS KEEP A OUT"never pin urself in a place u cant get away from

[easyrider63]

`eagle you can dynamite your tractor brakes and not worry or care if the shoes freeze to the drums the driveline will break them free in any condition just don't set the trailer brakes when you park. carrying a couple of road flares or a propane torch is how we deal with frozen trailer brakes. methyle hydrate(air-line antifreeze) is not used much anymore because it rots the rubber in the maxi's. We only use methyle as a last resort when the TRACTOR air system is frozen up and it is poured sparingly into the main airline off the compressor not into the gladhands. If you're freezing up in the lower 48 you really need to pay alittle more attention to your air system maintainance. At minus 54 freezing up is a constant struggle but when are you going to experience that...it might feel cold in Wyoming or Montana but it almost never gets that cold. Trust me there's a HUGE differance between a minus 20 ND night and a fridget -50 Watson Lake night and if you even do basic maitanance anything above -30 shouldn't be a problem

[easydrifter]

`Tractor and trailer brakes freezing up is lack of forethought on the part of a professional driver or not so professional driver.

When cold outside. Set the brakes and wait a few minutes. The moisture/water will freeze slightly. Release brakes and pull forward. That allows the brakes to freeze lightly and easy to break loose. Then one can set the brakes without freezing occurring. Good for tractor and trailer brake drum freezing.

Let me mention that those nights you park and it is warm and the temperature drops later. It does not work, and you could freeze up. Just set the alarm for a little later for that method.

As for using the drive line to break loose the ice. I have seen damage done by drivers not encouraging that break and just using that go get-r-done---drop the clutch attitude to break that ice loose. A good size sledge tapped on the edge of shoe will often break them loose. Of course one must crawl under the truck and can do a brake check at the same time. LOL

Often sub-zero seems to catch many of us from time to time with our minds at other places. I prefer to walk into almost any truck stop and pickup rubbing alcohol. Put in airlines and it evaporates the moisture/ice out. It works good on Distributor caps also (when cars use to have them). One could do the same for the tractor but pulling them lines apart to inject is a pain. Better to just keep it drained all the time.

If one tries to use burning alcohol or wood alcohol. They will be replacing all the rubbers in their unit. It eats them up.

Draining your lines on the night of fifty below or any other last moment prevention or fix method. Has mixed results.

Like fuel tanks. One needs to add the additive a couple of weeks prior to the first cold to get the moisture out that has build up. Then when it gets cold the additive is working to keep the gel from happening and not trying to evaporate the water in the fuel. Air lines freezing is much the same. Do your preventive maintenance in advance and the problems are behind you. So drain the water in the lines and add your alcohol or additive to evaporate the water in lines before the cold. Then keep it up through out the winter months and the problems will be left in the fall maintenance.

Those super sub-zero nights only magnify the problems one has in zero weather. The methods are all the same for cures.

Magnify? Well, a sledge to release your brakes is not the best method and if one takes a get-r-done attitude. They just created another problem. No matter what chemical one uses in super sub-zero weather. Well, it just does not work as well and takes longer to get-r-done. Patience becomes a key word in super cold weather. Do your maintenance or one can fix the problem later with words of discontent on their lips.

Let me say for those who pull company trailers or swapping trailers. Most tractors today have dryers on them. But just the same. Make it a point to drain the lines a couple of times on the trip so the water is out before you drop them. Add some alcohol if it looks like it has been lacking TLC. If dropping in cold weather. Take a minute to let the ice freeze and then move to break. Then drop trailer.

Being courtesy to the other driver who may pick it up two months later in the cold is an act of love and respect. Characteristics of professional drivers or us old time knights of the road think of.

[hiway2890 (deleted)]

`Great advice guys,nothing left for me to say