Air over Hydraulic brakes

Baz - I think you'll find that there were a higher level of jack-knifes in the old days, due to trailer brakes that were either less effective than the prime mover .. or they weren't working at all!

I think I could just about count on one hand, the number of floats in W.A., in the 1950's and 1960's, that actually had full-time working trailer brakes.
I was just as guilty as the rest. I ran the old ex-army float with no trailer brakes for years, you just drove to the conditions.

Traffic in the wheatbelt was absolutely minimal, you never went more than about 80kms from home, and you knew every road like the back of your hand. Hills were non-existent.
I did have a couple of exciting moments when flying around a corner at full tilt, at about 70-75kmh .. and coming across a flock of sheep being moved up the road! ..

I recall an accident on the Welshpool Rd hill in the early 1980's, involving one of Caratti's floats. Caratti's man had built a big Govt dam in Pingelly with Caratti's scraper, and took off to Perth with the scraper on one of Mick's Macks with a tandem dolly, and the 4-axle float.
He missed a gear going down Welshpool Rd hill, and the float took off. Knowing Micks rigs, it probably jumped out of gear, and he couldn't get it back in.

The whole lot went over the side of the escarpment about 3/4 of the way down, doing a tremendous speed. The entire rig landed upside down on the flat, and the driver was killed.
Fortunately, he missed a heap of houses, cars and people, and landed in scrub country.

I remember the accident investigation report making a big point, about .. "only 4 of the 9 axles on the truck, dolly, and low-loader, had working brakes ...."

Basil l have an R190 with a 653 in it a bit like a yellow one in the west. Do you have any photos that show the compressor on yellow one. What axles does your truck have.

Chris

Gr8 info Guyz
WFIW
Dont fall for the trap of converting a vacuum mecanical axle to a Air mecanical axle by just putn Air chambers on axle
As the Vacumm suk the slack adjuster to the axle
the air mecanical pushes the slakee
LOL
tiz easy fix
swap left to right camshaft n vice versa
th@ way the air chamber can push the slakee so the S cam raises the brake shoe to stop the beast

IfnUGetMyDrift
Cya
[ch9787]

653 Detroit,

There are two ways you can get a compressor on a 6V53.
The common way is driven of the back of the left camshaft and the other is belt driven down the side at the front of the donk.
I went with belt drive because of where I have the donk sitting in the yellow 90 the rear mount compress would have been smack in the middle of the main cab cross member and I didnt want to cut it.
The belt drive bracket is a factory affair with oil drain etc built in. The same mount is used with the bendix vacuum pump. Same pulley etc.
Front axle is F1800D Loadstar and rear is RA145 Inter. I tossed the Inter pumpkin out and fitted a Eaton center with a taller ratio. Slight mods to get bigger ring gear into housing and you have to dismantle center and use spider side gears from old inter center to match the axle splines. Center came out of a Ford Cargo.
If I do it again I will toss the whole diff. These early Inter S cam diffs are 6" shoes and an odd mounting setup...right painfull.
Loadstar front axle spring mount pads are 1/2" wider than 90 so hardened 6mm spacers are fitted. You can see em in one pic.
Basil

there have been very good replys to 653Detroit's question
something I can not get my head around is why he has to have airbrakes? not that I would wont a vacuum setup myself it would be what was a common 1950's trailer setup, and into the 60's too I bet. My 34 truck has mechanical brakes and towed a jinker with up to 8 ton load, no trailer brakes! They may not let me tow a load like that now even if I could find that same trailer, but I can get it rego'ed on the road as a historical truck correct for 1934. You can get a steam tractor, a rear wheel only braked early car/truck or even a 30 year old tractor on historic rego if its correct for when it was made. The only problem I can see is if the truck is a 50's model and the trailer is a 70's model.
Someone has to restore the old vacuum brake setups so we can see what they were like even if they dont work as good as a modern airbrake, a few trips a year to shows with a light load is not a problem in my mind.

OK I will go and find my hard hat now

GM Diesel thanks for putting up the photos.


Jake.

Thanks to everyone for your replies and to Basil for the photos. A couple of the replies even had advise l was hoping to hear. Its given me plenty to think about, as usual it never as easy as you hope to be. My plan is to put a pintel hook on the R190 to tow a small single axle tag float. This will give me the option to take a tractor or engines to shows or rallies. I also have bobcat that could be moved a lot easier. The 190 has a tipper body about 11" including hoist box so it is a bit tight for bobcat and tractor float seemed to be an easier fix time will tell. Thanks again to all responses and look forward to many more.
Chris