to be checked in order to prevent uneven pad wear,” she continues. For drum brakes, the lining and drums should be inspected on a regular basis for signs of thickness or signs of friction issues, in addition to regular grease maintenance of the slack adjuster and S-cam. “Brake stroke should also be measured regularly to ensure brakes are not out of adjustment,” Oreskovic adds. SPEC’ING OPTIONS Very few OEMs off er multiple brake spec options for the medium duty segment, though some are promoting disc brakes in an eff ort to aid in widespread fl eet acceptance. According to WABCO offi cials, air disc brake segments of the industry with the largest growth potential are the following: • Dry van operations. • Tank fl eets. • Waste hauling. • Bus fl eets. • Hazardous material hauling. “Th ese applications typically call for high-brake usage and ‘stop-and-go’ conditions and take full advantage of the lower brake temperatures and longer life off ered by the air disc brakes, compared to drum brakes,” they add. AWARENESS IS KEY Th ere is no overstating the importance for fl eets to have a strong understanding of modern brake technology to ensure they are getting the most out of their investments in the vehicles that employ them, as well as to determine whether or not they are being effi ciently and eff ectively maintained. While drum brakes are still found on a signifi cant percentage of medium duty commercial vehicles, the ever-increasing prevalence of disc braking systems appears to be a trend that is here to stay. “Drums are primarily still used for their lower cost, but they have largely been replaced by fourwheel disc systems in modern vehicles,” says Ruiz of Centric Parts. “There really are few advantages to the older drum brake systems. They are much more prone to fade, are heavier and take longer to service. Disc systems are generally preferred because of their better overall performance.” Medium Duty | DISC SYSTEMS are preferred. THE P89 DISC BRAKE SERIES—THE NEW BEAT FOR FLEETS TO FOLLOW. www.safholland.us 888-396-6501 © 2016 SAF-HOLLAND, Inc. All rights reserved. NOTHING BEATS A DRUM LIKE A DISC SAF-HOLLAND—the world’s leader in innovative trailer air disc brake technology—introduces the P89 series. Two models, perfectly timed to meet the beat of your fl eet. Disc brakes simply provide better performance than drum brakes. They stop shorter for increased safety and reduce maintenance for lower total cost of ownership. www.SAF-P89.com P89 Plus Disc Brakes— Premium Performance Plus Maintenance Free Design. Features the INTEGRAL® Rotor/Hub and premium sealed bearings. New P89 Disc Brakes— Proven Design Quality at the Right Price. All at a price point that makes sense for commercial fl eets of any size. The New P89 and P89 Plus disc brake systems can be specifi ed with SAF CBX air and ULX spring ride suspensions. WATCH THE P89 DISC BRAKES VIDEO VehicleServicePros.com/10122991
FleetMaintenance_NovemberDecember_2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above