Trucks with air brake systems have them on the steer axles. Trucks with steerable pusher axles usually have those... non steerable pusher and tag axles (the difference between a pusher and a tag axle is that a pusher is located in front of the drive axles, and a tag axle is located behind) can go either way... they might have a single chamber 20 can or a dual chamber 30 can. Some trucks also only use dual chamber 30 cans on one drive axle, meaning only one axle has spring brakes... I see this often on the International Prostar, but have also encountered it on some Kenworth T2000s.
On the front brakes or on a drop axle.
On a T30 brake can, there are two chambers - the service chamber, and the emergency chamber. In the brake chamber, there is a spring.. when decompressed, it rotates the S-cam to lock the brakes. This is your parking brake. When you release the brakes, the emergency chamber remains constantly supplied with air to compress this spring, effectively releasing your brakes. The service chamber counteracts this, allowing you to utilize your brakes, but only when air is supplied to it when you push on the treadle valve.
yes , 1 chamber is for the front brakes and the other chamber is for the back brakes
The hold off diaphragm on an air brake system is at the bottom of the maxi-spring within the hold off chamber of spring brakes. Air from the system pushes against the hold off diaphragm and prevents spring pressure being applied to the push rod until the air supply is released.
On an air brake system, the brake chamber is what actuates the air brakes... it converts air pressure to mechanical force, either turning an S-cam (on foundation brakes), or actuating a caliper (on disc brakes).
The hold off pressure for the spring brakes if 60 psi, and brake chambers are regulated at 90 psi.
If you're referring to an air brake system, you have a leak in a brake chamber... one of your emergency chambers has gone bad (if you hear it only when you depress the brake pedal, then it's a service chamber).
They have two chambers - a service chamber, and an emergency chamber. These will typically be T30 brake chambers (as opposed to T20 brake chammbers used on steer axles, the #3 axle on International Prostars, and the Kenworth T2000, and on wedge brakes). Inside the brake chamber, there's a spring that, when decompressed, turns the S-cam (or flat cam, although those are a bit rare) and effectively engages the brake. This is your parking brake. When you supply air to the emergency chamber, air pushes against this spring... when that air pressure is 60 psi or higher, it exerts enough force against the spring to compress it, releasing the brakes.
There's an air compressor mounted to the engine. That compressor charges one (or several) tanks. Air from the primary system is fed continuously to the emergency chamber of the spring brake chambers - this provides hold off pressure to release the spring brakes. When the treadle valve (brake pedal valve) is depressed, air from the primary air system (and usually the secondary air system for the front axle) is routed to the service chamber of the brake chambers, and this usually rotates and S cam to push the brake shoes out into the brake drum (although specifics at this point will differ with disc brakes and piston brakes).
If you cage your brakes off the service brakes will work just fine because the brake chamber is two separate parts. The parking brake works trough the service brake but service brakes will work unless the diaphragm in the parking brake chamber is ruptured, holding the brakes on. Harley
It supplies air to the service chambers of the brake chambers in order to engage the brakes.
Cage the brake chambers and tow it.
On spring brake equipped trucks the answer the is yes. When air is discharged (pulling out yellow or red knob) from the emergency chamber a heavy spring inside the chamber applies tremendous force to you brake wheel. Anything pre-FMVSS 121 (or CMVSS, wherever you reside) will not have the spring chambers and therefore will only hold the brakes as long as there is air there. Once air is gone, say goodbye to the unit!