How ride height effects truck shockers Words and photography by Howard Shanks (diagrams supplied by Powerdown) As the title suggests, changing the ride height of your truck’s air suspension can have shocking results on the life of your shockers. Suspensions like many components on a heavy vehicle are precision pieces of equipment that play a…
How truck air dryers work and how to maintain them Draining the air tanks daily was a lesson instilled into me at an early age in a very fervent manner, it became a routine task at the end of each day. For today’s drivers this is becoming a task rarely performed as more and more…
Mystold named 2018 Woolworths Carrier of the Year Words and Photography by Howard Shanks Last week, Townsville based Mystgold Transport received Woolworths’ transport partners most prestigious Supply Chain accolade, the coveted 2018 Carrier of the Year. The announcement was made at the company’s sixth annual Transport Safety Day last week, hosted at Woolworths’ newly developed…
How a TRM module works (Trailer Response Management) Words and photography by Howard Shanks. Images supplied by Knorr-Bremse The Knorr-Bremse Trailer Response Management (TRM) module is a device that improves heavy vehicle brake response time and significantly reduces combination stopping distance. It is an essential piece of equipment for prime movers without an electronic braking…
How to drive an Eaton Ultrashift Eaton Ultrashift driver’s instruction manual available for download at end of article. Eaton’s Ultrashift Plus 18-speed transmission is arguably the simplest of the heavy-duty line haul ATM gearboxes in the market to operate. There are only a few selections required to get your rig moving. For instance, to go…
Buyer Beware – Volvo trucks Not so Australian Made! Images supplied Images supplied to Roadtrains.com.au this week confirm rumours that Volvo Trucks are fully importing vehicles into Australia. What’s wrong with that you may ask? After all Freightliner, Mercedes-Benz, Western Star, Scania and host of Japanese manufacturers all do it. Yes, but what those manufacturers…
How to Manually Release Truck Brakes or cage brakes Words and Illustrations by Howard Shanks In certain emergency situations, for instance, when an air brake system failure has happened and you need to move your truck to a safe position you may need to manually release the brakes to enable the vehicle to be moved.…
How to change 10-stud truck wheels Words and Photography by Howard Shanks Changing a 10-Stud wheel on the side of the road is one of those inherent unpleasant tasks that occasionally requires doing when we’d least expect or like, nevertheless if performed correctly the inconvenience to your journey can be minimised. Before commencing any tyre…
How to raise and lower a Kenworth K200 Cabin To Raise the cab Park the vehicle on a level surface to secure proper hook and latch alignment. 2. Apply the park brake. 3. Secure or remove all loose items in the cab and luggage compartments. Close all doors. 4. Check the clearance above and ahead…
How to Polish Aluminum Wheels to a Chrome like Mirror Finish, this procedure can also be used to for polishing stainless steel, alloy fuel tanks and Alcoa truck rims. Well-polished aluminum can look like chrome but it takes time and patience to get the glossy mirror finish. You will need to work methodically to achieve…
