Line lock for front brakes

[Blakers]

Has anyone put a line lock on their truck's front brakes? Several years ago I had an F-150 that someone had installed a line lock on the front brakes. It was great! Much easier to use than the parking brake and more secure.



I'm putting my truck to work tending gas wells, so I'll be stopping and going all day long, and sometimes parking on hills. I don't really trust my parking brake all that much, and I don't want to shut the engine off every time I stop, so I'm thinking about the line lock.



Would there be a problem using one with the ABS system?



Thanks,

Blake

 

[rjones]

Never heard of a continuous duty line lock I use line lock on my Pro street Super Bee but totally for intermittent use only

 

[rjones]

Oh now thats I saw Mico I lol I used to sell those MANUAL brake controllers years ago Sorry LOL

 

[jelag]

Micro Loc used to offer a manual control... . you would step on the brake pedal and flip the lever of the Micro Loc and it would hold the mechanical pressure... I've installed 10-12 too many years ago to remember... Now I'm sure it could be done with a switch and a electrical valve... at the master cylinder... in front of the ABS... .

 

[Motorhead]

When I first started at UPS in 1976, most of the trucks (UPS calls them "Package Cars")had Mico brakes on them. They were neat in that when you got good at knowing just how much to apply the brake I could do so, jump in the back and grab the carton to be delivered and be out of the truck before it came to a stop.
THE BAD>>>> Ups removed ALL of them a few years later because of "Runaways". If there was ANY leakdown on the brake system, the truck would start to roll away when just the Mico was used. A runaway was your job going bye bye to a driver.
NEAT item but use at your own risk.

ONE more thing. You say that you are going to use your diesel to maintain GAS wells. I would ALWAYS want to shut off my truck around them because if there was a gas leak close to a running diesel engine you could have an engine runaway.

 

[seafish]

The old line lock Micos were great, as long as there wasn't any leakdown in the system. The newer systems use electric hydraulic pumps and controls to maintain active pressure in the brake system, and even give warning when pressure is failing, are probably over kill for our trucks, and WAY more expensive and intricate to install. The problem with the old systems is that you don't know unitl it's too late if they fail because of leakdown somewhere. If you are using it for any length of time as a backup to the parking brake, that might be fine, unless they both fail at the same time... unlikely, but still possible, given the known nature of line-lock leak down as well as dodge parking brake failure (pre 2004. 5??). A wheel chock (or better yet two of them--one placed in back of the driver side front wheel and the other in front of the driver side back wheel) is an easy, relatively quick, inexpensive and fail proof device) to keep your truck from rolling away on pitched ground. Probably cost about $40 for 2 composite wheel chocks. Of course, if you can afford it, the newer, powered Mico locks are quicker/easier to engage and disengage, plus you get to install and show off another neat tool/toy on your truck. Oo. :-laf

 

[Blakers]

One issue you can have with line locks (non electric kind) is that you need to press down harder to release the lock, so they can stick on. It's rare, but I have heard of people having to crack the bleeder in such instances.

I never had this problem with the one that was on my Ford. It had an L-shaped handle that you would turn and press down on the brake. To release, you just turned the handle 90°. Worked slick.

 

[Blakers]

ONE more thing. You say that you are going to use your diesel to maintain GAS wells. I would ALWAYS want to shut off my truck around them because if there was a gas leak close to a running diesel engine you could have an engine runaway.

No, you don't want to park a diesel next to a gas leak. Never heard of any actual problems around small leaks, but have heard of diesels on drilling rigs taking off if a pocket of shale gas was unexpectantly drilled into. Most diesels on rigs should have flappers on the intakes.



I don't want to park by gas leaks, and I definitely don't want to shut down a truck by a gas leak as the starter could spark causing an explosion upon restarting.