What is the purpose of the parking/emergency brake?

[AMink]

I like the ones that are between the seat for power slides! Tape the button down so it doesn't engage the rachets. I hate the one on my wife's Expedition. I pop the dang hood more often then releasing the brake!

 

[JPereira]

Many years ago I had a 69 Chrysler Newport 300 (2 door with 383 big block)and the master cylinder failed. Probably weighed close to my truck as it was a tank. I tried to stop that tank using just the parking brake going about 45 mph. That was the longest skid mark I have ever left. Rear brakes alone would never stop a moving vehicle that has any weight to it. It was better than having no brakes but not by much.

 

[ACoyle]

Call it what you will. They were handier when they had a lever on the floor than they are now.



If your brakes fail, they are way better than nothing. They will keep a vehicle from rolling when parked.



I used to use the lever ones to make sloding turnes in front wheel drive cars in the snow. Prolly best if I do not slide the Dodge.



AC



AC

 

[fkovalski]

... That was the longest skid mark I have ever left.....

I assume that you are refering to the one left on the road :-laf :-laf :-laf

 

[MCummings]

I assume that you are refering to the one left on the road :-laf :-laf :-laf

That's funny right there!



Merrick

 

[RMcKinney]

Good point.
If you live in the hill country you better use the "Parking Break" to keep pressure off the transmission part pawl.
On a hill apply the "Parking Break" BEFORE you shift to part. When you leave--- apply the foot breaks--shift out of part--release the "Parking Break" then leave with now problems.

 

[whiteknight]

My grandpa had a 1961 Ford dump truck that the E-brake handle stuck up out of the floor board to the right of the gear shift. I think it worked off a band at the back of the transmission too. There was a few times it was used as an "Emergency" brake when a wheel cylinder would blow loosing all the brake fluid and all brakes. Single master cylinders were common back then. At least now you should only loose the front or rear brakes. I haven't seen that old truck in close to 30 years.

 

[jhenderson]

Let's remember back when we all thought they were e- brakes. They were part of the rear brake system, which were drum brakes. You were activating the entire rear brake system with the cable instead of hydraulically. Now we activate a pair of drum brakes that have about 1/2 the square brake area of a VW Bug. No wonder it won't slow the truck in an emergency. It barely holds a truck when parked.

 

[Tractorat]

To try to answer the OP's question.
In the early days, I believe it was originally a backup to the main brakes. I think early brakes did tend to fail.
Now it is a back up to keep the car/truck from moving when parked.

An auto trans can slip out of gear. The parking brake (historically called the emergency brake) obviously will keep the car from rolling in the situation. Also, if parked on a hill, an auto trans can actually have enough pressure on it that you cannot take it out of park unless someone (or something) pushes it "uphill" to relieve the pressure on the transmission. If youve set the parking (emergency) brake, you wont have this problem.

I dont know if a manual trans can slip out of gear when parked. But I have heard of cases where a car has actually rolled down hill against the transmission even though it was parked in first gear or even reverse. A parking brake (that works) also guards against this.

When I was a kid, I do remember my dad stopping a car going down hill once when the brakes went out.

 

[rbattelle]

Good point.
If you live in the hill country you better use the "Parking Break" to keep pressure off the transmission part pawl.
On a hill apply the "Parking Break" BEFORE you shift to part. When you leave--- apply the foot breaks--shift out of part--release the "Parking Break" then leave with now problems.

My truck doesn't have any breaks, and my transmission doesn't have a part pawl, so I have now problems!

 

[SierraRam]

Let's remember back when we all thought they were e- brakes. They were part of the rear brake system, which were drum brakes. You were activating the entire rear brake system with the cable instead of hydraulically. Now we activate a pair of drum brakes that have about 1/2 the square brake area of a VW Bug. No wonder it won't slow the truck in an emergency. It barely holds a truck when parked.

Definitely real easy to drive right thru the parking brake. When I launch my boat I shut down my truck with it in gear because I don't trust the ability of these parking brakes to hold the load!

 

[PC12Driver]

I don't get that. You can turn a manual transmission over by hand in any gear. You can turn an engine over by hand. Nothing "locks" when you put a manual truck in gear to park it. You're just resting against the compression in one cylinder. The compression will eventually leak down and the truck will roll. Then, hopefully there isn't enough inertia to keep it from bumping past the next compression stroke.

Never trust a manual truck to stay where you put it if you just leave it in gear. I certainly wouldn't trust it on a hill by a lake and I definitely wouldn't walk behind it!

 

[AEdelheit]

Kinda curious if any of you guys have ever tried push starting one of our trucks??? When I had my manuals I always parked them in 1st gear with the parking brake on. Even with just first gear holding it unless the transmission slips out of gear its not moving, actually when I had to roll start mine once when the batteries were dead In 1st gear the tires wouldnt even turn just slide, had to go into a higher gear to turn the tires. As for the parking brake I keep mine adjusted tight and it will hold the truck well, sure I can push through it at about 1600 RPM but with how much torque is being applied I wouldnt expect it to hold at that point.

 

[Tractorat]

Definitely real easy to drive right thru the parking brake. When I launch my boat I shut down my truck with it in gear because I don't trust the ability of these parking brakes to hold the load!

It would be foolish to park any truck with just the parking brake when launching a boat.
As far as driving thru the parking brake. Dont forget, your dodge has a very torquey cummins engine. If it couldnt drive thru the parking brake, I would be very displeased.

 

[jhenderson]

The reason you can turn the motor thru is mechanical advantage. Barring tool to flywheel is pure gear reduction. It's just the opposite with the trans in low. Put it in direct or od and you can push the truck thru the motor.

 

[Bill Lins]

Kinda curious if any of you guys have ever tried push starting one of our trucks???

I had to pull-start mine in reverse a couple of years ago when the starter failed. It works if you use an EXTREMELY slow speed- otherwise the rear tires just slide on the pavement.