Who's got a brake line lock?

[JGK]

I'm not particularly impressed with the holding capability of my stock parking brake. I've been considering a line lock system. It seems its pretty easy to buy a "roll control" system from Jegs or Summit Racing, but those are for relatively short-term use like hooking up to a trailer, opening a gate, etc. I'd like one that will do that, but will also lock for longer periods, like over night!



Mico makes a sophisticated one, available from them directly or from AW Direct, that will lock the front brakes, the rear brakes, or both sets, with the flip of a switch. But they want about a grand for it!!



Has any members out their found one that works longer than just momentarily, while the truck is running, but won't cost an arm and a leg? I like the idea of being able to lock the front brakes independently of the rears, but that would proabably add to the expense.



My truck has the rear-only ABS drum brakes, by the way.



Thanks,

-Jay

 

[NVR FNSH]

Have you adjusted the rear brake shoes recently?



Brian

 

[JGK]

Yep. Adjusted them to where they just started to drag, the backed off a click or two.

 

[TRCM]

for what you want, you need a mechanical lock, not a line lock.



A line lock using electricity to hold the solenoid closed. this could significantly drop your battery voltage over night, not to mention burning up the solenoid... it's not rated for constant use.



if adjusting your ebrake doesn't help, you may need a new cable. once they stretch, they don't woprk as well.

 

[Matt400]

Some neat stuff here:

http://www.awdirect.com/awdirect/catalog.cfm?dest=dir&linkid=211&linkon=subsection

 

[JGK]

Yeah, a mechanical (line) lock seems to be the direction. I was just hoping to find one for less than what Mico wants. (Matt, your link is exactly the one I was referring to at AW Direct in my original post. But thank you just the same. ).



Maybe the cable has stretched, as suggested. I looked at adjusting it, but it seems to only allow for adjusting equalization between the rear wheels.



Thanks,

-Jay

 

[cojhl2]

Regardless if its elec or mech, aren't you worried that the hy fluid could seep back thru the valve?



I would be!

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I've used these before on off road trucks - http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=C19-PK1 . I wouldn't want to leave it for a week on one but I've used one overnight with no problems.

 

[Matt400]

(Matt, your link is exactly the one I was referring to at AW Direct in my original post. But thank you just the same. ).

I skipped right over that one.

I had one of these in a tow truck years ago, it worked great and was trouble free. Just flip the lever and hit the brake pedal.

 

[jkalchik]

The link from awdirect is the same Mico lock that's on an FMC nut shaker up at my folks (it was actually used for shaking cherries. ) It'll hold a several ton machine (the head alone has a couple of hundred lbs. of lead shot) locked in place during the shaking cycle. It worked flawlessly for 20 years of harvest.



Having said all that, I don't think I'd use one on my CTD. I'd rather not have high pressure brake fluid in the cab with me. And if I do, I've still got a bit of steel tubing between the lock and the brakes. Which comes to the main point: there's a huge reason that e-brakes are a practically separate system from the service brakes. If one system fails, there is a backup.



About the only way I'd consider using a line lock would be one of the electric solenoid versions and mount it back on the rear axle. And then it's not a parking brake, it's temp use because it uses a fair amount of juice to keep the solenoid energized.

 

[JGK]

Hmmm... "nut shaker"... kinda like my truck Hardly. But I couldn't resist.



Steve! I wasn't sure you were still out there. In my forum search on this subject before starting this thread your replies came up from many moons ago. It sounded like you have (had) this type of thing successfully installed on your truck. Is that still the case? Your link to the Jamar lock at CIP1. COM is in the right price range, but it looks like it would be be mounted in the cab with brake lines run inside. Simple, cheap, and apparently effective, with compromises.



Matt, your link to the Mico product is more sophisticated than the Jamar lock and I like it, but here again, its all in the cab. I was hoping to keep the valve and most of the mechanisms outside. There's a link to a dual lock system from Mico on that page from AW Direct that has the valves under the hood and a cable running inside to actuate them. Now this looks to be a viable alternative to what I'm looking for, but it's $430. More than I was hoping to spend, but I'm sure it would work well.



I'll have to think about it for a while. In the mean time, I'll see about getting my stock parking brake adjusted and working better.



Thanks,

-Jay

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I'm definately still out there - seeing as how I keep this place running . I do have the line lock still on my truck but it's only good for intermittent use - max of 1 minute they say.

 

[boatpuller]

Steve! I wasn't sure you were still out there. In my forum search on this subject before starting this thread your replies came up from many moons ago. It sounded like you have (had) this type of thing successfully installed on your truck. Is that still the case? Your link to the Jamar lock at CIP1. COM is in the right price range, but it looks like it would be be mounted in the cab with brake lines run inside. Simple, cheap, and apparently effective, with compromises.

Thanks,

-Jay

I would think that you could mount the Jamar lock through the floor, it would only control the rear brakes, but mount it through the floor where you could reach it (on the center hump?) and then all the brake lines would be under the truck so you wouldn't have to worry about the fluid in the truck.



Caleb

 

[JGK]

Caleb,



That's a decent idea. Though I'd probably use it on the front brakes if possible so as to be a back-up to the stock rear brake.



Not only that, but you'd have a front lock for doing great burn-outs!



-Jay

 

[boatpuller]

Yeah, after I posted that I thought that there would be no reason you couldn't run the front brake line to wherever you wanted to place it either, my mind originally was thinking that the rear brake lines were already under the cab so you wouldn't need to add much line. Should work fine on the front brakes also. The one from AW direct that was made to mount on the dash would probably be able to mount that way also.

 

[puebla]

I run a JEGS line-loc on my 3rd Gen, no issues or qualms here.