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Advantages of Full Air Brake on UD Trucks Unit

Posted By Mas Afit

Unlike small vehicles, trucks have a complex braking system. Not without reason, this is considering that trucks are often used as vehicles to carry heavy loads.

Broadly speaking, there are three types of truck brakes, namely hydraulic brakes, air over hydraulic (AOH), and full air brakes. All three have their advantages and disadvantages. What are they?

Hydraulic brake

Apart from trucks, hydraulic braking systems are also common in other vehicles. This type of brake utilizes fluid, in this case brake fluid, to operate the brake pads on the disc or drum.

Generally, this type of hydraulic brake is used on trucks that fall into the light duty category with a weight of 5-10 tons GVW. The advantages of hydraulic brakes are that they are easy to maintain.

But behind that, for trucks with heavy loads and long distances, this type of hydraulic brake actually has drawbacks. This type of brake is susceptible to heat which can cause it to fail. Therefore, some truck models with hydraulic brakes are equipped with a brake booster.

Air Over Hydraulic (AOH)

This type of brake is a combination of hydraulic brakes and compressed air brakes. The combination is regulated by a system called pneumatic. The way it works brake pads will still be pressed with brake fluid.

Then the compressed air will press the cylinder piston. This piston helps press the brake pads so the truck can slow down or stop. Trucks with a GVW weight of 10-24 tons or in the medium category generally use AOH type brakes.

The advantages of AOH type brakes lie in their better performance than hydraulic brakes. You could say that the safety of the AOH brake type is one level above the hydraulic brake type.

However, it still has drawbacks, namely if the hydraulic system leaks, brake failure will occur.

Full air brake

To improve the safety of the truck, the full air brake type was born. Full air brakes are found in heavy duty trucks weighing 24 tons and above. However, it is not infrequently used on trucks in other categories such as all trucks from UD Trucks.

The advantage of this full air brake lies in its safety. The security is that if there is a leak in the full air brake braking system, the brakes will automatically lock to reduce the risk of the truck brake failing. The brake pedal on a truck that uses full air brake is only a valve that opens air pressure to push the brake lining.

In terms of strength, this full air brake is very strong when compared to other types of truck brakes. No wonder it is widely used in the heavy duty category, and now in other categories.

Due to the strength of this type of full air brake, it is very strong, so sometimes it can cause the wheels to lock easily if the truck is not carrying a load.

However, UD Trucks engineers have anticipated this, with the addition of an LSV (Load Sensing Valve) component which will regulate the amount of braking force based on load or load.

In addition, there is also ABS (Anti Lock Brake System) technology which is controlled electrically which type is also a general requirement for UD Trucks customers who are engaged in oil and gas.

Because of the advantages of the full air brake, and the level of safety, it is the reason UD Trucks applies this type of brake in all its units such as the Quester and Kuzer.

It's clear, right, with the advantages of full air brake, will you choose the best truck unit from UD Trucks?