Trouble-by degrees
Page 44
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by Ron Douglas
WE all, at times, get so wound up in our own particular problems that we are unable to appreciate other people's problems.
I have an acquaintance, another owner driver, who runs a 14-ton 4-wheeler and because he does not operate in my league. I have been inclined in the past to think he could not possibly face the same frustrations that we heavy boys do.
I met him, recently, while collecting spares from a factor and he looked very down in the dumps. He told me he had run into the back of another truck, doing extensive damage to his two-year-old vehicle and his insurance company had washed its hands of the problem by referring to the small print in his policy. Repair costs looked like running into almost £1,000 and his survival prospects looked black indeed.
We discussed the accident. which happened at the traffic lights in Buxton, Derbyshire, after he had negotiated the route over the top from Ashbourne. He had been pushing and had taken a chance on getting through the lights, and unfortunately the chap in front had other ideas and decided to stop at the last second. His brakes just did not work, yet, only a quarter-mile back up the hill it had been necessary to brake very hard because of an obstruction and he had stood there for a few minutes.
The truck had a full freight Of barley on board and he had concluded that he had miscalculated how much brake he had.
I was not so sure, though, because I had been doing some thinking, and when he finished describing what had happened, I was keyed up to ask questions: Had he done the same job before with the same load, and over the same route? Yes, he had on numerous occasions.
Had he ever experienced any significant brake fade: No, not with this vehicle.
Had he recently had any brake attention? No, not in the last 20,000 miles.
Had the police been involved at the scene of his accident? Yes.
Did they check the braking system? Yes, and found it in perfect working order.
I then asked him how quickly he had travelled over the top and, together, we worked out his average speed at just over 32 mph.
Knowing the road, very well, I was certain his vehicle would have been relatively slow to climb to the top, so he must have travelled quite fast over the level sections and the downhill sections to make that sort of average.
It seemed that the obstruction had been caused by roadworks and a tipper shooting a load of stone over the kerb. We reckoned it would take about three minutes for the driver to spot in on his tipping point, tip and lower his body.
He had, he told me, followed the lorry he ran into almost all the way from Ashbourne Hill and, on several occasions had tried to get past but could not.
I put all the evidence together and, after some deliberation, pronounced in a learned and very smug tone: "You cooked your livers, mate.He nodded glumly and we parted.
As I drove the car back to my garage, I realised we had spent more time talking than I could afford and the car came in for some stick as I pushed on. I approached a roundabout doing some 40 mph and made to ease down to let another car take his right-of-way coming in from my right.
Nothing happened, and more brake pressure sent the pedal right to the floor.
My car jumped the central reservation and I managed to get round the back of him. Then, I cleared all the 'roundabout furnishings and finished up high and dry, in the flower beds.
That I thought, as I collected my wits, is retribution for being smug about my acquaintance's bang-up.
All the usual things happened after that, the "blowing in the bag bit" included. But I was more concerned to find out what had really happened to my brakes, for 30 minute-§later they were perfect.
As the wrecker eased my car out of the flower beds, a 1949-ish with badges all over it stopped and a sporty type alighted and sauntered over. -How did you manage that" he asked. "Sudden brake failure" I said, then went on to tell him how everything was not OK.
"Been hopping on had you," he said. I had to admit I had.
He only said two words, more in explanation: -Vapour lock.'How do you make that out" I asked. He then went on to tell me about a recent film and talk presented at his motoring club by a boffin type from a brake fluid manufacturer.
It seems that, in recent years, research has shown that the hydroscopic (water attracting) properties of brake fluid are such that, after a year or so of intensive use. the rnoisturt content rises to a level where quite normal continuous heavy braking causes the fluid to boi and create a vapour pocket ir the wheel slave-cylinders.
Also, that it was now possible to get a test done on the fluid ir the system to see if it wa: operationally safe.
Now, the fluid in my car hac never been changed in five years, so I 'phoned the numbei he gave me and fixed up a test.
The fluid in my car's system would, the test told us, •boil at only 122 degrees Centigrade, instead of its temperature when new at 245 degrees Centigrade. It was in a highly dangerous state and, no doubt caused my mishap.
I phoned my owner-driver acquaintance and explained what had happened, passing on my new-found knowledge to him, because his lorry sported air-over-hydraulic brakes and vapour locking could be the explanation for his mishap.
He must have convinced his insurers that that is what happened for I passed him on the M6 a little while ago obviously still going strong.
The company which gave the talk on brake fluid, by the way, was Burmah Castrol.