What should you do if you discover a brake is beyond its pushrod stroke limit before a trip?

• A.Drive only in daylight and avoid using that brake
• B.Use lower gears so the weak brake is not needed
• C.Do not drive the vehicle in normal service until the brake is properly adjusted or repaired
• D.Note it and have it checked at the next annual inspection

Why

An over-stroke brake may produce far less force than the other brakes and can fail to stop its share of the load. Taking the vehicle with a known adjustment defect risks pulling, longer stops, and an out-of-service violation.

Manual topic: Air Brakes - Slack Adjusters · From the Air Brakes practice bank (AB-173).

Practice this subject as a full test

More Slack Adjusters & Pushrod Stroke questions

• What does a slack adjuster do in an S-cam air brake?
• How do you measure pushrod stroke (applied stroke) when checking brake adjustment?
• For many common brake chambers with a manual slack adjuster, about what pushrod stroke is the commonly cited maximum limit?
• What happens when pushrod stroke becomes excessive?
• When checking slack by hand, how much free movement at the slack adjuster suggests the brake needs adjustment attention?