Phillips Industries on Wednesday released its latest Qwik Tech Tips. The January issue of the newsletter focuses on avoiding air line failure in extreme winter weather conditions.
The newsletter explains how cold weather can adversely affect vehicle equipment, creating safety hazards. Winter’s effect on air lines is especially important because it can impair a vehicle’s ability to brake.
Phillips provides some specific ways cold weather can affect air lines:
- Nylon air coils lose their ability to stretch in severe weather conditions that are below their working temperature. This can lead to too much force on the gladhands, causing a separation between the gladhand or complete pull-away.
- Extreme temperatures cause a loss of recoil memory and, if coils are extended too far, the airlines will sag and drag on the deck plate.
- To prevent damage, use air lines designed specifically for severe weather conditions as well as grips to offer better leverage when coupling and uncoupling.
To read the entirety of this month’s issue, please CLICK HERE.
