I wanted to post this here to show something I've always known could happen, though I had never seen it happen before.
I always say that caged brakes should be treated like a loaded gun with no safety as well a bomb with a timer counting down, a timer that you cannot see. A few weeks ago, I posted on Facebook and said "You never know when something inside might be corroded or broken and is about to give out." and that is exactly what I have finally seen happen.
People have called me paranoid and laughed at me for working on spring brake chambers from behind a shield and/or in a safety cage I built for them, wearing the heaviest gloves I can find. I don't call it being paranoid, simply being appropriately cautious. I also store caged spring brakes inside "safety boxes" and the photos attached show why I've always done this.
This has never happened before, but it's always a possibility.
I walked into my shop yesterday and found that this spring chamber had broken it's containment box. I don't know exactly when it happened, but it was sometime during the last week. This caged brake chamber has been sitting for a few weeks.
The pressure plate is still in the housing. Both pieces of the broken spring are still in there. The cage bolt is still in place. However, the spring itself broke in a spot close to one end. Nothing launched out and away from this chamber.
The spring broke and one part of this spring instantly extended a few inches. This destroyed the box it was in, but the box prevented damage to anything else in the shop. If someone had been holding this, or even nearby it when the spring gave out, it could have caused severe damage to the person and/or surrounding shop. This could have easily gone through a hand if it was being held by the bottom.
Keep this in mind any time you think you might want to work on your brake chambers.
I always say that caged brakes should be treated like a loaded gun with no safety as well a bomb with a timer counting down, a timer that you cannot see. A few weeks ago, I posted on Facebook and said "You never know when something inside might be corroded or broken and is about to give out." and that is exactly what I have finally seen happen.
People have called me paranoid and laughed at me for working on spring brake chambers from behind a shield and/or in a safety cage I built for them, wearing the heaviest gloves I can find. I don't call it being paranoid, simply being appropriately cautious. I also store caged spring brakes inside "safety boxes" and the photos attached show why I've always done this.
This has never happened before, but it's always a possibility.
I walked into my shop yesterday and found that this spring chamber had broken it's containment box. I don't know exactly when it happened, but it was sometime during the last week. This caged brake chamber has been sitting for a few weeks.
The pressure plate is still in the housing. Both pieces of the broken spring are still in there. The cage bolt is still in place. However, the spring itself broke in a spot close to one end. Nothing launched out and away from this chamber.
The spring broke and one part of this spring instantly extended a few inches. This destroyed the box it was in, but the box prevented damage to anything else in the shop. If someone had been holding this, or even nearby it when the spring gave out, it could have caused severe damage to the person and/or surrounding shop. This could have easily gone through a hand if it was being held by the bottom.
Keep this in mind any time you think you might want to work on your brake chambers.
Attachments
Last edited: