With Meritor forecasting that 30 percent of the North American market will be specifying air disc brakes (ADBs) by 2020, it’s important to choose the right brake for your operation from a performance and maintenance standpoint. The reason being: both will impact your total cost of ownership (TCO).
Use of ADBs, which has doubled from 10 percent in 2010 to nearly 20 percent in 2016, delivers multiple benefits to specific vehicle applications and duty cycles. Across linehaul, hazmat, severe duty and vocational applications, end-users benefit from increased safety and exceptional performance.
Maintenance and Performance Considerations
While disc brakes may eventually come to dominate the North American market as they have in Europe, fleets need to evaluate duty cycles and lifecycle costs.
One key consideration is routine maintenance. Because disc brakes are built with fewer components, maintenance is simpler and takes less time – which offers the additional advantage of increasing vehicle uptime.
While maintenance for drums involves inspection of brake linings and lubricating cam bushings and slack adjusters, servicing ADBs often includes only checking for pad wear and making sure boots and seals are in good condition.
Brake Categories
Meritor works closely with OEMs on the development of braking solutions and with fleets to choose the right solution when spec’ing their vehicles. We offer three categories of brakes – air disc, drum and hydraulic disc – that meet current and evolving market demand in North America.
Meritor EX+ air disc brakes for truck/trailer linehaul and vocational vehicles offer superior stopping distance, increased pad life and reduced maintenance downtime because of their faster pad change capability, reduced brake inspection time and sealed internal adjuster mechanism that protects contamination, resulting in longer caliper life.
Meritor Q+ drum brakes for linehaul and vocational applications deliver consistent performance, stopping distance and reduced downtime due to these brakes’ longer service intervals. They are available with wider brake shoe packages and advanced friction material, offering longer lining life.
Meritor Quadraulic hydraulic disc brakes for medium duty trucks and buses deliver exceptional stopping performance and reliability due to the four-piston design.
Particular Benefits
Each braking system offers its own benefits, based on vehicle usage.
With disc brakes, Meritor has seen very good, consistent performance and feel, regardless of the duty cycle.
For vehicles with brakes that run hotter, such as those for transit bus and refuse collection, customers have seen many benefits with discs. Because the disc brake rotor is exposed, heat is released easily to the atmosphere, which helps lengthen service intervals and improve stopping performance.
For fleets spec’ing vehicles in the construction, logging and off-highway segments that operate in dusty environments, fully enclosed drum brakes remain an optimal solution to reduce maintenance costs. Some linehaul fleets spec’ing 6x4 tandem drive axles prefer a split system, with drums on rear axles and air disc brakes on front steer axles to gain many ADB benefits at an optimum acquisition cost.
Evaluate
Many different companies are competing for your business. Therefore, it’s important to evaluate your needs and apply a solution that matches brakes to optimize performance based on vehicle usage.
Look for a solution from a company that delivers top-of-the-line value and is willing to help vehicle owners find the right product for their application.
Whether spec’ing disc or drum brakes – or even opting for the growing trend of a split system – be sure to make your investment wisely. Your decision will impact the safety of your drivers as well as the general public, plus affect your vehicle’s total lifecycle costs.
T.J. Reed is vice president of front drivetrain, North America, at Meritor (www.meritor.com), a leading global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets. He is responsible for establishing the strategy, direction and priorities of Meritor’s front drivetrain business, which includes front axles, brakes and wheelends
