To set the emergency brake or not ?

[jackrg]

I was up fishing w/ a friend this last week and when it was time to pull the boat he asked me to meet him at the launch w/ his truck and trailer.<br />After I backed the trailer down the ramp to the correct spot to load the boat I set the emergency brake on his truck, just like I would do on my own truck. After we loaded his boat he jumped in his truck and drove off. Well, he calls me after he got a few mile down the road, slightly upset that I set his e/brake and it caused some brake parts to heat up before he released it. He told me he never uses the e/brake when loading or unloading.<br /> Does anyone other than myself out there use the e/brake when loading and unloading a boat?

 

[tgissel]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

Yes Jackrg I use my e-brake as well. To take the load off the drivetrain, I cannot imagine not using it.

 

[jtexas]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

Darn right I use it - I shudder when I see those pics of submerged tow vehicles. In fact, I absolutely can not imagine leaving my own or somebody else's truck on the ramp with nobody in the driver's seat and the E-brake not set!

 

[gspig]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

I go a step further, I use a wheel chock.

 

[jackrg]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

I should mention that the boat that we were loading was a 19' Bayliner/bowrider on a single axel trailer.

 

[Butch Ammon]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

I have to use the emergency brake! My 2000 Chevy Silverado is a 5 speed standard. It pulls my boat without a problem and out of the water equally well too.<br /><br />I learned a trick from a guy at the marina one time, regarding manual trannys:<br /><br />When retrieving the boat.... Set the emergency brake and leave it. Get the boat all loaded on the trailer and so on. With the emergency brake still enabled, put it in 1st and S-L-O-W-L-Y start getting off the clutch as you give it gas. When the engine starts to bog down, immediately pop the emergency brake, and you will yank the boat/trailer right up the ramp without even spinning a wheel! <br /><br />Butch A.

 

[starrider_68]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

Just think... in an auto tranny all that keeps the vehicle from moving is a 3/4" piece of stamped metal. the stresses on that unit are enourmouse. the E- brake is designed to hold 80% of the vehicles veight on a 10* incline. that is why the owners manual reccomends that you apply the e-brake anytime you park on an incline. It keeps the stresses to the tranny to a minium.

 

[airman]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

An even better trick (for those lucky enough to have it) is the fast idle knob on my diesel. I just ride brakes and clutch. Unfortunately I've only got 2wd so I've needed a fat guy or two in the back more than once! And yes, I set the e-brake. Your friend is being a little stupid getting mad at you because he cuts corners with his truck and you don't.

 

[cajun555]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

I'm with all of ya'll, and Butcha, if I'm in my standard I do it the same on launch and retrevil. <br />Also sounds like someones E/Brake is out of adjustment. Normally if you set brake you shouldn't be able to move vehicle forward unless you really pour the meat to it.

 

[SingleShot]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

Same as the above, I always use my e-brake.<br /><br />JK

 

[beezee28]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

Always use the e-brake when loading and unloading my boat. I made it a habit and take my time to launch and load the boat. Can't be too careful. You never know the pickup, truck etc... might just have a mind of it own and move backwards into the water. Would make it a very bad day. Like cajun555 said if the e-brake is properly aligned your friend should not be able to move very far without noticing something is wrong (like moving very slow).

 

[Formula1974]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

Just tell your friend he would have been more pissed at you if you didnt set it and something happened and his truck tried to float away. Man some people, You try to protect his crap and he gets mad.

 

[BassMan283]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

Just going to echo, I guess. Along the lines of what cajun said, if he could drive away with the ebrake on, you probably wasted your time setting it. My V-8 won't move with the parking brake on. And it's on whenever I'm on a ramp.

 

[MrBill]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

After reading these responses I've come to realize that I should exercise more care. I have never used my e-brake at the ramp, but I'll probably be chocking my wheels in the future, or atleast use the e-brake.<br /><br />Regardless...your pal had no reason to be upset. Using the brake is a reasonable expectation...he should have checked following use by another driver.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

Did he not notice the brake light on the dash - usually on when brake is set.

 

[ED21]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

You haven't lived until your transmission has slipped out of park or was never completely engaged & your truck starts going backwards.<br />It happens all the time. I've heard of it happening on Chrysler product especially

 

[MrBill]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

To Ed's point...I once witnessed a parcel delivery driver step out of his truck as he was putting the truck into PARK. He slipped as he was exiting the truck and never got it into PARK. The door knocked him to the ground and as he lay there half stunned the truck begun circling him in reverse. Thankfully, the parking lot was not full and the drivers injuries were limited to those sustained by the door hitting him. It was pretty scary sight seeing that guy lying in the parking lot being cirled 10 or 12 times. On lookers couldn't intervene for what seened like hours because of the trucks path and increasing speed. Whoa....put it in park and use the e-brake. BTW the driver was reprimanded for exiting the truck without shutting the engine, leaving the vehicle unattended.

 

[brother chris]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

90% of the time I use my ebrake and I also ALWAYS use a chock. <br />I've heard way too many stories of the vehicle slipping, or like others have said, the vehicle was never in park to begin with.

 

[mtumilty]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

I use my parking brake even when I park my tow rig in a flat parking lot at work with the boat 30 miles away. Just a habit I picked up from my last truck (5-speed). On the ramp I use a person in the cab with their foot on the brake while I load the boat- prevents my truck from realizing it's dream: becoming a boat

 

[LazyJ]

Re: To set the emergency brake or not ?

My son recently made $40 first to find and then dive about 25' and hook a tow hook to a guy's '01 F250 XLT front axle. He thought reverse would hold it. The resulting jackknife destroyed the boat and dog-legged the trailer. Electronics on boat and truck were going nuts and nearly caught fire before we got all of the batteries disconnected. We didn't ask for money but simply needed him out of the way so we could take out, he figured since his wife was gonna murder him anyway he ought to share what wealth he had left. We made some 50 lb concrete chocks the next day to hopefully avoid living such a nightmare, they're troublesome to use but very comforting when launching alone.