MAINTENANCE MANUAL Part No.
MAINTENANCE MANUAL VANS PLATFORMS CONTENTS CONTENTS Reporting Safety Defects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Reporting Other Claims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Maintenance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Appearance Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Freezing Weather Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Suggested Preventive Maintenance . . . . . .
This safety alert symbol is used throughout this manual to indicate potential personal safety hazards. Failure to heed the warnings associated with the safety alert symbol can result in property damage, serious injury or death. REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS AND OTHER CLAIMS Customer Service Phone Number: 877-369-3493 This vehicle was designed and quality inspected to conform with all applicable National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety standards.
INTRODUCTION This manual has been prepared to assist you in retaining the safety, dependability, and performance that are built into Great Dane trailers. It is essential that this trailer receives periodic inspections, maintenance, and service parts replacement. It is to your advantage to be able to show that regularly scheduled TPM inspection checks have been made on every piece of equipment operated. A regular TPM program will assure that you get the most from your Great Dane trailer.
MAINTENANCE TIPS BREAKING-IN A NEW TRAILER The most critical time in a new trailer’s life is its initial in-service check and first month’s “shakedown.” Preventive maintenance mechanics should be alert for under-inflated tires and threaded fasteners that may have loosened from factory-torque settings. Fastener torque should be all-inclusive and include refrigeration units, tanks, steps, carriers etc.
APPEARANCE MAINTENANCE Appearance maintenance includes cleaning, polishing, corrosion prevention and removal, and protective coating. You must have a working knowledge of each for the complete and proper appearance maintenance of a Great Dane trailer. WASHING AND CHEMICALS Improper use of chemical cleaners has caused many a newly delivered trailer finish to streak and fade, particularly yellow, red and black models.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CAUTION CONNECTOR WIRING CHANGE NOTICE TO ALL TRACTOR-TRAILER OWNERS AND USERS Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 121, Air Brake Systems, was amended by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of DOT to require that truck tractors manufactured on or after March 1, 1997, provide constant power for a trailer’s antilock brake system (ABS). Some manufacturers provided this feature before the effective date.
A warning decal, as shown on the previous page, is located on the front of each trailer. You may trace individual electrical circuits by the wire colors indicated. Refer to the schematic drawing and the decal for conductor numbers and wire colors. WARNING Do not exceed 21 candlepower for dome lamps. Stronger bulbs may generate excessive heat and start a cargo fire. Cargo must be kept away from dome lamps. Dome lamps must be turned off for over-the-road operation.
BRAKE CARE AND ADJUSTMENT The trailer brake system will perform safely and efficiently only as long as it is properly maintained and not abused. Trailer brakes should be inspected frequently in connection with a Trailer Preventive Maintenance (TPM) Program. Out-of-adjustment brakes can cause increased stopping distance, shorter brake component life, and a greater tendency for the trailer to jackknife. WARNING Prior to performing maintenance on any air brake system component, chock the wheels.
OVERSIZE LINERS To compensate for material removed when refacing brake drums, X (1/16" oversize) and XX (1/8" oversize) liners are furnished by the lining manufacturers. When oversize liners are used the drums should be machined in increments of 1/16" (radius increased 1/16"). WARNING Enlarging the drum diameter may permit the cam to rotate beyond its maximum lift when the lining becomes worn. This can result in sticking cams or cam rollover.
PARKING BRAKES All axles (except some converter dolly axles) are equipped with air/spring actuators. Each actuator is separated into two units. The base unit applies the service brakes. The top unit contains a coil spring that must be compressed by air within the chamber to release the parking brakes. Loss of air pressure in the supply line to the brake chamber will automatically apply parking and/or emergency braking.
This detailed check takes about two and one-half hours. It’s important to check a representative tractor and trailer each time you order equipment. Keeping an eye on your brake service records will also flag imbalance problems. If you are seeing 300,000 miles on tractor linings and 70,000 miles on trailer linings, there’s obviously an imbalance problem. OIL SEALS AND HUB CAPS OIL SEALS Oil seals vary in design and installation.
INSPECTION Inspect the inner and outer wheel bearing cups, cones and rollers for excessive wear or damage. Refer to bearing and axle manufacturer’s manuals for inspection and replacement requirements. LUBRICATION For maximum bearing life, inspect wheel bearings and lubricant periodically, change lubricant regularly, and clean the hub assembly properly. If you do not clean the hub assembly properly both originally and in subsequent service, you must adhere to a shorter lube change schedule.
Lubrication fill oil (static) Check the rocker beam to see if there is adequate clearance between the ends of the spring and the rocker beam hub when the axle is both loaded and unloaded. Check welds to see that no cracking has occurred between the spring seats and axles, and between the hangers and sub-frame. Fill to oil level line on hub cap window Lubrication fill semi-fluid grease (No.
The shock absorbers should be replaced at the first sign of leaking hydraulic fluid. Worn shocks will allow tire hop and yield poor handling characteristics. Many air suspensions are equipped with air control kits. The air control kit allows the raising or lowering of the vehicle bed by inflating or exhausting air from the air suspension. Do NOT operate the vehicle when the suspension is in the lowered or raised position.
SINGLE-PIECE RIM WHEELS Illustrated, complete safe operating procedures are provided on the wall chart “Mounting and Demounting Procedures for Truck/Bus Tires” available from the Department of Transportation, and OSHA. The following minimum steps are recommended to provide maximum safety when servicing single-piece wheels: • The tire must be completely deflated by the removal of the valve core before demounting.
TUBELESS RIM LEAKS. Circumferential crack at bead set. Caused by pitting and erosion by the tire bead. Circumferential crack in well radius. Caused by overload and over inflation. RIM/WHEEL PROBLEMS RIM BASE CRACKS Circumferential crack at back flange radius or bead set. Causes: Overload and/or over inflation, damage due to tire tools, tire bead deep pitting or corrosion. Circumferential cracks in middle of rim. Cause: Damage at valve slot or elsewhere. Disc weld problem. Cracks in rim gutter.
STUD HOLE CRACKS Hub or outboard drum may be damaged or broken. Must provide flat backup. WHEEL CRACKS Handhole to handhole. Handhole to studhole. Handhole to rim. Causes: Overloading. Double-capnut wheel mounting preload is force applied to the disc by torquing nuts. Inner cap nut must be tightened before tightening outer nut. Crack originating from thin edge of bolt hole. Cause: Damaged or worn out chamfers. Studhole to studhole. Causes: Loose cap nuts.(Also see chamber problems).
Running a tire under inflated can have serious consequences in addition to reducing tread life. Heat buildup can cause the tire body to deteriorate, resulting in separation of the tread from the body or belt ply. A soft tire overdeflects, causing fatigue breaks in the body cords. Continued overdeflection causes breaks in the body cord construction, leading to sudden air loss.
TIRE LOADS Great Dane Trailers, as required by the safety regulations of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has assigned a Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for each axle on the undercarriage. (See example certification plate below.) SINGLE-AXLE PROCEDURE 1. Remove any parts of the undercarriage that will interfere with the tape when it is stretched between the kingpin and the ends of the axle – or avoid removing the parts by using a Sweeny pogo stick or equivalent device.
5. Measure the distance, on each side, from the center of the end of the front axle to the center of the end of the rear axle (measurements C and D of the tandem-axles illustration). These measurements must be within 1/16" of each other. (Illustrated is a gauge that simplifies this measurement.) It can be made of drill rod or pipe fittings. The materials and details are less important than that the resulting gauge be rigid and true. (The pointer arms of the gauge should be parallel and in the same plane.
PINTLE HOOK REAR IMPACT GUARD 1. Clean and check for proper operation. This should be done at each TPM. MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for rear impact guards require the proper maintenance and repair of trailer guards. Trailer guards are subjected to impacts and stress in docking and loading operations. These impacts, as well as the stresses applied by the use of dock restraint equipment, if excessive, can damage any rear guard.
SIDE AND ROOF PANELS – VANS Side and roof panels are critical structural members of the trailer. Small holes can be patched using an overlay panel with blind rivets. Large holes may require panel replacements. When repairing large holes or when replacing full panels, use solid rivets of 2117-T4 aluminum for aluminum panels, or solid rivets of type 302HQ for stainless steel panels. Refer to the TTMA Maintenance Manual.
d. Check all rollers for smoothness of operations and have all sliding or otherwise damaged rollers replaced. e. Replace frayed, damaged or severely worn pull straps. f. Check the door lock to be sure that it is free, and fully operational. g. Replace broken or damaged hinges. h. Periodically use a light lubricant (not grease) on rollers, counterbalance hinges, and lock, as necessary, to maintain a smooth door operation.
Exteriors: Cleaning the outside of refrigerated trailers should be done the same way dry-freight vans are cleaned. Live steam does a good job of cleaning and brightening the exterior surfaces of van trailers. Application of a protective transparent coating may be used to protect the exterior surface from further oxidation. Do not use brightener on the trailer. Note: A trailer with open holes should not be steam cleaned until the holes have been patched or panels replaced.
3. Should ignition or combustion of the urethane become evident (flame, smoke, charring, odor, etc.), hot work must be stopped immediately. All flames must be extinguished and additional urethane materials must be removed from the workpiece and/or workplace before hot work is continued. 4. A fire watcher equipped with a 15-pound CO 2 or drychemical extinguisher must be posted at the job site during all hot work operations, and must remain for at least 30 minutes after such operations have been completed. 5.
RUNNING GEAR ASSEMBLY — PLATFORM AND CURTAINSIDE TRAILERS If components are substituted that are of equal or greater capacity than those used at the time of manufacture, then the GAWR need not be altered. MOVEABLE SUSPENSIONS 1. Always check the condition of the locking holes in the main beam. Holes that are badly worn or elongated will result in undue slack in the slider unit, causing excessive wear and suspension misalignment.
REV 07/04 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER ALL USED TRAILERS ARE SOLD IN “AS IS” CONDITION AND THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ON USED TRAILERS. Date Delivered _____________________________ Trailer Serial No. ___________________________ IN WITNESS WHEREOF, GREAT DANE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP has caused this warranty to be signed by its duly authorized officer.
MAINTENANCE MANUAL BIBLIOGRAPHY Recommended Maintenance Practices Manual Technology and Maintenance Council American Trucking Association 2200 Mill Road Alexandria, Virginia 22314 TTMA Trailer Maintenance Manual Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association 1020 Princess Street Alexandria, VA 22314 TTMA Technical Bulletins and Recommended Practices Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association 1020 Princess Street Alexandria, VA 22314 SAE Handbook Society of Automotive Engineers 400 Commonwealth Drive Warrendale, PA 15
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