PART 7: STARTING & OPERATING THE VEHICLE
PB1319 (CAT. NO. 5296 ) —83— 22-01691 (R02/02)
Driving Bobtail or with an Unloaded Trailer
We recommend that you do not use your engine retarder to slow
down when you are bobtailing or pulling an empty trailer.
Manually Releasing Spring Brakes
You may sometime have to release your vehicle’s spring brakes by
hand to allow the vehicle to be towed. This could happen if the sys-
tem air pressure doesn’t reach operating pressure because your
engine or compressor is not working properly. You will have to
release the spring brakes at the spring brake chambers.
WARNING! Do not use the retarder when operating on road
surfaces with poor traction (such as wet, icy, or snow cov-
ered roads or gravel). Retarders can cause the wheels to
skid on a slippery surface. You could lose control of the
vehicle if the wheels begin to skid, resulting in an accident.
WARNING! Using an engine retarder can cause a wheel
lockup. The trailer is not loading the tires enough to
give the traction you may need. When you are bobtail or
unloaded, you can have a serious accident if your
wheels lock suddenly during braking. You could be
injured. Don’t use your retarder when you are driving
bobtail or with an unloaded trailer.
WARNING! Do not operate a vehicle when the spring
brakes have been released manually. Driving a vehicle
that has had its spring brakes manually released is
extremely dangerous. You would probably have no
brakes at all. You could have a serious or fatal accident.
WARNING! Releasing the spring brakes on an unse-
cured vehicle could lead to an accident. The truck could
roll, causing severe injury. Always secure the truck with
wheel chocks, chains, or other safe means to prevent
rolling before manually releasing the spring brakes.
NOTE: The primary purpose of the manual release feature
is to permit the vehicle to be towed to a repair facility.
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