just to ask about an 18 tonne rigid Man wagon i was drivig…
there was a button on the floor next to my left heel.
would that be a shunting brake or is it a ■■■■■■. and if so what’s the best practice in using it?
i understand brake fade, but how easy is it to achive? not that i want to experience it lol
It’s the exhaust brake (exhauster) you use it in conjunction with service brake and engine braking (gearing down) to prevent not only brake fade but also to reduce wear on the brake consumables (pads discs shoes and drums)
I recommend you become familiar with it.
On my Volvo I couldn’t do without it and I seldom use the service brakes to slow the lorry.
My only word of caution would be avoid using it when the engine is cold
thanks Tipper Tom
coaster:
just to ask about an 18 tonne rigid Man wagon i was drivig…
there was a button on the floor next to my left heel.would that be a shunting brake or is it a ■■■■■■. and if so what’s the best practice in using it?
why the hell would you need a SHUNTING BRAKE on a rigid 
nick2008:
coaster:
just to ask about an 18 tonne rigid Man wagon i was drivig…
there was a button on the floor next to my left heel.would that be a shunting brake or is it a ■■■■■■. and if so what’s the best practice in using it?
why the hell would you need a SHUNTING BRAKE on a rigid
I’ve never heard of a shunting brake but it might be used on a drawbar?
DJC:
nick2008:
coaster:
just to ask about an 18 tonne rigid Man wagon i was drivig…
there was a button on the floor next to my left heel.would that be a shunting brake or is it a ■■■■■■. and if so what’s the best practice in using it?
why the hell would you need a SHUNTING BRAKE on a rigid
I’ve never heard of a shunting brake but it might be used on a drawbar?
it still wouldn’t be in the unit only on the trailer and it wouldn’t be a break anyway
Well explained Tipper Tom, just the advice the driver needed who askes a question without all the drama of slagging a driver off.
Hope Toms answer helps you out OP.
Well explained Tipper Tom, just the advice the driver needed who askes a question without all the drama of slagging a driver off.
Hope Toms answer helps you out OP.
Can’t speak for MAN but some trucks have a switch on the dash so that the exhaust brake operates in conjunction with the footbrake (service brake) or operates on the release of the accelerator.
Tipper Tom has given an excellent response.
Pete 
Peter Smythe:
Well explained Tipper Tom, just the advice the driver needed who askes a question without all the drama of slagging a driver off.
Hope Toms answer helps you out OP.
Can’t speak for MAN but some trucks have a switch on the dash so that the exhaust brake operates in conjunction with the footbrake (service brake) or operates on the release of the accelerator.
Tipper Tom has given an excellent response.
Pete
My old FM and current FH does this. Also when I throttle off the exhauster comes in. I think Renault (which is basically a Volvo) do this too. Yet the Scania I drove on my first day didn’t.
Standardising this on all lorries would be the way on in my opinion.
Cheers for the nice comments
The higher the revs the more effective the exhaust brake will be
coaster:
thanks Tipper Tom
YW fella. Better to ask twice than bugger something up
DJC:
nick2008:
coaster:
just to ask about an 18 tonne rigid Man wagon i was drivig…
there was a button on the floor next to my left heel.would that be a shunting brake or is it a ■■■■■■. and if so what’s the best practice in using it?
why the hell would you need a SHUNTING BRAKE on a rigid
I’ve never heard of a shunting brake but it might be used on a drawbar?
Most trailers in my experience have a shunt brake (a way of releasing the trailer brake without an air feed)
Personally I think they’re a dangerous idea as I’ve picked up trailers with them left open and despite the trailer brake being on the trailer will move when you couple. I always check the shunt valve now when coupling.
Tipper Tom:
DJC:
nick2008:
coaster:
just to ask about an 18 tonne rigid Man wagon i was drivig…
there was a button on the floor next to my left heel.would that be a shunting brake or is it a ■■■■■■. and if so what’s the best practice in using it?
why the hell would you need a SHUNTING BRAKE on a rigid
I’ve never heard of a shunting brake but it might be used on a drawbar?
Most trailers in my experience have a shunt brake (a way of releasing the trailer brake without an air feed)
Personally I think they’re a dangerous idea as I’ve picked up trailers with them left open and despite the trailer brake being on the trailer will move when you couple. I always check the shunt valve now when coupling.
Couldn’t agree more, they should be fitted with a device that removes the finger tips of any driver (who is not a yard shunter or mechanic) who touches them.
One bod ‘‘helped’’ me change trailers one night, fatal that i should have told him to bugger off, he uses the shunt valve to save the 10 seconds taken to slip the red line on when doing is own, unbeknown to me he’d pressed the bloody thing and it must have stayed in, as i drove out the premises all the dash was lit up with air warnings and a lo and behold no trailer brake effort at all, stopped and checked and discovered what my helper had done…been warned.
DJC:
nick2008:
coaster:
just to ask about an 18 tonne rigid Man wagon i was drivig…
there was a button on the floor next to my left heel.would that be a shunting brake or is it a ■■■■■■. and if so what’s the best practice in using it?
why the hell would you need a SHUNTING BRAKE on a rigid
I’ve never heard of a shunting brake but it might be used on a drawbar?
Thomas the tank engines got one
Tipper Tom:
DJC:
nick2008:
coaster:
just to ask about an 18 tonne rigid Man wagon i was drivig…
there was a button on the floor next to my left heel.would that be a shunting brake or is it a ■■■■■■. and if so what’s the best practice in using it?
why the hell would you need a SHUNTING BRAKE on a rigid
I’ve never heard of a shunting brake but it might be used on a drawbar?
Most trailers in my experience have a shunt brake (a way of releasing the trailer brake without an air feed)
Personally I think they’re a dangerous idea as I’ve picked up trailers with them left open and despite the trailer brake being on the trailer will move when you couple. I always check the shunt valve now when coupling.
I know of the shunt button, I’d just never heard it called a shunt brake before so I thought it might have been a different system which is what threw me off a bit! 
Juddian:
Tipper Tom:
DJC:
nick2008:
coaster:
just to ask about an 18 tonne rigid Man wagon i was drivig…
there was a button on the floor next to my left heel.would that be a shunting brake or is it a ■■■■■■. and if so what’s the best practice in using it?
why the hell would you need a SHUNTING BRAKE on a rigid
I’ve never heard of a shunting brake but it might be used on a drawbar?
Most trailers in my experience have a shunt brake (a way of releasing the trailer brake without an air feed)
Personally I think they’re a dangerous idea as I’ve picked up trailers with them left open and despite the trailer brake being on the trailer will move when you couple. I always check the shunt valve now when coupling.
Couldn’t agree more, they should be fitted with a device that removes the finger tips of any driver (who is not a yard shunter or mechanic) who touches them.
One bod ‘‘helped’’ me change trailers one night, fatal that i should have told him to bugger off, he uses the shunt valve to save the 10 seconds taken to slip the red line on when doing is own, unbeknown to me he’d pressed the bloody thing and it must have stayed in, as i drove out the premises all the dash was lit up with air warnings and a lo and behold no trailer brake effort at all, stopped and checked and discovered what my helper had done…been warned.
Firstly, go stand in the naughty corner for not checking his work or just ignoring anything he did and doing it yourself anyway.
Secondly, I agree the shunt valve is a bag of ■■■■
allow me to enlighten nick2008
i drove a military drops vehicle. it was a rigid and it had a shunting brake.
the vehicle had a big hydrolic hook to drag racks on and off.
i asked cos the exhaustive brake was in a similar position to the shunting brake on the drops.
you always so sarky?
Ignore the trolls Coaster, you ask a question because you want an answer (not to be ridiculed) and the pont of a forum like this is to help in my view anyway.
Just for the record the 26t rigid Scania I drive has the exhaust brake on the pedal, you press it down slightly (you feel the free play in the pedal) and it engages before the normal brakes kick in, the revs need to be up a bit for it to work effectively and its a handy thing on hills (Shropshire hills recently with a full load up and down was interesting ) I have a switch on the dash for Off or Auto enabled.
Tipper Tom:
My only word of caution would be avoid using it when the engine is cold
What would the results be on a cold engine please Tom? Overly harsh I’m guessing…?