From: John De Armond
Subject: Re: Rolling back on hill starts?
Date: Tue, 02 May 2000 03:25:56 EDT
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

Martyn Cottrell wrote:
 
> All I wanted was some suggestions for the modification of either the parking
> brake or possibly the fitting of an extra foot brake.

Martin,  You don't have to justify your question.  Just ignore the
dick of sill hill and keep your blood pressure down. People like him
don't  know enough to answer your question and so they berate you
for asking the question. 

> 
> So far only one person seems to have read and actually understood my
> original post and has come up with what I think is a highly workable
> solution.
> 
> Lee Grinell's solution is to use a "line lock" as used by drag racers to
> clamp the brakes on by means of a solenoid and switch acting on the brake
> lines.

That's my suggestion also.  Go to either Summit Racing or JEGS (both
online) and get an electric line lock.  About $60 last time I
checked.  This is a 12 volt operated hydraulic valve that goes in
your brake line.  Locking only one brake circuit is enough for your
application.  When energized, the valve closes.  Whatever hydraulic
pressure that was in the line is trapped in the line.  And being
electric, you can get a pushbutton that will  mount on your wheel
(the electric brake panic button, for example) or turn signal stalk
so you don't have to lean out of place to use it.

The procedure would be:

1. press the brake
2. press line lock button
3. put your foot on the gas.
4. apply power
5. release the line lock button.

Easy as that.

or you could use the technique I use on my oldest chevy step van
bread truck.  I drilled a large hole through the floor right over a
U joint.  Whenever I have to park the thing or need to hold it on a
hill, I just drop a tire iron down through the hole and engage the
U-joint yoke. :-) Takes a little finesse to get it back out when
it's time to take off on a hill but it sure does beat the cost of
replacing all the emergency brake stuff the previous owner took off.

John