Jamco Supplies Truck Brake Parts
A leading provider of Truck Brakes and Brake Parts for light, medium and heavy-duty trucks and trailers, Jamco Supplies offer airbrakes and hydraulic brakes and components such as Brake Pads, Rotors, Brake Chambers, Brake Drums, Calipers, Cam Shafts (S-Cam), Brake Hoses, and Glad-Hands.
Whether you are purchasing for a national fleet, small fleet, owner-operator, or for your personal vehicle, you can shop and choose from among the top OEM-quality, brand-name, aftermarket brake suppliers in the industry.
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Air Brake Valves
An air brake is an air-operated valve typically used in air brake systems to remotely control the brakes at the rear of a heavy truck or semi-trailer in a tractor-trailer combination. Air brake valves are necessary in heavy trucks in order to speed-up rear-brake application and release, since air takes longer to travel to the rear of the vehicle than the front of the vehicle, where the front service brakes, foot-valve, parking-control valve, and trailer-supply valve are located.
Without air brake valves, it would take too long for sufficient air to travel from the brake pedal valve to the rear of the truck or trailer in order to apply the rear service brakes concurrently with the front service brakes, resulting in a condition known as brake lag. To correct this condition on a long-wheel-base vehicle, an air brake valve is installed near the rear service brake chambers. In tractors as well as straight-trucks, a remote air-supply is provided in the form of a large diameter pipe connected between the primary reservoir and the air brake valve for remote service brake application.
In a truck's air brake system, air brake valves get a signal when a driver presses the treadle, which then opens the valve and allows air to enter the brake chamber via air inlet. The diaphragm gets pushed, then the rod, then the slack adjuster which twists to turn the brake camshaft. Next, it moves the disc, wedge or s-cam, which pushes the brake shoes and lining, creating friction. This friction slows and eventually stops the brake drum's turning, which stops the wheel.
Air Dryers
All trucks that have air brakes must have an air compressor driven by the engine. The air compressor keeps the air brake system charged up and ready to stop the truck and trailer. The compressor draws outside air from the outside environment which is often humid and contains a lot of moisture. Air is heated as it's compressed, and as it cools moisture condenses creating water in the system. This water causes problems in the airbrake system and in freezing conditions can cause total brake failure. It must be removed. The drier does this in two ways. First it intermittently purges the water that accumulates as the air cools directly back into the outside atmosphere. Secondly it flows through a drying agent called a desiccant cartridge. The air drier also removes any oil that leaks from the compressor and any solids that might work through the air inlet filtration system.
Air Fittings & Supports
Our Air Brake supports are the best quality in the industry. We offer air brake supports to hold gladhands, trailer connectors and brake hoses. Our air brake supports are for use on trailers and semi tractors, most are designed for heavier ABS trailer cables. Air brake hose separator come in 2 hole, 3 hole and 4 hole varieties and are designed to keep air brake hoses secure and out of the way. Air Brake hose supports offer safe easy storage for coiled electrical cables, lift gate cables, and air lines when not in use. Our air brake fittings and hose resist road salts, oil, grease, gasoline, diesel fuel and moisture. Use brass air brake for long lasting connections and high quality and secure air brake fitting seals.
Brake Cables
The parking brake cable activates the parking brake system and is used to hold the vehicle in a parked position. Our parking brake cables employ the regular drum brakes on the rear wheel. Instead of using the hydraulic brake pressure in the system, a simple mechanical linkage is used to engage the parking brake shoes. When the parking-brake pedal is depressed, or the parking-brake hand lever is raised, a steel parking brake cable pulls taut a tension lever. Other cables draw the brake shoes firmly against the drums. The release knob slackens the cables and disengages the parking brake shoes. The parking brake is generally self-adjusting. An automatic adjuster in the parking brake system moves on a wheel to compensate for lining wear.
Brake Calipers
The disc brake caliper is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel on a disc brake system. A brake caliper is usually made of cast iron and contains brake pads which are made of a friction material. This assembly is fitted over a brake rotor. To stop the wheel the friction material in the form of brake pads are forced to squeeze together by the brake caliper. The friction caused by this pressure causes the brake caliper and the attached wheel to slow and finally stop.
Brake calipers are generally activated by hydraulic brake fluid in the automotive and medium duty truck system. Brake calipers on other type vehicles can operate in a mechanical, pneumatic or even electromagnetically activated brake systems.
Brake Chambers
In a truck air brake system the air brake chamber plays a vital role in the safety of a truck. Our Brake Chambers convert the energy of compressed air into mechanical force and motion. Through the air brake chamber's connection to a slack adjuster and then to a brake camshaft, this force and motion actuates the brake camshaft. The camshaft is twisted between the brake shoes, separating them to creacte friction inside the air brake drum. This friction causes the wheel to slow and stop the wheel and the vehicle. Brake Chambers are available in several sizes, providing a wide range of output forces and strokes. The many different size brake chambers are identified by numbers, which indicate the effective area of the diaphragm.
Brake Drums
When you press the brake pedal on a drum brake system, fluid is forced into the wheel cylinder which pushes the brake shoes out so that the friction linings are pressed against the brake drum. The brake drum is attached to the wheel, causing the wheel to slow down and stop. The friction surfaces of drum brake shoes convert the forward motion of the vehicle into heat. Heat is what causes the friction surfaces of the shoes to eventually wear out and require replacement. When your brake drums are in need of replacement you will not find a better-quality brake drum than our brake drums.
Air Brake Hose
Every tractor trailer combination vehicle has two air lines used to connect the air brake systems together. One is the Service Line (generally colour coded blue) which carries air and is controlled by the foot brake on the trailer hand brake. The other line is the Emergency Line (generally colour coded red) which supplies air to the trailer air tanks and to the brakes in the event of loss of air in the system.
The service and emergency air lines can be purchased together as a set or separately. They are also available in conjunction. You can also choose between a coiled hose or a straight hose. Some prefer the neatness of a coiled air hose which keep the air lines up off the deck and are also a good fit for tight turns. Others prefer the ease of use and reach of a straight air brake hose.
Jamco Supplies offer air brake hoses, coiled air hoses, coiled air assemblies, nylon tubing, rubber air hose assemblies, and air and electrical.
Hydraulic Brake Hose
The brake fluid in your brake system is distributed through brake lines and hoses. These brake hoses are flexible tubes that were designed and engineered by the original equipment with metal at each end to hold brake fluid under intense pressure. We supply hydraulic brake hose to meet or exceed the original specifications. Select our brake hoses to replace your brake hose with the best. Our brake hoses are specially constructed flexible tubes with metal ends for transmitting fluid under extreme pressure conditions. Brake hoses will eventually fail due to cracks or becoming brittle and must be replaced as soon as possible. It is always best to inspect the brake hoses on your vehicle and replace them with our brake hoses if wear is evident.
Brake Rotos
Jamco Supplies offer the best brake rotors in the industry. When you press the brake pedal on a disc brake system, fluid is forced into the caliper which pushes the brake pads together onto the rotor out so that the friction linings are pressed against the brake rotor. The brake rotor is attached to the wheel, causing the wheel to slow down and stop. The friction surfaces of disc brake pads convert the forward motion of the vehicle into heat. Heat is what causes the friction surfaces of the brake pads to eventually wear out and require replacement. When your brake rotors are in need of replacement you will not find a better-quality brake rotor than our brake rotors
Brake S Cam Shafts
Our s-cam shafts provide the highest quality to improve brake control, safety, efficiency, and operating profits. The S-cam shaft on the drum brake system is the mechanism used to transfer force from the air brake chamber to the brake shoes. The air the brake chamber piston is attached to a push rod, which turns the slack adjuster. The slack adjuster connects the push rod to another the s-cam shaft, which then rotates. It is this rotation of the s-cam that pushes the brake shoes against the lining of the drum brake. There are several types of air brakes, including S-cam and wedge type brakes. The S-cam are the most widely used type in the heavy-duty truck industry and therefore the style offered by us.
Brake Shoes
Brake shoes are used in most drum style brake systems. Brake shoes are frequently used at each wheel. Heavy duty drum brakes are most commonly the S-cam drum brakes. Medium duty and automotive drum brakes use brake shoes also but in a hydraulic system the function of the s-cam is performed by a wheel cylinder. Both the wheel cylinder and the s-cam are the mechanism used to spread the brake shoes and force them to create friction against the drum to slow and stop the vehicle. Brake shoes are located inside each brake drum on each end of the vehicle's axles. The wheels are bolted to the drums. The braking mechanism including the brake shoes is inside the drum. To stop, the brake shoes and linings are pushed against the inside of the drum. This causes friction which slows the vehicle. Too braking and use of the brake shoes may create too much heat and can cause brake failure.
Brake Slack Adjusters
The brake slack adjuster is the link between the air brake chamber brake camshaft. The brake slack adjuster transforms and multiplies the force developed by the brake chamber into a torque that applies the brakes by twisting the brake camshaft. Brake slack adjusters are equipped with an adjusting mechanism, allowing drivers to focus on driving without concern for small needed adjustments needed due to brake shoe lining wear. Maintenance professionals agree however that automatic slack adjusters should be checked on a regular basis, perhaps even as part of a driver's pre-trip inspection. The term automatic slack adjuster does not give a truck owner the license to install and forget.
Brake Wheel Cylinders
Most cars and medium duty trucks are equipped with hydraulic braking systems that incorporate at least one-wheel cylinder on each wheel. The wheel cylinder is a vital part of the drum brake system. The wheel cylinder is a device that is activated by the hydraulic pressure. The wheel cylinder drives the brake shoes in an outward direction against the drum. Wheel cylinders are proven durable and reliable. Part of every brake job is a check of the wheel cylinder for leaks or damage of any kind. A leaky wheel cylinder can cause loss of braking. Wheel cylinders are available for most application. When your wheel cylinders need rebuilding or replacing, trust our wheel cylinders.
Glad Hands
Air brake glad hands are coupling devices used to connect the service lines (blue) and emergency air lines (red) from the truck or tractor to the trailer. The glad hand couplers have a rubber seal, which prevents air from escaping. The rubber seals in the couplers need to be clean to function properly when a connection is made.
When connecting the truck and trailer together the glad hands must also be connected to allow air to activate the trailer brake system. Couplers are connected by pressing the two seals together with the couplers at a 90-degree angle to each other. A turn of the glad hand attached to the hose will join and lock the couplers.
Drivers must make sure to couple the proper glad hands together. To help avoid mistakes air brake glad hands are colour coded. Blue is used for the service lines and red for the emergency lines. Metal tags are sometimes attached to the lines with the words "service" and "emergency" stamped on them.
Hardware Air Brakes
Truck air brake systems include several components. Often overlooked or forgotten is the hardware in the wheel and brake mechanism. The air brake hardware holds the shoes in place. The very heavy-duty springs and clips on a heavy-duty air brake system endure lots of punishment and may need to be replaced at each shoe replacement. Many large fleet operators have instituted the practice of replacing the air brake hardware every time the wheel is removed. Air brake hardware kits include things like hold-down and return springs and any additional parts and cables that are part of the air brake mechanism. Weak air brake hardware allows a shoe to drag, bent lever may prevent this system from stopping the vehicle as needed. Weak hold-down springs can allow unwanted shoe movement and noise. Many brake experts recommend replacing the drum hardware when the brakes are repaired. But often the hardware isn't replaced because it doesn't seem necessary. Unless the hardware shows signs of wear or other visible damage it is often not replaced. Use Our brake hardware for the best hardware kits available.
Hardware Hydraulic Brakes
Hydraulic brake hardware includes the hold-down and return springs, the self-adjuster mechanism and any additional parts and cables that are part of the parking brake. Hydraulic brake hardware should always be inspected when doing a brake job. A weak or broken return spring may allow a shoe to drag. A broken cable, bent lever may prevent this system from stopping or holding. Weak hold-down springs can allow unwanted shoe movement and noise. Many brake experts recommend replacing the drum hardware when the brakes are repaired. But often the hardware isn't replaced because it doesn't seem necessary. Unless the hardware shows signs of wear or other visible damage it is often not replaced. Use our brake hardware for the best.
Master Cylinders
We offer the best master cylinders. The master cylinder supplies pressure to the hydraulic brake system. When you depress your brake pedal, you activate the master cylinder which transmits the force from your foot to brake fluid in the brake lines. Since the actual brakes require a much greater force than you could apply with your leg, your car must also multiply the force of your foot. Most master cylinders include a tank to hold brake fluid. Some also have an electrical connection that triggers a warning light when the brake fluid gets low. We offer master cylinders to assist you when you need a new master cylinder. We can find your master cylinder by year, make model or by cross reference of your competing part number. Trust our master cylinders for the best available.