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Many parts of trucks and buses are air operated. I have a small bus (converted to a little house-on-wheels) and air pressure is needed for the breaks to work, d
by yoavm 10y ago
Many parts of trucks and buses are air operated. I have a small bus (converted to a little house-on-wheels) and air pressure is needed for the breaks to work, doors to stay closed etc etc. While I can understand why we use it for breaks, when it comes to wipers and doors I feel someone took the idea too far. Fixing any kind of pressure drop is a lot harder than wiring any electrical engine.
- tyingq 10y agoYeah, I knew the brakes were pneumatic, but the wipers seemed like an odd choice...the system is bulky with air tubes all around to make it work. And, it's noisy. The military trucks are a little odd in that they are 24 volts instead of the usual 12. That would have perhaps limited off-the-shelf choices for electric wiper motors.
- gattilorenz 10y agoAren't trucks 24V too? That should mean plenty of available off the shelf wiper motors... Unless they're too big?
- LyndsySimon 10y agoConsumer trucks are 12v, up to and include 1-ton models. Beyond that I'm not sure off the top of my head, but I do know that a 12v conversion is a very common modification to ex-military vehicles like the CUCV.
- douche 10y ago24v heavy equipment is kind of a a PITA, in reality. For instance, my father always ran Timberjack and Clark logging equipment, in part because they were 12V. One common problem is that you've got a dead battery in your piece of equipment. With a 12V system, you can just jumpstart your skidder/dozer/whatever using your pickup and a set of cables. If the equipment is 24V, you have to use two pickups in series, which is a lot more difficult.
- xenadu02 10y agoI don't know about trucks but coach-style busses are usually 24v.
- kagamine 10y agoNearly all military vehicles from the UK, mainland Europe and the US are 24 volt and it has something to do with radio interference shielding, iirc. Certainly all radio equipped vehicles use 24v wiring with 2x12v batteries. Many military Land Rovers (60+ years worth) were 24v, at least the ones built specifically for military usage. The lights relay on mine is both 12 & 24 volt, so interchangeable with the many models of vehicle in service. The windscreen wipers are mechanical though, no relay at all, but they only have two positions; on & off.