Parking brake fail? Wet, not icy surface

[Henry Ford]

Regardless of the diagnostics and resolution of this issue I am buying parking blocks ($44 at Ho

Wheel chocks at Harbor Freight are $8 apiece.

Sponsored

 

[tls]

Wheel chocks at Harbor Freight are $8 apiece.

Do they actually dig in aggressively enough to help if all 4 wheels are on ice? Might depend on the particular wheel chocks. I have a rubber coated pair around here somewhere that I use when I have to put more of me than I'd like under a vehicle up on a jack, and I think they'd slide on ice well before my snow tires would.

 

[TMND]

My question to the OP I’m still curious about is were you backing up into the driveway like the guy in the YouTube video or were you driving uphill with your rear tires facing downhill?

 

[Heliian]

any other vehicle that does that??

No, in fact, I've had cars that lock only 1 rear wheel by design. One was manual trans to boot so I could have easily left it in neutral.

electric over mechanical device that pulls it for you.

Electronic parking brakes use a motor inside the caliper to drive the pads on, no pesky cables to break or seize

sloped

Salt and sand are your friends in the winter. If you have an inclined driveway then you should be prepared for winter. The truck is great! Operator error is not the trucks fault.

aware and I am sharing

Just take responsibility for your actions, shit happens. It's not ford's fault that they built an electric f150 that has most of the same systems as every other f150.
Also, the stock all season tires aren't that good for winter weather. One of the big advantages of winter rated tires is that the rubber compound has better adhesion when the temperature drops.

 

[Peddyr]

So I used a 2inch ball mount. The top goes into the recess at the top of the can. The block with the lip catches the rod on the can. The bottom block centers the bottom of the can. I've been meaning to do some improvements but this one has worked fine for 5 years.

I have a 2 inch ball mount and just turn the barrels around and put the handles on the ball. I have a 150 yard long driveway. Been doing this for about 10 years and never had a spill.

 

[jefrank]

No

My question to the OP I’m still curious about is were you backing up into the driveway like the guy in the YouTube video or were you driving uphill with your rear tires facing downhill?

Not the OP, but I had 1 incident in each direction.

The first was when I was moving into the house last April. I had unhitched my utility trailer in the barn and pulled the truck onto the driveway to be ready to close the door. I was then working in the barn unloading the trailer when the truck started to slide and ended up sideways about 30 feet down slope.

The second incident was while I was getting out to open the same garage door to park the truck early this winter. Having had the first experience, I was wary enough to be watching as I walked toward the door and able to jump back in to apply the brakes manually to stop the slide. Ironically, I was waiting for the door opener to be installed on that door or I wouldn't have had to stop, but that's a different story with its own drama (short version is the Genie installation apparently isn't willing to take on a 10'w x 13'h door with a side mount opener at Home Depot installation prices, even if the door is within the specs for the opener).

 

[Wattsgas]

I have a 2 inch ball mount and just turn the barrels around and put the handles on the ball. I have a 150 yard long driveway. Been doing this for about 10 years and never had a spill.

I have a drag system, but my Father in law was worried about the wheels on the garbage can wearing out....can't make this stuff up.

 

[mrau]

I appreciate @Wattsgas design and ingenuity. Thanks for posting.

Happen to see these on Amazon as well. Giving me some good ideas.

(Sorry the thread got hijacked from sliding trucks to hauling garbage.)

 

[evowner]

I don't understand the mental gymnastics people are subjecting themselves to here. Oh no the parking brake won't hold the truck on a solid sheet of ice!! No crap. The parking also will not let the truck swim, and also won't cook you breakfast. This is not a limitation or flaw in the vehicle. This is what happens on ice. To everyone and everything.

I believe you are wrong. The Lightning will cook you breakfast..

 

[Peddyr]

I have a drag system, but my Father in law was worried about the wheels on the garbage can wearing out....can't make this stuff up.

Funny you should mention that. Few years back the axle on the barrel went belly up so I had to bring it to the transfer station to swap it out. Guy looks at it and says "You been drag racing with this thing? Told him about our long driveway and mentioned that I have 9 kids. Got a commercial size barrel out of the deal so it all worked out.

 

[Wattsgas]

So I know that I am part of hijacking the original thread, but, today I have had a hell of a time getting my emergency brake to come on. In two years I have never had an issue. The automatic brake set hasn't been turning on when I am on a slope. So, I have tried setting it with the switch. Only to see the emergency brake light illuminate and then turn off. My thought is that the screen display and the truck computer are lagging, maybe, slower than my patience. I was doing trash duty, so was in and out of the truck a bunch. So, I'm thinking that maybe this could be a new bug. I did do a sync reset and haven't had the issue this afternoon. Weird.

 

[Henry Ford]

So I know that I am part of hijacking the original thread, but, today I have had a hell of a time getting my emergency brake to come on. In two years I have never had an issue. The automatic brake set hasn't been turning on when I am on a slope. So, I have tried setting it with the switch. Only to see the emergency brake light illuminate and then turn off. My thought is that the screen display and the truck computer are lagging, maybe, slower than my patience. I was doing trash duty, so was in and out of the truck a bunch. So, I'm thinking that maybe this could be a new bug. I did do a sync reset and haven't had the issue this afternoon. Weird.

Exactly how do you set the parking brake? First eliminate user error then move on to other possibilities.

 

[Wattsgas]

Exactly how do you set the parking brake? First eliminate user error then move on to other possibilities.

Well. First I put the truck in Park. 2nd, I look at the instrument cluster and verify if the truck has the parking brake symbol is displayed. This step is affected by slope. If the truck is level it doesn't come on/if I'm parked on a slope it usually engages. If I want the emergency brake on, I tug on the brake lever. Step 3 verify the emergency brake symbol is on the dash cluster.

I started checking these steps off because of hitching up to my trailers. If I go to drop the receiver on the trailer without the emergency brake being set the truck shifts and I can't get the hitch set. The Lightning is much more prone to moving with out the emergency brake than my Super Duty. Just an observation.

Today I noticed it was a little more difficult to get it to set. Never had the issue before. Just noticed it today. My guess is the computer was slow in turning on the dash light, and, I was quick at pulling the emergency brake switch a second time which most likely turned it off. I think that the truck and I were out of sync. So maybe that was the issue the OP was experiencing. Not sure that it would be intuitive for someone not used to the Lightning.

 

[Henry Ford]

I started checking these steps off because of hitching up to my trailers. If I go to drop the receiver on the trailer without the emergency brake being set the truck shifts and I can't get the hitch set. The Lightning is much more prone to moving with out the emergency brake than my Super Duty. Just an observation.

Good technique, I do the same thing. Nothing more annoying than getting lined up perfectly then having the truck shift.

Today I noticed it was a little more difficult to get it to set. Never had the issue before. Just noticed it today. My guess is the computer was slow in turning on the dash light, and, I was quick at pulling the emergency brake switch a second time which most likely turned it off. I think that the truck and I were out of sync. So maybe that was the issue the OP was experiencing. Not sure that it would be intuitive for someone not used to the Lightning.

To set the parking brake pull the parking brake lever. To release the parking brake, press the brake and press the parking brake lever at the same time. Alternatively, you can release the brake by putting the truck in Reverse or Drive and applying the accelerator.

When applying the parking brake you should hear the stepper motor engage the brake. Pulling the parking brake lever will not release the brake.

I'm not sure what your issue is but my suggestion is to hold the lever until the brake is on. Maybe you momentarily pulled the lever but a more deliberate pull is necessary.

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

The “mental gymnastics” you’re referring to here is kind of a moot point. This wasn’t a thread about a truck sliding down the hill, although thats likely what happened. This was about the OP believing there was a mechanical failure. Allowing it to keyword here, Roll.

Can the OP/Admins up-date the Thread Title - for accuracy.

Sponsored