Air Brake Repair for Trucks & Trailers

Nobody wants to make an air brake repair call. It might be a low air buzzer on I-35 at midnight, or a trailer that won't release in a frozen yard. Neuman Truck Service brings the parts and tools to you from Pine City, at any hour. We repair the whole system on tractors and trailers: chambers, slack adjusters, shoes and drums, air dryer, compressor, glad hands, lines, valves and ABS.

We can fix most brake problems right where the truck sits. Chambers, slack adjusters, air lines, glad hand seals, valves and ABS sensors are routine on a shoulder or a truck stop lot. A full shoe and drum job goes best on firm, level ground. On a tight shoulder, the tech may make the truck safe and finish at a safer spot nearby. You get an estimate before any work starts.

Air Brake Parts We Fix On-Site

We work on tractors, straight trucks and trailers, from the compressor to the brake shoes.

• Service and spring brake chambers: Leaking diaphragms, cracked spring housings and broken pushrods. We match chamber sizes on the same axle, as the federal rules require.
• Slack adjusters: If an automatic slack keeps losing adjustment, the cause is usually a worn clevis, a bad adjuster or a foundation brake problem. We measure pushrod stroke, find the cause and replace adjusters in matched lengths.
• Shoes, drums and S-cams: We fix worn linings, cracked or heat-checked drums, sloppy S-cam bushings, weak return springs and worn anchor pins.
• Air dryer and purge valve: Desiccant cartridges, purge valves and dryer heaters. A worn-out dryer sends water downstream. In January that water turns to ice in valves and lines.
• Air compressor and governor: Slow build-up, oil in the tanks, or a governor that won't cut in or out. We time the build-up and replace the compressor or governor on-site.
• Glad hands and trailer air lines: Torn glad hand seals, cracked coiled lines and broken supply or control lines. Customers tell us about air lines that snapped on a cold night. We fixed them right there, so nobody waited for morning.
• Brake valves: Relay valves, quick release valves, the foot valve, the tractor protection valve and the trailer's spring brake valves. We fix the ones that leak, stick or exhaust when they shouldn't.
• ABS sensors and modulators: The ABS lamp can come on in the dash or on the side of the trailer. We work on wheel speed sensors, tone rings, modulator valves and the wiring between them.

How Mobile Air Brake Repair Works

When you call (651) 491-4136, tell us what the gauges and lamps are doing. How fast does air build? Does it drop with the pedal held down? Is the leak near one wheel, or somewhere you can't find? Customers say a tech talked them through an air brake problem over the phone. If a call can't fix it, we send a stocked service truck your way.

On-site, the tech builds air and runs a leak-down check with the brakes applied, then released. They listen, soap the fittings and measure pushrod stroke on every brake. You hear what's wrong and what it will take before any parts go on. After the repair, the tech adjusts the brakes and runs another leak-down test before you pull out.

Signs Your Air Brakes Need Work

• Slow build-up or low air warning: Usually a tired compressor, a leaking governor, a dryer stuck in purge, or a leak bigger than the compressor's output.
• Hissing with the pedal applied: Often a chamber diaphragm, a relay valve or a cracked line on the delivery side that only leaks under pressure.
• Pulling or uneven braking: One brake out of adjustment, an oil-soaked lining from a leaking wheel seal, or a sticking S-cam.
• Trailer brakes dragging or won't release: Low supply pressure, an iced or leaking spring brake valve, a bad glad hand seal or a damaged spring brake chamber.
• ABS lamp stays on: A sensor that moved away from the tone ring, salt-eaten wiring at a connector, or a failed modulator.

Brakes on Northern Roads: Cold Air, Salt and Scales

Winter is hard on air brakes. Moist air from the compressor condenses in the tanks. If the dryer can't remove all of it, that water freezes in relay valves and trailer lines on the coldest morning of the week. Salt and brine eat at chamber clamp bands, clevis pins and ABS connectors. A truck that runs I-35, I-94, US-53 or US-2 all winter needs its foundation brakes checked more often.

The Wisconsin State Patrol runs safety and weight enforcement facilities on I-94 near Hudson and Menomonie and on US-2/53 southeast of Superior. Its inspectors know where to look, and a brake out of adjustment is quick to find. Federal rules in 49 CFR 393.47 set minimum lining thickness, pushrod stroke limits and matched chamber and slack sizes on each axle. Get those numbers right before you roll onto the scale. That goes for a truck crossing the St. Croix at Hudson or one coming down into Duluth. Brake work also pairs well with an annual DOT inspection, because the inspection covers the same items.

How Much Does Air Brake Repair Cost?

The price depends on which parts the job needs and how many wheel ends need work. A glad hand seal and a chamber are a short stop. Shoes, drums and S-cam bushings across a tandem take far more time and parts. Travel, a 3 AM call and the time it takes to find a hidden leak or ABS fault also affect the price.

You get an estimate before work starts, so the cost isn't a surprise. Every repair carries a 12-month warranty. You can pay by credit or debit card when we finish the job.

Trailer Brakes, Fleets and Breakdowns

Trailer brakes take more abuse than tractor brakes because nobody hears them. Trailers that sit in a drop yard get water in the tanks, seized slack adjusters and torn glad hand seals. We can do trailer brake work with the rest of your trailer repair, so the tech handles lights, landing gear and brakes in one visit.

If brakes fail on the road, that's an emergency truck repair call, and we treat it like one. Fleets can add brake measurements to every fleet maintenance PM. That catches thin linings and sticky slacks before an inspector does. Worn suspension bushings can let an axle walk and wear the brakes unevenly. If that's the cause, the tech will tell you.

Where We Provide Truck & Trailer Brake Repair

Truck & Trailer Brake Repair is available 24/7 from our Pine City base to every town below, across Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. Pick your area for local highways, fleets and contacts.

Minnesota

• Pine City, MN
• Mission Creek, MN
• Hinckley, MN
• North Branch, MN
• Sandstone, MN
• Mora, MN
• Cambridge, MN
• Wyoming, MN
• Forest Lake, MN
• Moose Lake, MN
• Blaine, MN
• St. Paul, MN
• Minneapolis, MN
• Cloquet, MN
• Maple Grove, MN
• Stillwater, MN
• Woodbury, MN
• Elk River, MN
• Eagan, MN
• Bloomington, MN
• St. Cloud, MN
• Burnsville, MN
• Duluth, MN
• Hastings, MN
• Lakeville, MN
• Shakopee, MN
• Faribault, MN
• Red Wing, MN
• Brainerd, MN
• Owatonna, MN
• Virginia, MN
• Grand Rapids, MN
• Hibbing, MN
• Willmar, MN
• Rochester, MN
• Mankato, MN
• Albert Lea, MN

Wisconsin

• Grantsburg, WI
• Siren, WI
• Danbury, WI
• St. Croix Falls, WI
• Spooner, WI
• Dairyland, WI
• Hudson, WI
• New Richmond, WI
• Minong, WI
• Superior, WI
• Rice Lake, WI
• Hayward, WI
• Menomonie, WI
• Eau Claire, WI
• Chippewa Falls, WI