My truck's brake line snapped 60 miles outside of Fairbanks

I was hauling a load of furniture up to a cabin near the Chena River last week and hit a frost heave. Next thing I know, the pedal goes to the floor and I'm coasting with no brakes. I managed to downshift and pull off onto a gravel shoulder without ending up in a ditch. Ended up waiting 4 hours for a tow truck from North Pole, and the repair bill was $850. Anyone else had brake issues from the rough roads up here?

3 comments

3 Comments

miam111mo ago

Frost heaves are brutal, but have you checked if that brake line was rubbing against something before it went? A lot of people forget that these roads can jostle things loose and a line can chafe against the frame for weeks before it finally gives. That repair is steep, but I bet the tow from mile 60 is what really did your wallet in. Might be worth crawling under there this weekend to see if any of the other lines are showing wear, just to be safe.

the_ben29d ago

Not sure I buy the "chafed for weeks" thing. If it was rubbing that long you'd hear it or see the dust. More likely that frost heave just gave it a good yank and that was that.

blake_smith1mo ago

That frost heave idea makes sense. A buddy of mine had a line chafe through from a loose zip tie after a rough stretch on the Dalton Highway. Worth checking the rest of the lines for sure, especially if you're running stock lines on an older truck.

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