Air Brake system

Jim@HiTek wrote:
It looks kind of like air brakes are not a very efficient system, especially in an emergency. Why aren't they hydraulic brakes? Most likely because they are cheaper to build. Any disagreement on that?

I have a question about 'draining' the air system of water. How important can it be if they hide the pull cords behind the front passenger side wheel/tire? You almost have to remove the tire to get to them. Lying on the ground, I used the awning crank but couldn't tell if those drain cords moved or not. Should they hiss at me?

Advice?

Air brakes are a much more complicated system than hydraulic systems.
The reason they are installed on heavier vehicles is they provide much more stopping power. The system itself is very simple but over the years extra components have been added to make the system work more efficiently. Extra valves that make for less brake lag, air dryer to keep the moisture out of the system,automatic slack adjusters to keep adjustment within specs. and many other components.
Having an understanding of how things work is key in making sure it is maintained, whether you have it done or do it yourself.