Diagonal parking brake activation for vehicles with plural axles

1. A method of parking a tandem rear axle vehicle having both parking brakes and service brakes comprising:

applying a first parking brake to brake at least one wheel attached to a first end portion of a first axle at one side of the vehicle without applying a parking brake to any wheel at the other end portion of the first axle opposite to said one end portion of the first axle;

applying a second parking brake to brake at least one wheel attached to a second end portion of a second axle at a second side of the vehicle opposite to the first side of the vehicle;

wherein the first and second parking brakes are the only parking brakes on the vehicle at the wheels of the rear tandem axle; and

wherein the service brakes are not used as both parking brakes and service brakes.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein there are at least two wheels attached to the first end portion of the first axle and at least two wheels attached to the second end portion of the second axle and wherein the first parking brake is applied to brake all of the wheels attached to the first end portion of the first axle and the second parking brake is applied to brake all of the wheels attached to the second end portion of the second axle.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the first and second parking brakes are simultaneously applied.

4. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

permitting the application of service brakes to said at least one wheel attached to the first end portion of the first axle and to said at least one wheel attached to the second end portion of the second axle while the first and second parking brakes are applied.

5. A method of parking a vehicle having both parking brakes and service brakes comprising:

moving the vehicle to a location where it is to be parked;

applying the parking brakes of diagonally disposed wheels coupled to a set of tandem front and rear axles without any other parking brakes;

wherein the act of applying the parking brakes comprises applying the parking brake to at least one wheel on the front axle located at the side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle which is heaviest when the vehicle is unloaded and applying the parking brake to at least one wheel on the rear axle located at the side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle which is lightest when the vehicle is unloaded; and

permitting the application of service brakes to wheels at both end portions of the front and rear axles while the parking brakes are applied to said at least one front and at least one rear wheel.

6. A method of applying parking brakes to a moving vehicle traveling in a first direction comprising:

determining the side of an unloaded vehicle at which the center of gravity of the unloaded vehicle is located relative to the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle; and

applying first and second braking forces to respective first and second wheels at opposite sides of the vehicle, the first and second wheels being at different distances from the front of the vehicle and being selected so as to reduce the tendency of the vehicle to travel other than in the first direction upon the application of braking forces as a result of the vehicle having a center of gravity at one side of the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle.

7. A method of parking a vehicle having parking brakes and service brakes, comprising:

applying a first parking brake to brake at least one wheel attached to a first end portion of a first axle at one side of the vehicle without applying a parking brake to any wheel at the other end portion of the first axle opposite to said one end portion of the first axle;

applying a second parking brake to brake at least one wheel attached to a second end portion of a second axle at a second side of the vehicle opposite to the first side of the vehicle;

wherein the first and second parking brakes are the only parking brakes on the vehicle; and

wherein the first and second parking brakes are operable without operating an applicator that applies the service brakes of the vehicle.

8. A method of applying parking brakes to a moving vehicle having both parking brakes and service brakes comprising:

applying a parking brake to apply a parking brake force at a first location at one side of a vehicle corresponding to the heaviest side of the unloaded vehicle;

applying a parking brake to apply a parking brake force at a second location at a second side of a vehicle corresponding to the lightest side of the unloaded vehicle;

wherein the first location is forwardly of the second location and wherein the parking brakes are operated such that the parking brake forces applied by parking brakes are only applied at the first and second locations;

permitting simultaneous application of the parking brakes and service brakes at said first and second locations; and

the method further comprising the act of applying the parking brake forces while service brakes are also applying service brake forces to the moving vehicle.

9. A method of applying parking brakes to a moving vehicle having both parking brakes and service brakes comprising:

applying a parking brake to apply a parking brake force at a first location at one side of a vehicle corresponding to the heaviest side of the unloaded vehicle;

applying a parking brake to apply a parking brake force at a second location at a second side of a vehicle corresponding to the lightest side of the unloaded vehicle;

wherein the first location is forwardly of the second location and wherein the parking brakes are operated such that the parking brake forces applied by parking brakes are only applied at the first and second locations;

permitting simultaneous application of the parking brakes and service brakes at said first and second locations; and

the method further comprising the act of simultaneously applying the parking braking forces at the first and second locations.