I had to collect an a frame drag today and when i hocked up and tested the trailer brakes I was able to move it with out relishing the brake .( without and with air in ) Was this safe to drive on the road . When I called work they said it was ok to drive
Never done wag n drag so sorry for being stupid but do drags have a shunt valve like artic trailers do?
If they do could you have inadvertently pushed it?
If not I would say that there is a serious problem somewhere with the braking system so the trailer should be VORed, but I am probably wrong, I usually am.
Yes it does .
It was as it should have been .
So if a drag or an artic trailer has this problem what should u do?
Can this affect the drive?
He said “with air in it” implying red line connected, so Shunt should have jumped straight back out shouldn’t it?
With air in I could not press the black button.
I tried every thing I could think of and at no point did the trailer brake work.
You ask if it can affect the drive. The answer is yes, very much.
The basic idea is that each bit of the rig brakes it’s own weight. So the rigid brakes it’s weight, and the trailer brakes it’s weight. Same with artic and trailer. Even a car and caravan work like this.
Imagine cycling along a road with an elephant on roller skates hanging on to your shoulders. When you brake the bike alone, the elephant wants to keep going and will keep pushing you forwards. In this case the weight is more balanced between the two, so it is more like having another person on a bike behind you connected with a rigid link pushing you forward.
How serious it is depends on the weight in the trailer. A loaded rigid with an empty trailer is in the realms you might get away with. An empty rigid with a loaded trailer would be pretty lethal with no trailer brakes.
Bottom line - this is one I would have left in the yard as it isn’t operating as intended. It also means that next time the trailer gets loaded and someone pulls the brake, it might not stay where it is left. I’m not someone who defects anything for the sake of being awkward, but this one would have been a rare “No” from me.
Ok thanks for that great answer.
If I ever come across this again I will not drive it.
It’s hard being a new driver. And IveI’ve y been at company 2 months . I felt a little like if I said I will not drive it I will not get to keep my job. I don’t want to seem a nob just want to be safe on the road
ricky2410:
When I called work they said it was ok to drive
I learnt very early on to take this type of comment with an extra large pinch of salt!
Had a few rows with my office over what they thought was safe and what I thought was safe.
I’ve refused to take loads out till adjusted to my satisfaction and a few times the truck until I was happy ok to do so.
And yes I’ve wondered how still employed!
I’d have refused to take it as it had a function ie trailer brakes, that weren’t braking so no moving it regardless of what some bod in office says.
Been there with the pressure of what do I do it’s a new job etc but if it doesn’t feel right I won’t do it.
Ok thanks very much