martinviking:
Bking:
martinviking:
Today I’ve been stitched up with trailer 26, it’s an M&G Curtain Sider, 2005 (10 years old) connected to my tractor-MAN TGX 26-440, 2013, 2 years old)
The ABS Light has been on all day (I know I should have left it in the yard, but I had a 10.00 drop in South Wales)
On the way back/empty, some of the wheels were
locking up.
When I get back to the yard I will park it up & refuse to take it out again, until it is fixed (PROPERLY !) our resident fitter will argue that they are not Compatible with each other & it’s not a problem !
My argument will be
“I wonder how VOSA/DVSA/GESTAPO will view it & my licence for taking a known defected trailer out on the road”
Question is-
Is our Fitter talking Sense, or is it BS ?
He is talking bs All ABS systems are “compatible” what the hell would be the point of “incompatible” abs.
Even if you have an S socket fed abs system and a standard ISO coupling on the tractor your company should have a loop feed installed that feeds The S socket from pins 1 to 5 on the ISO lead.
Usually a 2nd ISO socket fitted to the A frame and linked into the S loop.
If you look on the trailer plate and the brake code number ends in a 7 or a K then the ABS must work before the vehicle goes out on the road unless it is pulled by a vehicle not equipped with ABS.Eg a yard shunter (terberg etc.)
The amber light is telling you the ABS is disabled.
Thanks Bking, I suspected it was BS, the fault is with the trailer, it’s a few years old, we’ve got a few more around the same age & I’ve often had ABS lights flashing on & the odd lock up, even with very gentle braking, especially in the Winter/wet/cold, maybe they’re in need of refurbishment (or ship 'em out to Africa). The brakes hav’nt been adjusted for MOT, it’s not due until August & our fitter won’t do any work on it unless it’s needed [emoji57].
I parked it up on Monday afternoon, telling out fitter that it was VOR’d, but a ‘Chimpanzee’ took it out Tuesday or Wednesday, so what more can I do. (I’M NOT TAKING IT OUT AGAIN !)
Sorry if I started an argument, every ones opinion differs a bit.
Own Account Driver-
Would that part that you are talking about be a Load Sensor ?
We’ve got another trailer (24) that locks up all the time when empty, just touch the brakes & it’s like a little Hiroshima behind you [emoji598][emoji297]️[emoji598][emoji297][emoji598]️[emoji297]️no ABS light in the cab, pretty sure that’s a load sensor issue. (Another one I’m refusing to take out, VOSA would have a field day !)
Honked-
No Glowing Star, sorry, as I said earlier, it’s not due MOT until August & I don’t reckon it’s seen a spanner since last August, it’s just a Knackered Old Trailer, on its last legs, ready for the scrap yard or Africa.
Thanks for all the advice.
Yes, when ever a trailer locks up empty excessively the most likely culprit is the load sensing valve function is not operating correctly.
Yes, they can be fiddled with to alter brake performance for MOT but I wouldn’t think it’s that common as tri-axle trailers can be presented empty and pass on locks yet will fail if they lock up too quickly - which they would on full 1-1 unmodulated brake pressure. Also, as explained further below, it’s only on older trailers there is a physical valve to fiddle with on newer they are part of the EBS system.
On an earlier say 1999 ABS trailer (pre-EBS) there will be a dedicated mechanical pnematic load sensing valve that alters brake pressure depending on the load/pressure in the suspension air bags which can be physically calibrated/adjusted. It is purely pneumatic so it even if the trailer ABS was not working the load sensing valve would still always work
On your 2005 trailer it will be EBS and despite Bking’s usual angry twaddle it is not just a CAN electrical connection between unit and trailer it does a lot more than that. It dispenses with the physical pneumatic load sensing valve and duplicates the same function within its electronic brain. It does have emergency back-up called ‘pneumatic redundancy’ if its electronic brain is not operational so will operate on the red and yellow airline.
Unlike an earlier ABS trailer though with the electronic brain out of action there is no separate pneumatically operated load sensing valve so with the electronic system down the load sensing goes to. This is why on the other thread VOSA will give delayed prohibitions to older ABS trailers but immediate to newer EBS as their load sensing is out of action. It’s a case of not everything being progress.
The unit is displaying as an ABS fault but I would say the whole trailer electronic system is out of action and you are driving it on emergency pneumatic redundancy which gives the very basic emergency operation of full tank pressure braking with no load sensing or ABS - again despite what Bking is saying it is the absence of the load-sensing and not ABS that is causing the locking up empty.