[SEL] Trailer Brakes - Question

[Listerdiesel]

On 6 December 2010 15:33, Jim Kirkes <jd.kirkes at verizon.net> wrote:
> Hi Peter, since you can't have electric and don't like
> hydraulic it is pretty well narrows your options.  If you
> bought a commercial trailer what kind of brakes would it be
> equipped with?
>
> Jim

Hi Jim:

It isn't that I don't like hydraulic, it's just that there aren't any
ready-made slave cylinders to adapt to the brake-cable-pull type of
brakes that we already have on the axles, plus we have to provide a
handbrake with an energy store (gas spring usually) which implies
mechanical linksages.

I will ask Meredith & Eyre about hydraulics, they 'may' have something
that I missed when we bought the three axles.

A commercial trailer of this size would have cable brakes.

Jim #2 (Jim Dunmyer):

I agree in principal, Jim, and rod brakes are a preferred option, with
just a cable between the front equaliser which is on the swivelling
front axle, and the tear of the trailer. The front axle can rotate
over 90 degrees each way, so there has to be enough slack for the
cable to be able to do its job and not get screwed up.

As there is a step in the frame, the cable will probably go to a long
vertical swivel that takes it down under the bottom of the step. It
wouold be neat to drill holes all the way through the chassis
cross-members and run it out of harm's way, but that's probably a hole
too far :-))

I've got the pivot assembly mostly drawn up now, the 75mm steel (304
stainless probably) pivot pin and the bearings. I'll convert that into
something I can post and that everyone can view.

Thanks for the thoughts and comnments so far, we hope to be getting
some welding experience with our MIG welder on this project. Our
youngest son, Philip, has rebuilt his Land Rover chassis using it, and
is now working on his older brother's Landy as well.

After years of stick welding, MIG is a big surprise the first time
out, but I am just about used to it now. It's a 250A Oerlikon
semi-industrial machine, with Argon/CO2 mix for the gas.

Peter
-- 
Peter A Forbes
Email: listerdiesel at gmail.com
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel
http://stationary-engine.co.uk
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