davedb
Member
- Location
- Staffordshire
Air brakes are the way forward it’s as simple as that, all new tractors should come with air brakes but they should use standard HGV parts to make maintenance and replacement cheep and easy
Sobering thought for the day
- Thread starter Bongodog
- Start date
grainboy
Member
- Location
- Bedfordshire
I personally think Cowabunga and others should reel their necks in on this subject.
There are Tff members personally involved in his tragic incident,
Perhaps reflection after the conclusion, would be more relevant,
There are Tff members personally involved in his tragic incident,
Perhaps reflection after the conclusion, would be more relevant,
Why ?
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
Air brakes will be mandatory from about now on. Its part of the EU's Mother regulations for tractors sold from 2018 on. Not before time of course, as is the provision of dual circuit brake actuation on the tractor itself. I mean, these things have been mandatory on other classes of vehicles for decades and in the case of dual circuit brakes, since the 1970's. Its amazing that tractors have been acceptable with single line brakes for so long. Dual circuit should have been mandatory since 40kph tractors were introduced.
In my opinion certain manufacturers, though not all, are thoroughly negligent in not equipping their tractors with brakes in the front axle as well as the back. Combining dual circuit brakes with front axle brakes would make them far safer. The introduction of ABS on anything faster than 40k is also a welcome development coming soon. Lord knows who will be able to afford all this at current income levels but that is no excuse of course and I don't make any. In fact I believe it is all way overdue.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Back in the 1970's when I learned to drive farm machinery, uncle always told me to drive as if it has no brakes, as often it didn't. Stood me in good stead. I still drive like that.
The problem with brakes and a good many safety systems is you come to rely on them and so you push the envelope and then one day they let you down when you need them most.
The problem with brakes and a good many safety systems is you come to rely on them and so you push the envelope and then one day they let you down when you need them most.
grainboy
Member
- Location
- Bedfordshire
You are full of facts COWABUNGA,
But you are severely lacking in sensitivity,
Please give it a rest. at least till the case is concluded.
But you are severely lacking in sensitivity,
Please give it a rest. at least till the case is concluded.
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
It depends on comprehension skills of course. These things are far too serious to be precious about. There is no doubt that H&S are out to find blame on the employer. That is what they do, make no mistake about that. Let's hope that there was no real blame to be attached to either the driver or the employers, because they are all victims when such accidents happen.
The avoidance of such accidents is imperative and I have outlined simple things that would do so. For the official authorities, as always it isn't so much whether something has been done, but that the documentation of it having been done is present and current. That is the world we now live in.
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
Facts are what matter. Not fantasy.
Someone speculated that the trailer brakes did not work. Whether that is established or not, I have outlined the simple checks that would indicate this and what should be done if they don't work.
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
You can’t censor the bloke for talking about brakes though...as in the post #145 above. Surely that’s not offensive is it?
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
Locking tractor brake pedals together is one common example. We all know it should be done but just sometimes we forget to check before setting off.
Come to think of it, isn't this one of the things covered by the new build standard Mother regulations for tractors from January 2018 on? Without checking, I think it is.
grainboy
Member
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Christ, you just don’t listen to anyone do you,
Tragic sequence of events take place every day,
But when fellow members are affected or offended. I think it’s time to keep quite,
Will be asking for thread to be put on hold,
Is their no compassion !!!!!
Tragic sequence of events take place every day,
But when fellow members are affected or offended. I think it’s time to keep quite,
Will be asking for thread to be put on hold,
Is their no compassion !!!!!
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
Its certainly not meant to be. I've given general checks that should be done daily and weekly or when hitching trailers on. Also outlined where I think current build combinations are lacking. Also outlined what happens when units do go out of control, specifically the bouncing that suddenly occurs and can't be controlled by any braking.
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
I think you need to chill! To read the posts properly.
grainboy
Member
- Location
- Bedfordshire
I have read this thread completely, yes you may have all the technical knowledge, but you severely lack sensitivity,
Would love to call round to your place. Farm of wherever you work, to pick through your documented Building and Machinery protocols and find everything in place,
I doubt they even exist.
Would love to call round to your place. Farm of wherever you work, to pick through your documented Building and Machinery protocols and find everything in place,
I doubt they even exist.
davedb
Member
- Location
- Staffordshire
Because they are fail safe for one thing, air suspension is also far better than springs, plus you can blow your tyres up with air
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
To an extent you are correct. For the documentation that is. But I actually do check hitches and brakes and wheel nuts and that kind of thing and do make sure that the one worker is also aware of the necessity to do this. I first became aware of the necessity to do this and sometimes of the futility of telling others to do so, after realising that I could not for the life of me get my father to reliably check whether he had latched the auto hitch up properly during silage carting. Indeed it came to the point where I just could not trust him at all to drive tractors as he was too much of a liability. It was potentially cheaper and certainly safer to employ someone more reliable to drive for me. That's difficult when its your own father or son.
Its basic things like that that made me realise long ago that safety was reliant on people from bottom to the top, continually inspecting their own work and that of others. Documentation becomes more important when there is less opportunity to actively supervise, such as when there are multiple employees. It ensures that checks are done or at least are ticked off as being done, which is important from a liability point of view.
If you think of it though, what the documentation does is to actually shift the blame from the employer to the person filling in the documentation, should an accident happen, which again is vital for a business in order to cover its back and minimise financial liability, but employees might not realise this dual purpose.
Nevertheless accidents can and do happen from time to time, but every effort should be made at every level to avoid them.
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Ormond
Member
Axles are far more important to me than the argument of air or hydraulic brakes...commercial Axles are the way forward.. Our keenan is on 10 stud tandem Axles but there not commercial. You can still have a very good braking system with hydraulic brakes on commercial Axles.... There is something kind of special about air brakes though!
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security though.
- Location
- Bedfordshire
We all record every time we spray a field or move some cattle etc., what we all must do is write down what maintenance we do to our kit, its not that hard really, but it will help in the event of an accident and a police or HSE investigation.
Cowabunga
Member
- Location
- Ceredigion,Wales
I find that some commercial axle brakes are just too efficient and lock up dangerously and prematurely when the trailer is unloaded. This can result in the driver being thrown forward, possibly braking even harder as a result, or sometimes in a jackknife, especially when braking in the wet on a corner.
The answer to that is a compensating valve and ABS, but where do you stop speccing up these things?
The answer to that is a compensating valve and ABS, but where do you stop speccing up these things?