Trailer safety innovations from Don-Bur
Trailer maker Don-Bur has offered an insight into some of the key safety features it offers, including the Leg-Safe system (pictured) which helps prevent trailer drops.
“The ‘dropping’ of a trailer is caused by drivers failing to lower the landing legs during the decoupling process, often when tired or distracted,” said the firm.
“The result is that the tractor pulls away and the front of the trailer drops a significant distance before the landing leg feet crash into the road/bay surface.”
This can lead to damage to the road/bay surface, deformation of the landing leg feet and potential damage to the payload inside, says Don-Bur. There is also the potential for warping and stress fractures in the trailer neck itself.
“Over time, this type of damage can require significant repairs and, gone unnoticed, could result in disastrous accidents,” it said.
“The Don-Bur invention, Leg-Safe (patent applied for), provides an elegant solution to this problem.”
When decoupling, the system senses the position of the legs and triggers an alarm if they are not within 10mm of the ground surface.
Meanwhile, the EBS-Safe system from Don-Bur is designed to ensure that trailers maintain a valid and compliant ISO 7638 ABS/EBS (commonly referred to as EBS) connection.
The company cites investigations into trailer fleets which have revealed that invalid or faulty EBS connections occur more frequently than anticipated.
“In one detailed study of a major fleet operator, 36.5 incidents per week were recorded where trailers were found to have a missing or non-functional EBS connection,” it said.
The system functions by monitoring the ISO 7638 connection status when power is detected from the 24N or 24S couplings. If a valid connection is not detected, a warning light (and optional siren) activates to alert the driver. Once the ISO 7638 line is correctly connected, the system deactivates, and all EBS safety functions resume normal operation.
The system is powered directly from the trailer’s electrics so no independent batteries are required. It can easily be installed on both new and existing trailers.
Finally, Suspension-Safe is a standalone suspension alert system.
“Trailer air suspension systems are controlled by the ECU, an electronic control unit that monitors the suspension level and adjusts it accordingly to ensure correct ride height during transit,” said Don-Bur.
Under normal cicumstances, the trailer ECU is powered by the tractor via the EBS line, but there can be instances where the driver does not ensure a valid coupling and this leaves the ECU inoperative. As a result, a number of critical trailer safety systems fail, including the suspension.
Without power, the suspension solenoids are not able to raise or lift and the height sensor is inactive, Don-Bur explains – so if the suspension has been manually raised before a journey (for bay loading, for instance), it will remain in that raised state during any following journey, meaning an increased risk of bridge strike.
To reduce this risk, Don-Bur has developed Suspension-Safe, which attaches to the trailer running gear to detect if the suspension is at correct ride height. If the suspension is above the intended ride height, a warning light illuminates on the front of the trailer, coupled with an optional 90dB siren.
The system is powered by an independent battery which is recharged by the primary electrics coupling. A voltmeter is fitted to warn if battery power drops below a working level, ensuring the system operates effectively whether the trailer is coupled correctly or not.
