The Powerbrake-RT is a combined hand-brake and break-away unit, which can be fitted to almost any trailer. With no electronics or hydraulics, it is “a low-maintenance and cost-effective solution”.
That’s the message from Distag QCS – a company that was founded in Tullow, Co. Carlow in 1988.
Its new Powerbrake-RT is designed to provide 3.5 times the braking power of a conventional hand-brake. In the event of a break-away (i.e. the trailer becoming detached from the tractor), the connection between the tractor and trailer is engineered to separate under a fixed force.
This, in turn, halts the trailer – with the aim of “preventing serious damage or injuries”.
According to Distag, the simple, bolt-on design means the Powerbrake-RT can be mounted to the trailer chassis, drawbar, or elsewhere between the tractor and the trailer’s axle.
Distag has produced a video (below), which shows the system in operation on an agricultural, tractor-drawn trailer.
According to the company, a fail-safe break-away system is now mandatory in most European countries. In Ireland, it says, the Powerbrake-RT is starting to appear as original equipment, on trailers and implements.
Originally designed for OEM fitting by trailer and implement manufacturers, the Powerbrake-RT can also be retro-fitted to any braked trailer.
Distag managing director, Joe Deacon, explained: “Powerbrake-RT is an innovative, cost-effective solution to an increasingly-worrying problem. It provides a highly-effective break-away device, as well as a fiercely powerful hand-brake mechanism – a small price to pay for a genuinely safe option.
“If you are ordering a new trailer, you can ask the manufacturer to fit it; an increasing number of manufacturers already offer it.”
Deacon says that break-away brakes are required on all trailers with a gross design weight of 5,000kg or over here in Ireland.
He cites the Road Safety Authority’s (RSA’s) ‘Revised Standards for Agricultural Vehicles‘ document; it states: “The revised standards also require that all agricultural trailers which are manufactured from January 1, 2016, and are capable of being towed at speeds over 40kph must be equipped with:
- Pneumatic (air) braking systems incorporating load-sensing to match the brake effort with the load being carried and apply an appropriate braking force;
- A break-away brake to automatically stop the trailer if it becomes detached while moving.
The document goes on to state:
“Trailers which are manufactured from January 1, 2016, that can be towed at speeds over 60kph must also be equipped with ABS – anti-lock braking systems.
“However, agricultural trailers manufactured before January 1, 2016, that are not designed to be drawn at a speed of more than 40kph may be fitted with a second coupling device (for example, a chain or wire rope) instead.
“Agricultural trailers and interchangeable towed equipment manufactured before January 1, 2016, that are designed to be drawn at speeds over 40kph and which are not fitted with a break-away brake have until January 1, 2016, to comply with the revised standards.
Image source: Shane Casey
“Finally, if over-run braking systems are fitted to low-speed, custom-made agricultural trailers or pieces of interchangeable towed equipment with a Design Gross Vehicle Weight (DGVW) not exceeding 5,000kg, they must have a braking efficiency of a minimum of 49% for the service brake and 16% for the parking brake.
“These figures are based on the DGVW of the vehicle.”
