Hydraulic Brake Adaptor Between Tractor And Trailer

Safim was awarded at the Technical Innovation contest of Eima International 2020-2021 with a new solution for the hydraulic brake system of towed agricultural vehicles.

Maurizio Collavini, Trailer Braking System project leader at Safim, said that since the introduction of the EU2015/58 rule, commonly called “mother regulation”, even towed vehicles started installing dual-line braking systems. He added: “Such trend raised the necessity to connect those tractor still present and working in the fields, but provided of a single-line hydraulic brake system, to trailer provided of dual-line system.”

Safim’s R&D technical team designed the H1L-H2L device that allows single-line tractors to tow all those new generation trailers equipped with dual-line system, however preserving and granting all those performance and safety features such system would have if connected to a dual-line tractor respecting the European rules, such as the unlocking of the automatic trailer brake; service brake command; and automatic trailer brake engaging in case of trailer disconnecting from tractor, of tractor parking brake activation and in case the tractor’s engine turns off.

The device includes a valve equipped with a CUNA NC 344-05 single line connection on one side and two ISO5616:1983 and ISO16028:2006 connections on the other side. The device enables the connection between the CUNA tractor and the trailer homologated according to the EU 2015/68 rule, ensuring the correct functioning and the compliance to the safety rules.

After connecting the device, it is necessary to push the brake pedal until end of stroke in order to take the trailer Supplementary Line to the correct operating pressure and to charge completely the accumulator, which keeps the pressure stable for all the time the machine is working.

The pressure inside the Control Line is absent until the tractor brakes, without being affected by the pressure constantly present in the CUNA single line. A drain connection to the tractor tank allows the activation of all safety functions as for example the trailer emergency brake.

“We believe the device represents a further step in terms of safety, completing the process ruling all the coupling between tractors and towed vehicles having different hydraulic braking system,” concluded Collavini.