Marshall Trailers

What are the current regulations on agricultural trailer brakes?

The law currently states that trailers travelling below 25mph have to have a braking efficiency of at least 25% (UK Road Vehicle Construction & Use Regulations). Above this speed it is unclear exactly what requirements an agricultural trailer has to meet, whether it is commercial braking requirements or still simply a 25% braking efficiency.

There is currently EU legislation under discussion which would implement a 50% braking efficiency for agricultural trailers, but this has been already been debated for a number of years without it becoming law. It seems unlikely that it will be implemented within the next few years, if ever, since this would impose higher braking standards than required on commercial vehicles.

Marshall products are fitted with hydraulic brakes as standard and on average provide a braking efficiency of 35%, which exceeds the current legal requirements. This impressive baseline performance is achieved by fitting high quality axles supplied by the world’s leading axle manufacturer, combined with enlarged 25mm brake cylinders and durable 2 wire hoses.

Take time to examine the specifications of our models and take note of the brake sizes and axles sizes. In particular notice we fit commercial 420 x 180 10 stud axles as standard on our QM/14, QM/16, QM/1600 and QM1800 models; not 10 stud industrial axles, which provide significantly reduced performance. The way to tell the difference between these axles is a commercial axle uses an S-cam brake rode while an industrial axle uses a flat-cam brake rod.

If a customer requires enhanced braking performance we also offer air brakes with loading sensing, full ABS systems and a number of axle upgrades. This guarantees a Marshall trailer can meet current legal requirements now and any EU legislation that could potentially be introduced in the future.

What can you do prolong the life of your slurry tanker?

The answer to this question comes in two parts; the first is to operate the tanker correctly and the second is to follow the correct maintenance procedures.

When filling the tanker only run the PTO up to the speed that the tanker begins to fill; increasing PTO speed beyond this point does not decrease the filling time of the tanker. This prevents the pump working unnecessarily and reduces the chances of overfilling. It is also important to note that the tanker should not be filled beyond the level of the sight glass as doing so can potentially damage the pump. Marshall tankers are fitted with two slurry traps to minimise the risk of slurry reaching the pump if the tanker is overfilled. The first of these traps is located inside the main tank and the second is located in the syphon box mounted on the front of the tanker. The valve at the bottom of the syphon box should be opened regularly to allow any slurry to escape before it overflows the trap and reaches the pump.

The tanker PTO should be used in 540RPM mode and PTO speed should not exceed 350RPM. The tanker should also not be turned while the PTO is running and the pump should only be engaged and disengaged at low revs. In addition the oilers on the pump have to be set at one drop every one to two seconds to ensure the pump operates smoothly.

Maintenance wise it is extremely important to check the oil levels on the pump regularly, as the oil fed to the pump by the oilers is completely lost. This can be checked via the dip-stick and should be kept above the mark; SAE 20 or similar oil should be used. The gearbox at the front of the pump should also be kept filled with SAE 90 oil to the level on the sight glass located on the side of the pump.

To help prolong the life of the pump it is advisable, after every 25 working hours, to pass diesel through it. This can be done by placing the pump in the pressure position and holding the container of diesel up to the exhaust on the pump the diesel will be sucked up through the pump and will wash out the entire pump. KEEP THE PUMP TURNING for around 30 seconds then change the pump from pressure to vacuum – note the foul diesel will pass out through the exhaust so some means of catching this is advisable to enable you to dispose of this correctly. Continue the pump running for around 30 seconds this greatly prolongs not only the pumps life but coats the top shut off valve. This procedure MUST only be completed when the pump is cold and DO NOT STOP THE PUMP UNTIL the diesel has dispersed fully.

This article is not a replacement or substitute for the standard machine handbook, a copy of which is available here.