A vehicle that is not equipped with an engine and is intended for movement in a convoy with a power-driven vehicle - a car, a truck, a tractor, a motorcycle and other vehicles. A car trailer is called a light trailer and a caravan. Trailers are designed to transport various goods. Trailers according to their purpose for passenger cars differ as freight, caravan trailers, specialized trailers for transportation of various equipment... Trailers for transporting equipment have a wide range of applications: jet skis, snowmobiles, yachts, boats, cars, etc.
Curb weight trailer - its unladen weight, that is, the weight of the trailer, including necessary spare parts, such as spare wheel(if the trailer is completed with it), excluding the transported cargo.
Permitted maximum trailer mass (gross mass) - the mass of the equipped vehicle with cargo, set by the vehicle manufacturer as the maximum permissible.
Permitted maximum mass of the composition, that is, those Vehicle, which are interconnected and move as a whole, is called the sum of the permitted maximum masses vehicles included in this composition.
Among the whole variety of different maximum weights, it is customary to distinguish between light and heavy classes of trailers.
Important information:
Driving with a trailer has a number of significant differences from normal driving.
At servicing the trailer special attention should be paid to the hitch assembly. The knocking noise in the area of the hitch can be caused by play between the hitch assembly and the ball. If there is no wear indicator, then the backlash is determined on the trailer connected to the vehicle by a sharp vertical swing of the drawbar.
Basic operational requirements for a car trailer: dimensions, weight, driving license, brakes, wheels, inspection and driving requirements for a vehicle with a trailer
In each article on our website, we little by little touched on certain basic rules and requirements for a vehicle with a trailer. These are both tips for use and specifications trailer for a specific brand light trailer…. (on our website we DO NOT consider cargo trailers)
In this article, we will describe the basic, basic and clear
Requirements for a trailer of any model
1 The main dimensions of a light trailer and road train:
Maximum accepted dimensions: trailer length can be up to 12.0 m, height up to 4.0 m, width up to 2.55 m.
The maximum total length of the entire road train can be 18.35 m.
2 Maximum weight (gross weight)
The total mass of the trailer is the force that acts on the road surface by means of the axle or axles of the equipped trailer, which is connected to the tractor. Based on the maximum weight, trailers are categorized as follows:
- maximum weight up to 750 kg - category O1 (light trailer, brakes are optional)
- maximum weight from 750 to 3500 kg - category O2 (inertial brakes)
- maximum weight from 3500 to 10,000 kg - category O3 (permanent brakes)
3 Trailer requirements for registration weight
- At state registration trailer, its registration weight cannot exceed the maximum, that is, the total weight, which is indicated in the documentation of the trailer manufacturer. When coupled to a vehicle (towing vehicle), the trailer may be driven on the middle axle of category O1 or O2 under the following conditions:
- The registered weight of the trailer without brakes is category O1 - it must not and cannot exceed the maximum weight of the trailer. Only the permitted weight by the tractor manufacturer is permissible - this is 0.5 of the unladen weight of the tractor. Here, the defining link will be the lower value.
- The registered weight of a trailer without brakes in a category such as O1 and O2 must also not exceed the maximum permissible weight set by the manufacturer of the tractor, that is, the gross weight of the tractor. The lower value is also decisive here.
4 The right to drive a vehicle
- Category B is an acceptable category if the vehicle is in category B with a light trailer. However, if the trailer is not lightweight, its registration weight of the trailer must not exceed the unladen weight of the vehicle, and its registration weight of the entire road train does not exceed 3500 kg.
- Category C is a permissible category for driving a car intended for transportation, taking into account a light trailer (i.e. a trailer with a total mass of up to 750 kg), but the registered weight of the car or the entire road train must not exceed 3500 kg.
- Category D is a permissible category for driving a vehicle intended for the transport of passengers, where there are more than 8 seats, not including the driver's one, together with a light trailer.
- A driving license of category E (including other categories BE, CE, DE) is a permissible category for driving a vehicle with a trailer, whose registration mass exceeds the mass allowed in categories B, C or D.
6 Trailer brake requirements
- Trailers of category O1, which have a gross weight of up to 750 kg, - here the presence of brakes is not a prerequisite.
- Trailers of category O2 - brakes must be. They can be local or inertial brakes.
- Trailers of category O3 - there must be continuous brakes, which are connected by hoses with braking system of the tractor and they must act on all wheels of the trailer. This is provided in the event of a break in the road train. Then the safety cable braking device will have to provide hitchhiking or connect the trailer's automatic braking system.
7 Trailer wheel requirements
All trailer rim and tire sizes must be specified in the trailer manufacturer's instructions. They must comply with the specified parameters and be resistant to loads, in accordance with the registration weight of the trailer.
Towing a trailer with a vehicle passenger type the task is very difficult even for experienced drivers. And the whole difficulty lies not so much in the need to have high driving skills, but in the legal framework, which is interpreted in different ways by some inspectors.
The most common traffic situation
To make it easier to understand what exactly the problem is, it is necessary to analyze this specific situation using a practical example that is very common on our roads. Imagine that a driver is towing a trailer behind the wheel of a passenger vehicle with a maximum mass of 750 and 3200 kilograms, respectively. At one of the traffic police posts, the car is stopped by a law enforcement officer and claims that further movement impossible due to the lack of category of group E for the driver. At the same time, the traffic police officer refers to the eighth paragraph of the Federal legislative draft Russian Federation.
According to this legislative act, category B allows the trailer to be towed by a passenger vehicle with a maximum mass of 3.5 tons. Thus, based on our example, the combined mass of a vehicle with a trailer is almost four tons, which excludes the vehicle we are considering in this article from the rules. That is why employees of the road transport service very often fine drivers, citing the absence of a category of group E. In addition, about paragraph 7 of the same legal document, in which it is written in black and white that if there is a category of group B, C and D, cars are allowed vehicle to transport a trailer weighing up to 750 kg, generally it is preferable to be silent. Thus, for towing a trailer, one category B is sufficient in the case of the example we are considering.
However, this is not all. The eighth paragraph of the government decree states that it is allowed to transport trailed vehicles weighing more than 750 kg in two cases, namely if the mass of the loaded trailer does not exceed the base mass of the vehicle, as well as when the total mass of the vehicle and the trailer is within three and a half tons ...
Nevertheless, legislation is good, but even better when it is enforced. As statistics show, every year the number of drivers' appeals to the Department of Traffic Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation about illegal prosecution is increasing at a catastrophic rate. Traffic police inspectors with peace of mind record offenses and make up on drivers administrative protocols, the basis for which is a violation of the prescribed rules for driving a vehicle with a caravan without the presence of category E, referring to the seventh paragraph of the previously mentioned bill.
What does the law say?
In order to reduce the illegal actions of inspectors and exclude cases of violation of official powers by traffic police officers, Lieutenant General Kiryanov V.N., who holds the post of head of the IDBD of the Russian Federation, gave some clarifications to the rules of the road. According to his explanations, when stopping a driver driving a car of a car type with a caravan weighing more than 750 kilograms, the inspector must rely solely on paragraph 8. If the vehicle does not fall under this description, then the inspector's work should be regulated only by the seventh paragraph, which allows towing a trailer in the presence of category B, regardless of the total weight of the car and trailer. This clarification is fully consistent with the international convention on road traffic and does not violate the traffic rules of Russia.
Many car owners are periodically faced with the need to transport rather bulky and heavy loads. Especially often such a need arises among small business representatives who need to transport their goods or materials for production, as well as among avid summer residents who need to take garden equipment to their dachas, and from the dacha - the products of their summer labor. The trailer becomes an indispensable assistant in these cases, which significantly expands the transport capabilities of the machine. But he is also often the source of problems with traffic inspectors.
The overwhelming majority of car owners and, accordingly, owners driving license with category B, typical trailers are used for transportation, the maximum weight for which is 750 kilograms. As you know, the law for drivers in category B is allowed to drive with a trailer of a car, the maximum weight of which in a loaded state is 3,500 kilograms.
If a fully loaded car itself weighs, say, 3,200 kilograms, then the total weight of the resulting road train is 3,950 kilograms. On the basis of such a simple calculation, some traffic police inspectors issue fines to drivers for exceeding the permitted weight, motivating their actions by the absence of an open category BE for “violators”. But are the representatives of the law right in these cases?
What does the law actually say?
If we carefully read the description of category B, opening Article 25 of Law 196-FZ (Chapter IV), then it will become clear to anyone that the requirement that the road train does not exceed the weight of 3,500 kilograms applies only to those vehicles that carry heavy (more than 750 kilograms) trailer. For example, if your loaded trailer weighs 1,300 kilograms, then it can only be transported by a vehicle weighing more than 1,300 but less than 2,200 kilograms.
In the same case, when the self-loaded weight of the machine is less than 3,500 kilograms, i. E. corresponds to category B, the law does not require the sum of the weight of the car and the trailer if the weight of the trailer does not exceed 750 kilograms. This means that the driver of a car weighing 3,200 kilograms may well drive a 750-kilogram trailer on our roads, and there is no violation of this. To drive such a road train, it is quite enough rights with open category B. This regulation complies with similar regulatory requirements of any European country.
What is BE category?
The BE subcategory is really necessary for driving cars with a trailer, but not all cases fall under its effect. All the same article 25 very clearly describes in which cases rights with an open subcategory BE are necessary. This is the transportation of a trailer weighing more than 750 kilograms in a loaded state by a machine of category B, i.e. the total weight of which with the maximum load is not more than 3,500 kilograms. In this case, the maximum weight of a loaded trailer may exceed the weight of an unloaded vehicle that transports it.
If it so happens that you need to periodically use a heavy trailer weighing more than 750 kilograms, you will have to attend to the opening of a driver's license for the BE category. To do this, it is necessary to undergo training in a driving school, i.e. learn traffic rules related to driving with a trailer and take a practical driving test. You should know that only those who have been driving for more than one year and have not received penalties from traffic police officers during this time can open the BE category.
Seasoned drivers can give newbies some tips for driving on the road. passenger car with a trailer.
- The quieter you go, the more stable the trailer. Ride on high speed in hitching with a trailer it is difficult, because when a certain speed threshold is exceeded, it begins to swing to the sides, which reduces the stability of your road train. Therefore, it is better not to rush.
- The optimal road train consists of an all-wheel drive, long-wheelbase, heavy vehicle with a short rear overhang and a two-axle long-wheelbase trailer, the center of mass of which is as low as possible and the track is as wide as possible. The hitch should be long.
- An unsuccessful road train consists of a front-wheel drive short-base vehicle with a long rear overhang, low-power and lightweight, coupled with a short drawbar with a single-axle, high and narrow-gauge trailer.
- You should be especially careful if rear suspension the car is badly worn out, and the tire pressure is lower than required by the standard. Overloading the trailer and improper loading when the ball has a minimum weight negatively affects the stability of the train. In addition, the deterioration driving performance the trailer is inevitable if it is "shod" in tires of different quality.
(With the official permission of the collection "Useful pages" )
When operating a trailer, the owner will not only need specific driving skills, but also some knowledge about its structure will be useful.
Basic conceptsTrailer- a vehicle not equipped with an engine and intended for movement in a convoy with a power-driven vehicle.
Towing vehicle(hereinafter - a car) - a power-driven vehicle towing a trailer.
Unladen weight of the trailer- its own weight with a spare wheel (if the trailer is equipped with it), without load.
Permitted maximum or full mass- the mass of the equipped vehicle with cargo, driver and passengers, set by the manufacturer as the maximum permissible.
Trailers for cars are divided into light and heavy.
Lungs- trailers with a maximum permissible weight of not more than 750 kg.
Heavy- trailers with a maximum permissible weight of over 750 kg. They must be equipped with a braking system.
Rules for registration of trailers for passenger cars in the Russian Federation
Trailers for cars are subject to mandatory registration with the traffic police. When selling through a retail network or during customs clearance, a vehicle passport (PTS), an invoice certificate and a "Transit" license plate are issued to the trailer. The TCP contains information about the brand and model, as well as 1 identification number(VIN), year of manufacture, gross weight, body and / or frame number. A certificate of account is a document confirming the ownership of a trailer. Transit numbers give the right to transport it to the place of permanent registration. The trailer must be registered at the owner's place of residence no later than 5 days after its purchase, deregistration or customs clearance, or during the validity period of the "Transit" registration mark. When registering at the place of residence, the owner is issued a certificate of registration and register sign.
Trailers are subject to technical inspection once every two years if no more than 5 years have passed since the year of their production (including the year of production), and once a year if more than 5 years have passed. The month of presentation of the trailer for inspection is indicated in the coupon technical inspection... As a rule, it is installed the same as that of the car with which the trailer is operated, or it is selected in accordance with the last digit of the state registration plate.
Operating rules
Drivers with categories "B", "C" or "D" driving license, can operate a light trailer. In category "B", you can use a trailer only if its permissible maximum mass does not exceed the mass of the equipped vehicle, and the sum of the permissible maximum mass of the vehicle and the trailer does not exceed 3500 kg. Otherwise, as well as for towing a heavy trailer, it is required to open a category "E" driver's license.
Equipment of the towing vehicle
To tow a trailer, the towing vehicle must be equipped with a special towing hitch(hereinafter referred to as TSU) and a plug socket for powering the electrical equipment of the trailer. There are two main types of tow barriers:
- clip loop with lock... Consists of a bracket, into which a ring is inserted, fixed on the trailer hitch assembly and a pin that fixes the ring in the bracket. Widespread in trucks and cars with cross-country ability;
- backlash-free ball hitch... It consists of a coupling ball with a diameter of 50 mm (standard in the Russian Federation OST 37.001.096-77, international standard ISO-1103-76) and a metal structure with which the towbar is rigidly attached to the rear of the car body.
Various models of towing hitch can be attached to the car body through the bumper brackets and (or) directly to the load-bearing elements of the body and the trunk floor. Among domestic cars Only the VAZ-2108-15 family has standard attachment points for the towbar. When installing the device on other vehicles, it is supposed to independently mark and drill the mounting holes. On most vehicles, you usually have to remove the rear bumper before installing the towbar.
There are demountable towing hitch designs that allow you to remove the hook with the coupling ball.
The socket is fixed on a special bracket for the tow bar. It connects to the appropriate wires in the vehicle's rear wiring harness (in the trunk near the reversing lights). The colors of the harness wires leading to the corresponding lamps are indicated in the car's wiring diagram. The most common connection diagram of a trailer hitch socket for passenger cars is shown in Fig. one.
If the trailer is wider than the tractor and obscures the view through the standard rear-view mirrors, then on the car on both sides, rear-view mirrors on elongated brackets must be installed. The trailer must be equipped with two wheel chocks for installation under wheels when stopping on inclines.
Trailer classification by purpose
Trailers for cars are divided into universal cargo designed for the carriage of various goods, and trailers special purpose .
Special purpose trailers include:
- dump trucks for the transportation of bulk cargo;
- cisterns for the transportation of liquids;
- trailers for transporting equipment- boats, hydro- or motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc.;
- car transporter trailers for transportation of cars;
- tourist trailers for luggage and comfortable rest of tourists;
- caravan trailers- with a voluminous body, designed for rest and overnight stays of tourists in parking lots. Usually equipped with a gas stove, water tanks, dry closets, etc.;
- commercial trailers- mobile pavilions for trade, equipped with necessary equipment(refrigerator, showcase, etc.);
- animal trailers(for example, racehorses).
The main components of the trailer - frame, drawbar, body and suspension.
Frame universal cargo trailers usually made in the form of a metal welded structure, consisting of two longitudinal spars and two to four cross members. Trailers for transporting equipment have a spatial frame.
Drawer- A-shaped or I-shaped horizontal arm attached to the front of the trailer frame. On the drawbar are hitch assembly, safety cables, foldable stand(on some trailers).
The drawbar can accommodate the spare wheel of the trailer. The drawbar can be foldable (when folded, it is removed under the bottom of the trailer) or removable and equipped with an extension for transporting long loads. Some types of folding drawbar allow, without disconnecting the trailer from the tractor, tipping the body backward, which is convenient when unloading bulk goods, such as sand.
Body universal cargo trailers are metal welded or prefabricated galvanized or painted. There are also models with a metal frame and wooden floor and sides. The tailgate, and sometimes the rest, can be folded back, making it easier to load and unload the trailer. Some models have extensions that increase the usable volume of the body. Most universal trailers are equipped with a removable rubberized tarpaulin, which is mounted on a collapsible metal frame.
Trailers for transporting equipment, instead of a body, are equipped with special, as a rule, adjustable cradles (skids), on which the transported cargo is stacked. The most expensive models have a fiberglass floor and roof, and are also equipped with winches and a lowering platform for convenient loading and unloading of equipment.
In car transporter trailers, the body is a massive platform, adapted for reliable fastening of the transported vehicle. These trailers are equipped with a powerful winch, thrust struts that prevent the platform from lowering during loading, and perforated ladders that prevent the wheels of the car from sliding.
Bodies of caravan trailers and commercial trailers are made of multi-layer panels (the so-called sandwich panels 2 ) fixed to a metal frame.
The body of a tourist trailer is a plastic or metal box, inside which a folding tent house is located.
Suspension
Trailers for cars can be uniaxial or biaxial... A trailer with two axles, the distance between which is less than 1 m, is called a trailer. coupled axle... On uniaxial trailers, the following types of suspensions are most widely used.
Hubs and wheels
Manufacturers equip trailers with hubs of their own design or use a unit similar to the hub of a passenger car (as a rule, Zhiguli, Moskvich-2140 or GAZ-31029). Some trailers allow the use of two types of wheels, both "Zhiguli" and "Muscovite". Trailer wheels are usually fitted with chamber tires, for which the norms for the residual height of the tire tread pattern are set, similar to those for the tires of towing vehicles (respectively 1.6 mm for passenger cars). It is not allowed to install bias tires together with radial tires on one axle of the trailer, as well as tires with different tread patterns. The required tire pressure at different load levels of the trailer is sometimes indicated in the operator's manual of the latter.
Brakes
Trailers can be equipped with the following types of braking systems.
Service brake system - designed for braking the trailer when towing. It is not linked to the service braking system of the vehicle, but comes into operation depending on the load acting on the coupling unit (the so-called overrun brake). The system consists of a control device (Fig. 2) located on the hitch unit and wheel brake mechanisms(usually drum-type). When the car brakes, the trailer begins to "catch up" with it, resting on the hitch assembly. This force, through the piston and the system of levers and rods, activates the wheel brakes. When the vehicle stops braking, the "push" force on the hitch assembly disappears and the brakes stop working. Longitudinal vibrations of the trailer, which can trigger the braking system, are damped by a horizontal shock absorber. This design allows the braking force to be transmitted to the wheels of the trailer, which is proportional to the vehicle's deceleration. When driving reverse Most trailers require forced disengagement of the service braking system, but there are models where the mechanics of the service brake system "distinguish" between braking and reversing modes.
Parking brake system - designed for braking the trailer in the parking lot, both with the car and separately from it. Consists of a lever parking brake similar to hand brake a car that acts on the drive of the service brake system.
Emergency brake system - designed for emergency braking of the trailer in case of violation of the coupling with the tractor. It is made in the form of an additional safety cable, which includes the drive of the wheel brakes in the event of a break in the towbar while driving.
According to traffic rules, braking distances a car with a trailer, both equipped with a working brake system, and without it, when braking on smooth dry asphalt from a speed of 40 km / h to a full stop, there should be no more 13.6 (14.5) m 3 .
Light signaling and electrical equipment of trailers
All trailers are equipped with light signaling devices... Mandatory devices include:
- two back turn signal orange;
- two back brake light Red;
- two rear marker lamps Red;
- license plate light white;
- one or two rear fog lamp red colors 4 ;
- two back triangular reflector red (the vertices of the triangles should be directed upwards);
- the two front ones are white;
- two side non-triangular reflector orange.
In addition, trailers wider than 1.6 m must have two front marker lights white, and trailers longer than 6 m - two side marker lights orange.
Power supply of electrical appliances is carried out from the car through the socket on the towing hitch. For this, a plug is attached to the drawbar of the trailer. As a rule, wiring of trailers is carried out according to a single-wire scheme: minus ("mass") - on the trailer body, and plus - via wires).
Caravan trailers and commercial trailers are equipped with internal electrical equipment: interior lighting (standby lighting 12 V), an on-board plug and a cable socket for connecting to an external 220 V network, a switchboard, showcase lighting, forced exhaust ventilation and others additional equipment... The electrical equipment of such trailers is usually carried out in a two-wire circuit.
Recommendations
When choosing a trailer pay attention to the following for a passenger car:
- its dimensions must correspond to the intended storage location of the trailer;
- the same standard size of the wheel hubs of the trailer and the car will make it possible to get by with one spare wheel. Otherwise, you will have to carry an additional spare wheel.
The trailer must be equipped with a jack immediately after purchase. Many trailers do not have standard jacks on the body, and the use of most regular car jacks is difficult. These trailers are best lifted with a hydraulic telescopic or rhombic jack with an extended crank, placing it under the arm or suspension beam of the trailer.
When installing the hitch for a car, it is desirable:
- treat the holes for its fasteners with an anti-corrosion agent (for example, "Movil");
- connecting the TSU socket to the car wiring, solder and carefully insulate all connections;
- liberally lubricate the coupling ball with grease (for example, "Litol-24");
- close the ball with a cap, which will reduce the adhesion of dust and sand on it, leading to abrasive wear of the ball and the hitch assembly. In addition, it will help you not to get dirty when loading or unloading the trunk of your car. A homemade hat can be made, for example, from a tennis ball.
Extremely permissible load on the ball of the towing hitch is indicated in the manual for the trailer and the car and, as a rule, ranges from 30 to 90 kg. The load can be easily measured with a floor scale. To do this, install a plank 35-45 cm long with one end under the hitch assembly, and the other on a floor scale. To adjust the weight distribution of a loaded trailer, you can use a small load and a spare wheel.
Driving with a trailer has a number of significant differences from normal driving.
At servicing the trailer special attention should be paid to the hitch assembly. The knocking noise in the area of the hitch can be caused by play between the hitch assembly and the ball. If there is no wear indicator, then the backlash is determined on the trailer connected to the vehicle by a sharp vertical swing of the drawbar.
Before every departure necessary:
- check the presence of grease in the hitch assembly mechanism;
- check and, if necessary, eliminate by adjusting the play between the hitch assembly and the coupling ball;
- adjust tire pressure;
- make sure that the connection of the safety cables or chains is reliable;
- check the operation of the light signaling devices of the trailer.
The editors would like to thank the trailer manufacturers for their help in preparing the materials, which provided technical data for pivot table.
1 Some manufacturers did not assign VINs to trailers; the entry "year of issue is not set" is possible; in the absence of information from the manufacturer, the total weight may not be indicated; the number of the body and / or frame may be absent (in this case, the mark "w / n" is put).
2 For example, the outer side is painted aluminum or plastic, the filler is heat-insulating material, inner side- plywood.
3 For vehicles, the production of which was started before 01.01.
4 It is allowed to operate previously produced trailers, in which the device is not provided by the manufacturer.
