Accident damage assessment and inspection/reporting upon trailer condition and behaviour

A typical inspect and report scenario is as follows:

The trailer shown below is used to deliver pallets of plywood.

With 2 pallets loaded the trailer sits level, but with 3 pallets - well within the trailers' plated capacity - the nose runs high despite the pallets' centre of gravity being placed directly above the mid point between the twin axles.

The cause is largely settlement of the trailer suspension.

The result is that the rear axle of the trailer carries a disproportionate share of the weight. The comparatively light weight borne by the front axle means that the towing vehicle bears the trailers excessive nose weight. This, in turn, results in inefficient trailer braking.

The solution is to advise the fitment of an adjustable height coupling on the towing vehicle. This enables the operator to ensure that, regardless of the laden states of both the towing and towed vehicles, the trailer runs level.

Back to "Who is TTAS?"