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hydraulic regenerative braking trailer

Reduce towing milage loses
  (+4)
(+4)
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You rent a trailer and attach it to your car. You don't have a trailer brake system in your car, but the trailer still brakes when you brake, but even better, accellerates itself when you do.

Trailers currently use 3 main forms of braking: electric-friction. parasitic (all breaking done by towing vehicle) or the U- Haul small trailer system were the tongue acts as a plunger for a master cylinder on the trailer.

I suggest combining a hydraulic regenerative system like the F350 Tonka with an sliding tongue like the U-Haul trailer to control braking or accelleration assist. When the car slows down, the trailer will slide forward on the tongue, activating the valves so the a pump/ motor on the trailer axel (or pump/ motors on the wheels) move hydraulic fluid from a low to high pressure accumilator to supply braking.

When the car speeds up the trailer will slide backward on the tongue, activating other valving to release fluid from the high pressure accumulater to drive the pump/ motor to assist in accelleration of the trailer.

[Modification] Instead of passive tongue activation, the valves could be actively engaged so the most of braking and accelleration for the car and trailer could be supplied by the trailer. This would require larger accumulators. (and might tend to jacknife)

[Caveat] Tongue valve activatior would be spring loaded toward center and would require some mechanism to eliminate occellation between braking and accelleration.

SimpleTom, Jul 11 2005

F350 Tonka http://www.designne...&articleID=CA220671
diagram of hydralic regenerative braking [SimpleTom, Jul 11 2005]

[link]






       I like it, and I'm bunning it, but:   

       This would add a lot of weight, cost and complexity to what usually amounts to a simple platform with wheels.   

       Unless the towing vehicle is extraordinarily light (and who tows with those?) or has a very long hitch-to-axle distance, I think the risk of jackknifing should be pretty slim. In 20+ years of driving, several as a delivery driver, I've only seen one jackknife, and that was braking hard on a curve with an enormous, long load.   

       This would be a brilliant system to use in combination with the F350 Tonka. Starting up, they could pull away from a light with no IC engine contribution, and save enormous wear on brakes.
elhigh, Jul 11 2005
  

       ...you said "the trailer will slide forward on the tongue" twice.
BJS, Feb 10 2006
  

       Electrical activation of the valves would be better than purely mechanical.   

       Advantages: Simpler/less costly hookup for long distances from tongue to pump/motor.   

       More compatible with electric brakes.   

       Response can be inverted when towing vehicle is in reverse (via signal on back-up lights).
SimpleTom, May 19 2011
  
      
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