BRAKES CODE SOON
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E draft code of practice for brake systems on commercial vehicles built to take advantage of the new weights is understood to be nearly ready for circulation to interested bodies for comment A maximum of seven days will be allowed for study, and it is hoped that the agreed draft code will be generally released within the next fortnight. Only a few points remained to be cleared up after last week's meeting of the working party.
The code will give general guidance about what is acceptable under the amended regulations, but greater detail is expected in separate recommendations which the •S.M.M.T. will make to members. These will include the continued use of yellow and red for service and emergency brake couplings on artics, with blue as the new third-line colour; all will be concentric, self-sealing and non-interchangeable to avoid errors.
The S.M.M.T. recommendations will also -include diagrams of suggested brake layouts so arranged that any system adopted will be compatible with the others for matching purposes. Discussions have still to continue on some matters, and it is understood that the brakes sub-committee has recommended two basic operating methods for secondary systems, using the two main existing means of application and avoiding the use of a third medium (e.g. hand valves). One recommends secondarybrake application by the main brake pedal but with a biased dual valve which gives a warning through " heavier " resistance when the service brakes have failed; the other suggests secondary application through the handbrake lever, superimposed on the parking linkage in such a way that the secondary system is actuated only while the lever is actually being pulled, not when it is set.