FAQ

Electric brakes V's Hydraulic brakes
Hydraulic brakes have been around since sliced bread and would be the most common braking system on floats in the past. Recently the trend has changed to Electric due to the fact that they provide a much more precise and instant braking control and have the added bonus of requiring less maintenance. But having said that it is still a personal choice so here are some things worth considering when making the decision.

Basically hydraulic brakes work on fluid pressure. This is regulated by what is called a master cylinder. There is a master cylinder at the front of your float near the coupling and is full of brake fluid. The coupling is mounted on a slide and when you apply the brakes the weight of the trailer moves forward forcing the coupling to slide backward pushing brake fluid through the brake lines causing the brakes to go on. The down side is that you need to keep an eye on your fluid levels in your master cylinder because if this runs out of fluid your brakes will not work any more. Also if you get the slightest amount of water or moisture in your master cylinder you might end up with pistons getting rusty and sticking causing the brakes to play up. The problem with 90% of Horse Floats with Hydraulics is that they are not looked after and maintained properly and hence are not working! Electric brakes provide fast response times and precise tension control. There is a unit in the car generally under the dash board and it controls the electrical impulses that get sent to the brakes on the trailer. Often this unit is adjustable and can make the brakes more or less sensitive. These electrical impulses activate magnets on the brake drums and this creates magnetism that causes a cam to pull against the drum wall forcing the break pads to grab the drum slowing the trailer down. The nice thing about electric brakes is there’s no chance of them running out of break fluid and you never have to worry about seizing cylinders from condensation. Unlike hydraulic breaks that rely on pistons which can seize from moisture, electric brakes use a cam system and they will never have this problem.The down side to electric brakes is they rely on power, if you have a bad connection or a plug gets damaged your brakes won’t work. The benefit of hydraulic brakes is that the float can be towed by any car whereas electric brakes can only be towed with a car that has a brake unit under the dash installed and wired for electric brakes. For example, if you broke down on the side of the road on your way back home from an event with your horses on board, if you had hydraulic brakes fitted you could get any car to tow the float home, if you had electric brakes fitted you could only tow the float with another car that is wired accordingly to enable the brakes to work.

Slipper Springs V's Rocker Rollers

Slipper springs are the most common springs you will see on horse float trailers in Australia. “Slipper” means that the springs slip and slide over each other allowing for give in the spring when you go over a bump in the road. This is how they work; they slip back and forth allowing room for shock absorption. These springs are generally Australian made and have been used in trailers and horse float trailers since the start of time. They are a low maintenance spring and require no oiling or greasing. Because they have only one eye bush, you will find that they will last a life time and will only need a bush replaced every blue moon. Keep in mind that there are variations in the number of leafs in slipper springs we only use 7 leaf except in the 4 Horse floats which have 9. Some float companies have been known to use 5 leaf slipper springs. Rocker roller springs are the ultimate in load sharing springs. What this means is when you hit bumps in the road or brake hard the whole 4 wheels will stay firm on the road because the weight is shared or distributed equally over the axles helping to keep all 4 wheels on the road surface.For example, load sharing over rough terrain, if you run over a gutter with the RHS front wheel the RHS back wheel is still in the same position before you hit the gutter because the spring and rocker action has taken all the impact. Then once you come up over the gutter and the RHS rear wheel hits the gutter the suspension takes all the impact keeping the RHS front wheel firmly on the ground. As one spring rolls forward the other one rolls back rocking on the centre hanger. The down side to these springs is that they are expensive and are a high maintenance spring. They require regular greasing and have bushes that may need replacing over time. These springs have been known to fold in on themselves due to worn bushes.

2 Wheel Electric brakes V's 4 Wheel Electric brakes

What is the benefit of 4 wheel brakes? Simply really - breaking power! Generally you don’t really need 4 wheel brakes until you start to get larger floats that carry more than 2 horses. The maximum weight you can legally tow with 2 wheel brakes is 2000kg. Anything over 2000kg or 2 tonne requires by law that it be fitted with 4 wheel brakes with a break away unit. The benefit of 4 wheel brakes is if you are running a non load sharing spring and one pair of wheels lift off the ground you have a back up pair of wheels on the second axle braking for you. The added security is enough for some people but the reality is 2 wheel brakes are sufficient for floats 2000kg or less. The down side is the extra brakes add alot of extra weight and for those that want to keep the weight down on their floats often have to weigh up the added benefits verses the added weight. They also are more expensive and when you are on a budget the price tag might deter some.

Why is Colorbond better than Galvanised sheeting?
Colorbond steel is a zinc coated steel sheeting that has been undercoated and top coated with baked on 2 pac paint on one side in the manufacturing process. This sheeting comes rolls and is cut to size as you order it. Colorbond is generally only available in 0.55mm and 0.75mm thickness. This is a very light sheeting which helps keep the overall weight of a float down. The colorbond is highly resistent to rust providing you don’t scratch off the zinc coating. They look good, the paint is professionally sprayed by the manufacturer, which is Bluescope Steel, and you know you are getting a product you can trust. Galvanised sheeting comes in almost any thickness. Common thickness used range from 0.95 through to 2mm thick. You can either leave it as straight gal sheeting or have it painted. Most manufacturers of horse floats use a primer coat followed by a 2-pac top coat when painting this type of sheeting. Down side to this type of sheeting is the expense involved in painting. You also run the risk of getting runs in your paint or the manufacturer doing a bad paint job leaving areas looking dull and rough feeling. Plus type of sheeting is heavier in weight. This type of sheeting is generally used by manufacturers that let you choose any type of colour you want in 2-pac paint, but with the added expense. Whereas the Colorbond range is available in 20 different colour choices.