Hi,I am very confused and wondering if anyone can help me out with my question (or two!) We have got a 2004 Pennine Pullman which has some kind of reverse braking system.....but I'm not sure what that means or how it works??
My problem is that when we arrive at a pitch and it is on a slope how do you stop your FC heading off down the hill when it is unhitched?? We recently went to a site over Easter and it was on a slope,in previous experiences the hand brake never seems to hold on a slope (should it??) and there was no way we could hang onto the FC whilst the car was unhitched!
I thought I'd read somewhere that after reversing a FC if you move it forward it somehow does something to the braking system to stop it rolling backwards?? Anyway we pulled the camper forward slightly on the car then chocked the wheels,put the breakaway cable round the tow hitch (just in case it decided to head off down the hill!) and gingerly unhitched the camper.It was all fine but I'm not sure what that was down to.....probably chocking the wheels!!
Sorry for the long post but I'd be very grateful for any advice/ideas
Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I think that the reverse braking system is to do with when you are actually reversing the FC with your car and the mechanism disables when you go backwards (you will hear a little bang-do on ours anyway) it has nothing to do with holding your unhitched camper on a sloping pitch.
Your campers handbrake will hold you on a sloping pitch, just make sure that you pull it on fully, the handle should be almost vertical (got to admit have to leave the handbrake to hubby as I haven't got the strength to, must word this carefully, pull the handbrake on fully) (was going to say get it on or pull it up but wouldn't hear the end of it)
Hope that helps, and at least the sad face has gone.
When you arrive the fc makes the assumption you will want to push the camper backwards off the hitch. So when you pull the handbrake up ( to about 11 o'clock) it stops it going forward (and running into the car) but allows it to move back. Once it has moved back, even rocking it will do the trick you can then pull it up again into the bolt upright position. Once upright the camper will not move in either direction.
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Sorry to sound thick! but I need to get this right before I lose the camper down a hill! If I unhitch the camper whilst on a slope (backend facing down the slope,not towards the car) if I have the handbrake in the upright position I won't see my camper start trundling off to pastures new??!! and if it does my handbrake isn't working!?
Oh and I guess it's still a good idea to chock the wheels?
As steer 2001 says the auto reverse braking system is for when you reverse he FC with the car, it releases the brake so the FC will reverse easily. The brake should hold on a slope if they are in a good condition and you pull the lever as far up as it will go. I say about the lever because I believe pennines have a facility on the brakes that if you only pull it half way on you can push the trailer back but it won't roll forward. This is so you can push the trailer backwards up a slope and it won't roll down on to you.
Having said the brakes will work we do carry two pieces of wood around with us and use them to choke the wheels if we pitch on a slope. I position them behind the wheels and put the brake on full before unhooking the FC from the car and driving the car away from the FC, just to be on the safe side. It gives peace of mind because i would hate to wake in the morning at the bottom of the hill i went to sleep at the top of.
Yes Rusty what you say is right BUT you shouldn't put the camper on the slope on site you should go across the slope. Put blocks under the lower wheel to level it side to side . Then level the camper from front to back with the jockey wheel. That means it won't run away. Most of us have a load of "inch " thick planks we can use for this. Once you yank the handbrake up push it back a little and yank again you will see what I mean about the two positions. Do it on the flat somewhere safe and try pushing it with the handbrake fully on they are quite heavy to find out the hard way that you have a faulty hand brake!
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Thank you for all your kind help! I feel much happier now!
Jan P,unfortunately we couldn't go across the slope on this occasion as they were quite strict in which way everyone was facing! we are off to the same site next month but have picked a flatter pitch!
Thanks again.P.S my chocks are only off-cuts of wood too!!
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Topic: Pullman braking system
