Henred Fruehauf, Fuwa, York are very popular trailers all around the world. The component that stops them is a slack adjuster. These are very critical components in a trailer air brake system.
All popular trailer brands including Henred Fruehauf, Fuwa, York use slack adjusters which ensure that brakes work with correct force every time the driver presses the brake pedal.
How does a slack adjuster work? They work by converting air pressure into rotation that presses the brake shoes’ pads against the drum.
Slack adjuster compensates for the brake pad’s lining to make sure the brake work properly.
There are two types of slack adjusters – manual and automatic. Manual ones are quite cheap but require you adjust them occasionally. The automatic slack adjusters self-adjust themselves during normal braking but are more expensive.
Most modern trailers from Henred Fruehauf, Fuwa, York use automatic ones but manual ones are still used in a lot of models.
Trailers often carry extreme loads in European conditions and slack adjusters make sure that brake work as expected under heavy cargo, long downhill braking and harsh road conditions.
Slack adjusters are very important for a proper working of a trailer braking system as even power brakes on your trailer can become weak and not so dependable.