The first webinar—Does my towed implement need brakes?—is available at . It explains the requirements in the standard, including when towed equipment needs to include brakes as part of the design.

The second webinar— Towed Vehicle Braking Performance and Sizing—explains the braking force needed for towed equipment using the new criteria. Find it at .

These videos were made available as part of the ASABE Annual Meeting. 

Project lead and engineer Bruce Hawkins soon will present two webinars for equipment manufacturers introducing the content of the standards.

The content will be prerecorded. Hawkins and others will be available to answer questions.

The webinar is targeted toward manufacturers and designers of towed agricultural field equipment. Space is limited.

The first session is 10 a.m. CST June 4. Its focus: Does my towed implement need brakes?

The following session, also 10 a.m. CST, is June 18. The topic: braking performance and sizing overview.

Reserve your virtual seat with Scott Cedarquist. Send an email to cedarq@asabe.org. Please specify whether you will attend one or both sessions.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) developed the standards in consultation with our Association, the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada, and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

The new standards replace ANSI/ASAE S365.9, Braking System Test Procedures and Braking Performance Criteria for Agricultural Field Equipment. They is expected to affect manufacturers of towed implements.
The standards, now classified as ANSI/ASABE S648, define specific requirements, minimum performance criteria, and performance test procedures to accommodate the evolving design and capacities of agricultural field equipment.

They include:
Part 1: General Requirements
Defines terms and establishes common requirements, minimum performance criteria and performance test procedures that are common to agricultural field equipment.

Part 2: Requirements for Agricultural Tractors
Establishes specific requirements, minimum performance criteria and performance test procedures that are common to agricultural tractors when used in conjunction with ANSI/ASABE S648-1.

Part 3: Requirements for Self-Propelled and Special Self-Propelled Equipment
Establishes specific requirements, minimum performance criteria and performance test procedures that are common to self-propelled and special self-propelled agricultural equipment when used in conjunction with ANSI/ASABE S648-1.

Part 4: Towed Vehicles Requirements
Defines the minimum stopping requirements related to braking of towed agricultural field equipment hereafter referred to as towed vehicles when used in conjunction with ANSI/ASABE S648-1. Part 4 also contains new decal requirements and changes to messages in operators’ manuals.

Part 5: Requirements for the Interface Between Towing and Towed Vehicles
When used in conjunction with ANSI/ASABE S648-1, defines requirements for interfacing service and parking brake systems on towing vehicles with service and parking brake systems on towed vehicles.

Association consultant John Fisher offers this additional guidance. Implement brakes are required when:

• Implement maximum mass exceeds 1.5 times the mass of the towing tractor, or
• Maximum implement towing speed exceeds 20 or 25 mph.

For implements that meet that criteria, manufacturers should review parts one, four and five of the standard.

In other standard news, ASABE recently published a revision to S279.18—Agricultural Field Equipment Lighting and Marking Requirements.
The standard now requires towed implements to have a slow-moving vehicle (SMV) sign mounted on the rear of the implement and a speed identification symbol (SIS) indicating the maximum technically permissible towing speed.

Members of this Association who are not also members of ASABE can receive at no cost the compilation of industry standards produced by ASABE—a $650 value. The resource contains 275 current standards, engineering practices, and data. Contact Rachel Boehm at Rachel@FarmEquip.org, or (314) 878-2304.

The first, completion of revision, ANSI/ASAE S279.18 OCT2019, Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment on Highways, requires the use of the SMV (Slow-Moving Vehicle) emblem on all interchangeable towed machinery and trailers. In the past, the SMV was only required on implements that obscured the SMV on the tractor/towing machine or was longer than five meters, or 16.4 feet.

ANSI/ASAE S279.18 also includes updated normative references and an illustrated guide. It will be published Oct. 31.

The second lighting and marking project involves the adoption of an international standard and the withdrawal of the ASABE standard on which it is based.

The adoption of ASABE/ISO 20383:2017, Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry—Speed Identification Sign (SIS) replaces ANSI/ASAE S584.3, Agricultural Equipment: Speed Identification Symbol (SIS).

The society is also working on ASABE X648.4, Ag Field Equipment Braking for Towed Equipment. Technical changes are being made for implements behind special self-propelled equipment (combines and sprayers). Expect more information soon.

The committee focused on X620.1, Safety for Application Equipment, is still working on a draft for terminology and language.

Finally, ASABE is addressing comments received on X583.2, Safety for Agricultural Front Loaders.

If you have standards questions, contact Association consultant John Fisher at lajrfisher@gmail.com, or ASABE’s Scott Cedarquist at cedarq@asabe.org.