Car Trailers for Sale and
Hire. Kent, Sussex, UK
Tow Bar Info
Vehicle Specific Electrical kits
Retractable Tow Bars
Multiplex
Vehicle Specific Electrical kits
With the way technology is advancing in the automotive
industry it is very hard for the general public to
keep up with what is needed to be fitted to the complex
vehicles that we all drive. With the introduction
of Can Bus and Multiplex systems you can not just
cut or join into a vehicles wiring loom without running
the risk of somehow effecting the way the system works
or permanently damaging it in some way. By direct
contact with the Automotive Industry Trident Trailers
can make the right decision on towing electrics for
you.
The only safe and legal solution to this problem
is to fit a vehicle specific plug-in electrical kit
to these types of modern vehicles. This means the
following:
- No cutting or splicing of the vehicles wiring
loom
- No chance of triggering warning lights or effecting
safety systems built into the car
- Your vehicle will instantly be aware that it is
towing a trailer or Caravan
- No disabling of the vehicles safety features so
they continue to work in the correct way
- The vehicles safety features will react differently
because you have a trailer or Caravan connected
There is no point in spending money on a modern vehicle
equipped with many safety features if they are purely
disabled when you are towing trailer or Caravan, not
only is this very dangerous it is also a waste of
money.
Our comprehensive tow bar fitting price list tells
us what to fit to which vehicle in order to avoid
effecting any of the sensitive computer systems built
in to many of the modern vehicles. The beauty of the
latest plug-in systems is that they are not only more
reliable in the first instance but in the unlikely
event of there being a problem we cover all our kits
with a 3 year parts and labour back to base guarantee.
Please contact your nearest branch in Maidstone
or Faversham
for a quotation.
Retractable
Tow Bars
We are pleased to present to you the very first retractable
tow bar available to the general public as an after
market product. Trident trailers are the sole supplier
of this product in the South East of the UK.
The beauty of this latest system from the Thule group
is that you have the best of both worlds. The reliability
of a fixed tow bar with the practicality of a detachable
tow bar without having to store the neck in your boot.
- Quick and easy to install - just like a fixed
tow bar
- Easy to operate - from outside the vehicle
- Invisible when in the stowed position
- Total product security - visual checking facility
Please contact your nearest branch in Maidstone
or Faversham
for a quotation.
Multiplex
What is a multiplexed CAN Bussed system?
CAN stands for Controlled Area Network.
Originally developed in the early 1980’s by
the Robert Bosch corporation, for automotive applications.
The use of Can bussed systems allows the manufacturers
of automotive vehicles to seriously reduce the cost
of construction by incorporating CAN technology. In
place of yards of wiring harnesses, a single pair
of wires became sufficient as the transmission medium
and because CAN’s are now used in such huge
volumes, all the components are extremely affordable.
Its high transfer rate and high transmitter reliability,
as well as the ability to recognise data error, makes
it ideal in electrical noisy environments, where the
earth or grounding can be a problem.
How does it work?
The idea behind CAN is simple. Instead of connecting
everything to a central control unit through a main
wiring harness, each component in the network has
its own processing and communication capabilities,
with one data channel connecting all units.
In automotive CAN applications, the instrument panel,
power windows, body accessories and even many sensors
and actuators all have their own individual mini-control
unit. All the units, called ‘nodes’, communicate
with each other through a single pair of wires. These
are twisted together to ensure minimum interference
and is known as the ‘data bus’.
All the data on the bus is addressed to a specific
node or group of nodes by function, not location.
The relevant nodes respond to a particular pre-programmed
protocol. For example, the vehicle speed sensor will
put its data on the bus, and every other control unit
that needs vehicle speed information will receive
it directly without having to go to the PCM (Pulse
Code Modulator ) for a VSS ( Vehicle Speed Sensor
) signal.
Because there are multiple nodes sharing a single
bus, every date package includes a priority code.
This will ensure, for instance, that if the ABS control
unit and the lighting unit both send a message to
the PCM, the critical ABS system message gets to go
first.
CAN technology will significantly reduce the number
of connector pins and wires in the vehicle. With extra
‘blank’ connectors built into the network
loop, or with a splice kit for adding connectors,
nodes can be added on the production line (or even
aftermarket) without running a new wiring harness.
However, designers have built in more than one network
on the vehicle, linked by ‘gateways’ where
appropriate. The mission-critical nodes will be linked
on a high-speed Class C network that can operate in
virtual real-time. Less critical items, such as the
instrument panel, lighting systems will use a slower
Class B network, and ‘occasionally used’
body accessories, such as power windows are likely
to use a Class A network.
*Activated driver assistance systems inform the driver
about all relevant data being transferred around the
vehicle - the corresponding display is then activated
either in the instrument display or on a centre panel
display. Computers for engine and transmission control
or for lighting system management monitor the vehicle
using the data transmitted via the CAN bus. The systems
no longer operate in isolation alongside one another,
but can now quickly react to the information from
one another. The CAN bus is an optimal solution for
managing all vehicle electrical and electronic functions.
As a result, effective fault monitoring and diagnosis
of the systems are integrated into the CAN bus, defects
can be localized more quickly and even temporarily
compensated for by corresponding secondary systems.
For example, a faulty tail light function can be temporarily
replaced by a brake light bulb. The driver would instantly
be informed of the failure in order to address the
problem.
*Activated driver assistance system is hugely relevant
for the towing customer.
Particular features such as TSP (Trailer stability
program) now being introduced and currently installed
in nearly ALL new VAG vehicles, BMW X series and the
newly produced GM vehicles. The alarming thing about
these systems, are that they are a incredibly easy
feature to install and activate when towing. With
a change to the existing ESP, ( Electronic Stability
Program) the vehicle is able to correct a ‘snake’
in a trailer or caravan. These systems are dormant
in the software of the vehicle and brought into operation
when the car detects a trailer connected.
How does the vehicle know a trailer is connected?
This happens in a number of ways but the most common
method is a signal generated by the towing module,
which is recognised by the central computer. The signal
is sent when a tow plug is inserted into the socket.
Trailer Detection can also activate other features
associated with towing.
For systems such as TSP to operate it is essential
to have a tow bar wiring kit installation which communicates
directly on the CAN bus. These WILL NOT function if
a by-pass wiring system is installed.
Please contact your nearest branch in Maidstone
or Faversham
for a quotation.
|
Trailers by type
