So the entire electrical system, including the brakes on heavier trailers, needs to work. Here’s a look at what you’ll find when you pull the wheel hubs off, and what you need to consider doing to keep trailer brakes in good condition.

First, you need to understand how they work. When electrical current runs to the brakes from the towing vehicle, that causes an electromagnet in each trailer hub to slide outward along a short shaft and attract itself to the inside of the rotating drum. As the drum turns, it pushes the magnet toward the rear of the trailer. The magnet is connected to a lever arm, which forces the brake shoes outward into contact with the drum, providing friction and, therefore, braking.

Because the magnet also comes into contact with the drum, there is an additional wear surface on the drum, one on the face where the magnet rubs against it and the other where the shoes touch. And the magnet, too, is subject to wear, just like the drum.

When removing the drum to inspect the brakes, be prepared to catch the outer wheel bearing, which will fall out from behind the nut as you slide the drum off. Keeping it out of any dirt on the shop floor will save you some work later on cleaning and repacking it when reinstalling.

Inspect the inside of the drum and ensure the wear surfaces where the magnet and shoes contact it are smooth and there isn’t excessive wear. If there are wear grooves, you’ll need to replace or resurface it. The shoes should be changed if you replace or resurface the drums.

Check the shoes for material thickness. Check the magnet for wear as well. On the face of new magnets are four shallow holes that serve as wear indicators. If they are no longer visible, replace the magnet. Apply special braking system grease to the bar the magnet slides on and the lever pivot point. Don’t use regular grease.

If there is a lot of wear on the brakes, simply replacing the entire backing plate assembly and fitting a new drum may be the cheapest and easiest option.

Inspect the two wheel bearings, the inner and outer, and repack them with fresh grease. (You can use ordinary grease here.)

Don’t overtighten the axle nut when reinstalling the drum. Start by spinning the drum by hand as you tighten the nut to where it just stops the drum from turning, then back the nut off until the drum turns freely. That seats the bearings. The sweet spot for securing the axle nut is where the drum turns freely but has no free play, meaning you can’t wiggle it on the axle.

Remember to adjust the shoes after installing the drum. That is done by sticking a screwdriver (or special brake tool) through a slot in the rear of the backing plate and turning the adjuster mechanism. Turn the adjuster until the shoes touch the drum, then back them off about five or six notches.

Also, remember: the rule of thumb on brake repairs is, whatever you do to one hub, you should do to its partner on the other side of the axle to ensure even braking on both sides.

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In an information update dated May 1, NFACC said its board has now decided “no further action will be taken” by the council to update the 2001 Transport Code.

NFACC, a division of Animal Health Canada, in December 2018 had started work to update the Transport Code — which meant setting up a new multi-species code covering animals from 14 of its separate national on-farm codes of practice.

Since then, however, the Lacombe, Alta.-based organization said, it has had to take into consideration the February 2019 update to federal regulations governing transportation of animals in Canada.

The federal regulations having been “materially and significantly amended,” and “evergreen interpretive guidance” added, made it “difficult to envision the role and purpose of an updated Code,” the council said.

After that came the COVID-19 pandemic, which NFACC said halted all in-person meetings and required its working groups and code development committee to meet exclusively online, which “impeded the relationship-building opportunities and open dialogue that in-person meetings offer.”

On top of that, the Transport Code was the first to be set up using NFACC’s code development process (CDP) but not intended for on-farm use. It included care of animals during transportation as well as when offloaded at certain intermediary sites.

Furthermore, NFACC said, the plan to update the Transport Code had been initiated by the council itself, rather than by any national stakeholder group or other primary stakeholders — “which has led to additional challenges” in following the council’s usual CDP.

And since there’s no one national organization devoted to livestock and poultry transport, there would be no lead body to take up the roles and responsibilities needed to shepherd a new code to its conclusion.

‘Disappointed’

The update process for a new Transport Code was funded by the AgriAssurance program via the former federal-provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) policy framework, and NFACC said development of the new Transport Code was always expected to take as long as that program allowed.

But by August last year, NFACC said, it had “become apparent” that a finalized transportation code wouldn’t be achievable by the time CAP expired at the end of March this year.

NFACC in August called a pause in the code development process, and it said with the remaining time and funding under CAP, it would instead pursue a risk assessment and “collaboration planning exercise.”

That two-phase data collection process ran from last November to February this year, NFACC said. The risk assessment looked at “potential options and the inherent risks” with different courses of action, while the planning exercise looked at the “top priorities” of the council and of project stakeholders in weighing the next steps.

Taken together, NFACC said May 1, a “careful review” of the data “supported the conclusion that the Code update could not proceed.”

“We recognize that many of you are disappointed in this development, and we understand and share in that disappointment,” NFACC said.

“While the destination wasn’t what we envisioned when we started down this road in 2018, nevertheless, there were many positive aspects that emerged from the project,” the council said, noting the new alignment of the transportation sections of 11 on-farm codes of practice with the updated federal Health of Animals Regulations.

The work toward a new Transport Code also provided “opportunity for stakeholders to participate and collaborate” and the top-of-mind survey and report at the outset have “helped NFACC in gaining greater awareness of current evolving concerns of stakeholders and interested parties.”

NFACC said the process also led to “greater sharing of inter-industry information and enhanced communication” and “affirmation of NFACC’s role and the guardrails in place to support CDP work.”

NFACC’s work schedule over the next five years includes updates of its code of practice for beef cattle, code for sheep, and code for hatching eggs, breeders, chickens and turkeys. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Annual spring road restrictions set axle weight limits for vehicles moving on certain roads, in an effort to reduce the damage heavier loads can cause during the spring thaw period.

Grain and equipment movement can both be affected by the spring road bans, as drivers may need to find alternate routes or haul smaller loads. The duration of the restrictions will depend on the local weather conditions, but typically last through April and into May.

“At various times of the year, weight restrictions are put in place on some highways as a measure to prevent damage to the surface and roadbeds,” Saskatchewan Highways Minister Fred Bradshaw said in a release announcing the province’s road restrictions that came into effect on Tuesday.

“As the warmer weather rolls in, some roads can become susceptible to soft spots and surface cracks,” he added.

In Manitoba, spring road bans are set to come into effect on Friday across the province, according to an update from Manitoba Infrastructure.

The restrictions vary depending on the road, with level one restrictions consisting of 90 per cent of normal loading and 65 per cent of normal on level two affected roads.

Spring road restrictions went into effect across the southern half of Alberta on Monday, with other areas expected to be added to the list as the thaw progresses, according to Alberta Transportation.

— Phil Franz-Warkentin reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.

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In response, Canada dropped a threat to impose billions of dollars of retaliatory sanctions, marking the end of a spat between the major trading partners.

Among the items Ottawa had proposed last month for new retaliatory tariffs were U.S.-made drop-centre livestock trailers and aluminum-wire fencing as well as beverage cans, aluminum foil, major household appliances, wheel rims, office furniture and door and window frame components.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said the decision came after consultations with Ottawa determined that aluminum imports during the September-December period of 2020 were expected to fall 50 per cent from the January-July period.

U.S. President Donald Trump had reimposed a 10 per cent tariff on non-alloyed, unwrought aluminum from Canada in August after a surge in imports across the northern U.S. border.

Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng said the U.S. announcement marked an end to an “incredibly difficult” few months for domestic producers.

“Canada has not conceded anything. We fully retain our right to impose our countermeasures if the U.S. administration decides to reimpose its tariffs on Canadian aluminum products, and we are prepared to do so,” she told a news conference in Ottawa.

USTR said that it now expected raw aluminum imports from Canada to be 70,000 to 83,000 tons per month through December. If it is determined that in any month imports exceed 105 per cent of those levels, USTR said it will retroactively impose the 10 per cent tariffs on all shipments for that month.

Canada has always rejected the idea of quotas on aluminum exports. When questioned about the U.S. levels, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said: “This is not a negotiated deal… we have not negotiated an agreement with the United States on quotas”.

Rio Tinto Aluminum CEO Alf Barrios said the U.S. move was “a positive step that ensures the North American aluminum supply chain remains strong in the face of challenging global conditions.”

— Reporting for Reuters by David Lawder in Washington and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; additional reporting by Jeff Lewis in Toronto and Tim Ahmann in Washington. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

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Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said last month that Ottawa would impose sanctions on $3.6 billion worth of U.S. aluminum and products containing aluminum. The measures would come into force by Wednesday (Sept. 16), she added.

Canada promised to retaliate after U.S. President Donald Trump moved in August to reimpose 10 per cent tariffs on some Canadian aluminum products to protect U.S. industry from a “surge” in imports. Canada denies any impropriety.

“Everyone in Canada understands aluminum from Canada is no threat to national security in the United States,” Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters Monday ahead of a cabinet retreat in Ottawa.

Champagne noted that Ottawa had slapped tariffs on a wide range of U.S. goods in 2018 after Washington imposed sanctions on Canadian aluminum and steel.

“It’s a formula that we have already used and it’s the formula that we’ll use this time as well,” he said.

Items Ottawa proposed last month for new tariffs include U.S.-made drop-centre livestock trailers (12 metres or longer) and aluminum-wire fencing as well as beverage cans, aluminum foil, major household appliances, wheel rims, office furniture and door and window frame components, among others.

Freeland’s office said it could not confirm an announcement would be made on Tuesday.

— Reporting for Reuters by David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer; includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

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One item we easily overlook is the stock trailer we use periodically throughout the year and otherwise sit parked out of the way — silently waiting for the next time we need it. It won’t be long before cattle need to be moved to spring and summer pasture, and horses are hauled to move and check the cattle. A few minutes spent inspecting your stock trailer before you need it can save you much grief later.

Use a systematic process to examine and service the trailer. Beginning with the hitch, check to be sure there are no loose bolts or broken welds. Pay special attention to door latches and safeties.

To inspect the lights and electric brakes you will need to attach the tow vehicle to the trailer. Once the tow vehicle is attached, turn on the headlights of the tow vehicle. Walk around the trailer and check to make sure the marker lights and taillights are working correctly. If the marker and taillights are not working, use a multimeter or test light to check the electrical outlet of the tow vehicle for power. If you have no power at the tow vehicle, check for corroded connections in the outlet and wiring problems in the tow vehicle. If you have power at the tow vehicle power outlet, check for corroded connections in the trailer’s wiring plug, damaged wiring in the harness, or bad ground wire connections in the trailer.

If some but not all of the lights work, begin checking bulbs in the non-functioning marker or tail lights. If the bulbs are good, check the wiring to the individual light affected.

To check the brake lights and electric brakes themselves, you will need another person to help you. With a helper activating the brake pedal, verify that the brake lights are functioning properly.

We now move to one of the most vital series of components of a stock trailer, and one that is easily overlooked — tires, wheel bearings, and the physical components of the brake system. It can be hard to judge the life left in a tire based on the tread. Many tires that appear to have much life left may be 10 or more years old. While the tread may appear to be fine, weather checking — damage from oxygen and sunlight — has hardened or cracked the rubber. If the tires are old or beginning to crack at the sidewall, replace or carry adequate spares. Always make sure the tires are properly inflated. Heavy trailers should have a minimum of 10-ply tires inflated to 70-80 psi. Low air pressure will cause the tires to heat and come apart.

In order to service the bearings and inspect the brake drums, shoes, and activation mechanism you will need to remove the wheel. Remove the dust cap to reveal the castle nut holding the bearings and hub on the spindle. Remove the castle nut and carefully work the hub off of the spindle. The outer bearing may fall out of the hub as it comes off of the spindle. Be careful to catch it and keep it clean.

If the inner bearing and grease seal remain on the spindle, use a chisel and carefully work them loose, making sure not to score the spindle where the bearing or seal seat. Once you have removed the inner bearing and seal, clean and inspect the condition of the spindle. Run your fingernail along the length of the spindle from the seal seat to where the outer bearing rests. If the surface is smooth, the spindle is good. If you feel ridges, replace the spindle.

At this point you have exposed the brake shoes and drums. Check the drums for excessive wear, cracks, or scoring. If the drums are damaged, replace the drum/hub before reassembling. Next inspect the brake shoes. If they are coming apart or the rivets are wearing into the drums, replace before continuing. Also, inspect the mechanical components of the brake activation system, including the electric magnet. If any of these components are worn, bent, or broken, replace them.

After repairing the brake system, or verifying that it is in serviceable order, inspect the condition of the bearings and seal before reassembly. If the seal appears cracked or rotten, replace. Seals are inexpensive. If in doubt, replace the seals. Clean the bearings in solvent and inspect them for damage. Make sure the cages are not dented or damaged. Look closely at the rollers for scoring or discolouration — an indication that they have been hot. Run your fingernail over any suspicious blemish. If you feel a ridge or groove, replace the bearing. Wheel bearings can be matched at your local auto parts store. Check the inner and outer races for discolouration and scoring. If they are damaged, replace them.

Pack the bearings by hand before reassembling. Cup a glob of high-quality wheel bearing grease in the palm of your hand and grip the bearing between the thumb and fingers of your other hand so that you can look through the hole in the centre. Pat the edge of the bearing repeatedly into the grease with a downward scoping motion. You will see the grease working into the bearing. Work the bearing around in a circle until you have packed all of the rollers in the bearing.

Finally, be careful not to overtighten the castle nut when you reinstall the hub. Run the castle nut up snug, working the hub back and forth as you go. Back the nut off, wobble the hub again, and then run it up snug. It is important not to run the nut up so tight that there is much resistance when you rotate the hub. Next, back off the castle nut until you can line up the cotter pin or tab in the tang washer. Reinstall the dust cap and wheel.

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The recommendation comes as a federally-approved trailer-wash pilot project, credited with helping to keep porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) out of much of Western Canada, is scheduled to end effective Monday (May 2).

Normally, the federal Health of Animals Act requires that swine transporters returning to Canada from the U.S. have their trailers washed at U.S. facilities.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in February 2014, agreed to suspend that rule and allow truckers coming in from the U.S. to instead have their trailers washed and disinfected at certified Canadian wash sites.

The pilot project was originally due to end in mid-January, but CFIA in December last year allowed its extension until May 2.

Manitoba Pork, in a release Friday, said the Canadian facilities have been “disease-free” while U.S. truck washes were set up in “regions where PED had become rampant.”

The hog producer agency said it would advise all producers in Western Canada to insist any trailer returning from the U.S. also be “properly washed and disinfected in a certified Canadian facility” and to assume trailers washed only at U.S. facilities “are almost certainly contaminated with the PED virus.”

The pilot project, Manitoba Pork said, has been “extremely successful in keeping Western Canada free of PED.” The West has seen just five on-farm cases of PED since the program was launched, the agency said.

Of those, Manitoba Pork said, all were in Manitoba and all have since “been contained.” British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan have reported no cases.

By comparison, Ontario has confirmed 90 on-farm cases of PED between the beginning of February 2014 and the end of March this year. Several such cases were reported in Quebec, and one in Prince Edward Island.

CFIA now plans to end the program “even though there is no evidence that such facilities will not contaminate disease-free Canadian transporters,” Manitoba Pork said Friday.

The agency said the government “continues to ignore professional advice from practicing veterinarians, all the major swine producer groups, the chief veterinary officers of the three Prairie provinces, and swine health researchers.”

Speaking last week on the hog industry-sponsored program Farmscape, Dr. Egan Brockhoff of Prairie Swine Health Services at Red Deer, Alta. said he expected veterinarians would recommend trailers be washed and disinfected again in Canada, followed by “a proper thermal assist drying procedure to those trailers, to ensure we’re minimizing or eliminating (the PED virus) as much as possible.”

To be sure, he said, having the trailers cleaned in the U.S. and the process repeated in Canada has “the potential to double or more the cost of the whole process, and needlessly double it.”

However, he said, Western Canada now boasts a truck wash certification program “to ensure our truck washes are up to standards and delivering a safe and effective wash to our transporters.”

Certified truck washes in the region have wash procedure audits and protocols, he said, which “gives a level of security that most regions don’t enjoy, and certainly something we want to continue to promote and work with.” — AGCanada.com Network

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In a producer newsletter Thursday, Manitoba Pork chair George Matheson said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which had previously planned to end the emergency protocol effective Jan. 13, 2016, has now agreed to extend that period until May 2.

Fearing transmission of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv), Manitoba Pork, the Canadian Pork Council and other provincial hog industry groups have “strongly objected” to CFIA’s plans to return to full enforcement of previous hog trailer regulations at the Canada/U.S. border, Matheson said.

Without the emergency protocol in place, empty hog trailers returning to Canada after delivering hogs in the U.S. would have to be cleaned and disinfected at U.S. facilities before being allowed to enter Canada.

Manitoba Pork officials have previously noted U.S. highways used by livestock truckers have few such truck washes, and the ones en route have poor water quality and lower standards for cleaning and disinfection.

Under the emergency protocol, CFIA has allowed those trucks to be sealed in the U.S. and disinfected once in Manitoba. Federal Border Services officials have been tagging empty livestock trailers and submitting the tag numbers to the CFIA.

Tagged trailers would then go to a certified wash station in Canada and be washed and disinfected as per Canadian Swine Health Board standards.

“This had worked relatively well for the last 18 months,” Manitoba Pork general manager Andrew Dickson said on a recent telephone town hall with Alberta Pork. “You can see from the number of cases that we got in Manitoba, that we had relatively few cases compared to other parts of Canada and compared to the U.S.”

However, CFIA said in a memo to truckers last fall it had “reviewed the situation and has concluded that the outbreak of PED in Canada no longer merits an emergency response.”

The agency had planned to run an “informed compliance” period ending Jan. 13, 2016, after which the emergency protocol would be fully lifted and any vehicles not first cleaned in the U.S. would be denied entry into Canada.

However, Matheson said in Thursday’s notice, CFIA has now “committed to discussing the regulation and its shortcomings” at an upcoming federal/provincial ag ministers’ meeting in mid-January, then to undertake a review of the regulation.

Canada hadn’t seen a new case of PED on a hog farm in over four months, up until a new case was detected Dec. 2 on a finisher operation in southern Ontario’s Lambton County.

PED positive environmental samples were also recently identified at three assembly yards in Manitoba. However, the five Manitoba farms previously confirmed with PED have all been ruled “presumptive negative” for PED as of Nov. 27.

That said, with winter now officially here, cold conditions mean PED transmission is again more likely in Canada.

Alberta provincial veterinary epidemiologist Dr. Julia Keenliside warned recently on the industry program Farmscape that in the U.S., the main source of the PED virus for Canadian herds, the disease remains established or endemic.

Thus, she said, “we have to remember that it’s going to be there for quite a long time and still provide a risk for Canada.” –– AGCanada.com Network

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