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This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
of 6 April 1976
ontheapproximationofthelawsoftheMemberStatesrelatingtothebrakingdevicesofwheeled
agricultural or forestry tractors
(76/432/EEC)
(OJ L 122, 8.5.1976, p. 1)
Corrected by:
►C1Corrigendum, OJ L 226, 18.8.1976, p. 16 (76/432)
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COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
of 6 April 1976
on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to
the braking devices of wheeled agricultural or forestry tractors
(76/432/EEC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community, and in particular Article 100 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(
1),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee(2),
Whereas the technical requirements which tractors must satisfy pursuant
to national laws relate inter alia to their braking devices;
Whereas those requirements differ from one Member State to another;
whereas it is therefore necessary that all Member States adopt the samerequirements either in addition to or instead of their existing rules, inorder, inparticular, to allow the EEC type-approval procedure, whichwas the subject of Council Directive 74/150/EEC of 4 March 1974 onthe approximationof the laws of the Member States relatin g to thetype-approval of wheeled agricultural or forestry tractors(
3), to be
applied inrespect of each type of tractor;
Whereas the harmonized requirements are intended principally to
improve safety onthe road an d at work throughout the wholeCommunity;
Whereas the approximation of national laws relating to tractors involves
the mutual recognition by Member States of the inspections carried outby each of them onthe basis of commonrequiremen ts; whereas, forsuch a system to function successfully, these requirements must beapplied by all Member States with effect from the same date,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
1. ‘Agricultural or forestry tractor' means any motor vehicle, fitted
with wheels or ►C1endless tracks ◄, and having at least two axles,
the mainfun ctionof which lies inits tractive power an d which isspecially designed to tow, push, carry or power certain tools, machineryor trailers intended for agricultural or forestry use. It may be equippedto carry a load and passengers.
2. This Directive shall apply only to the tractors defined in the
preceding paragraph which are fitted with pneumatic tyres and whichhave two axles an d a maximum designspeed of between6 an d 25 km/h.
Article 2
No Member State may refuse to grant EEC type-approval or national
type-approval of a tractor on grounds relating to its braking devices ifthat tractor is fitted with the devices specified in Annexes I to IV and ifthese devices satisfy the requirements set out therein.
(1) OJ No C 5, 8. 1. 1975, p. 54.
(2) OJ No C 62, 15. 3. 1975, p. 29.
(3) OJ No L 84, 28. 3. 1974, p. 10.
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Article 3
No Member State may refuse the registrationor prohibit the sale, en try
into service or use of tractors on grounds relating to their brakingdevices if these tractors are fitted with the devices specified in AnnexesI to IV and if these devices satisfy the requirements set out therein.
Article 4
A Member State which has granted type-approval of a tractor shall take
the necessary measures to ensure that it is informed of any modificationto a component or characteristic mentioned in 1.1 of Annex I. Thecompetent authorities of that Member State shall decide whether freshtests should be carried out onthe modified type of tractor an d a freshreport drawnup. If such tests reveal failure to comply with the require-ments of this Directive, the modification shall not be approved.
Article 5
The amendments necessary for adapting the requirements of the
Annexes to take account of technical progress shall be adopted inaccordan ce with the procedure laid downinArticle 13 of Coun cilDirective 74/150/EEC.
Article 6
1. Member States shall adopt and publish the provisions necessary to
comply with this Directive by 1 January 1977 and shall forthwithinform the Commission thereof.
They shall implement these provisions with effect from 1 October 1977.2. After notification of this Directive, Member States shall take steps
to inform the Commission, in sufficient time for it to make comments,of any draft laws, regulations or administrative provisions which theyintend to adopt in the field covered by the Directive.
Article 7
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
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ANNEX I
DEFINITIONS, APPLICATION FOR EEC TYPE-APPROVAL, EEC
TYPE-APPROVAL,CONSTRUCTIONANDFITTINGREQUIREMENTS
1. DEFINITIONS1.1.Type of tractor with respect to the braking devices
‘Type of tractor with respect to the braking devices' means tractors
which do not differ in such essential respects as:
1.1.1. unladen weight, as defined in 1.18,1.1.2. maximum weight, as defined in 1.16,1.1.3. distributionof the weight betweenthe axles,1.1.4. technically permissible maximum weight on each axle,1.1.5. maximum designspeed,1.1.6. different type of braking device (with particular reference to the pres-
ence or otherwise of devices for braking a trailer),
1.1.7. number and arrangement of the braked axles,1.1.8. type of engine,1.1.9. overall transmission ratio corresponding to maximum speed,1.1.10. tyre dimensions (braked axles).
1.2.Braking device
‘Braking device' means a combination of parts whose function is
progressively to reduce the speed of a moving tractor or to bring it to ahalt, or to keep it stationary if already halted. These functions arespecified in 4.1.2. A device shall consist of the control, the transmis-sionan d the brakes themselves.
1.3.Graduated braking
‘Graduated braking' means braking during which, on either the
applicationor release of the brakes, withinthe n ormal ran ge of opera-tionof the device:
1.3.1. the driver can at any time increase or reduce the braking force through
actiononthe con trol,
1.3.2. the brakin g force acts inthe same directionas the actiononthe con trol
(monotonic function),
1.3.3. it is easy to make a sufficiently fine adjustment to the braking force.
1.4.Control
‘Control'means the part actuated directly by the driver to supply to the
transmission the energy required for braking or controlling it. Thisenergy may be the muscular energy of the driver, or energy fromanother source controlled by the driver, or a combination of thesevarious kinds of energy.
1.5.Transmission
‘Transmission'means the combination of components situated between
the control and the brake and connecting the two operationally. Thetransmission may be mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, ormixed. Where the braking power is derived from or assisted by asource of energy independent of the driver but controlled by him, thereserve of energy in the device shall likewise be regarded as part ofthe transmission.
1.6.Brake
‘Brake'means the component in which the forces opposing the move-
men t of the tractor develop. It may be a frictionbrake (whentheforces are gen erated by the frictionbetweenthe two parts of the tractormoving relatively to one another), an electrical brake (when the forcesare generated by electro-magnetic action between two parts of thetractor moving relatively to but not in contact with one another), afluid brake (whenthe forces are gen erated by the actionof a fluid
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situated between two parts of the tractor moving relatively to one
another), or an engine brake (when the forces are derived from acontrolled increase in the braking action of the engine transmitted tothe wheels). A device which mechanically locks the tractor’s transmis-sion but which cannot be used when the tractor is in motion shall beregarded as a parking brake.
1.7.Different types of braking devices
‘Different types of braking devices'means equipment which differs in
such essential respects as:
1.7.1. the characteristics of one or more components, for example the
material, shape or size,
1.7.2. the arrangement of the components.
1.8.Braking system component
‘Braking system component'means one of the individual parts which,
when assembled, constitute the braking device.
1.9.Continuous braking
‘Continuous braking' means the braking of combinations of vehicles
through an installation having the following characteristics:
1.9.1. a single control which the driver actuates progressively, by a single
movement, from his driving seat,
1.9.2. the energy used for braking the vehicles constituting the vehicle
combination is supplied from the same source (which may be themuscular energy of the driver),
1.9.3. the braking installation ensures simultaneous or suitably phased
braking of each of the constituent vehicles of the combination, what-ever their relative positions.
1.10.Semi-continuous braking
‘Semi-continuous braking' means the braking of combinations of
vehicles through an installation having the following characteristics:
1.10.1. a single control which the driver can actuate progressively, by a single
movement, from his driving seat,
1.10.2. the energy used for braking the vehicles constituting the vehicle
combination is supplied from several different sources (one of whichmay be the muscular energy of the driver),
1.10.3. the braking installation ensures simultaneous or suitably phased
braking of each of the constituent vehicles of the combination, what-ever their relative positions.
1.11.Independent power-operated braking
‘Independent power-operated braking'means the braking of combina-
tions of vehicles by means of devices having the following characteris-tics:
1.11.1. a tractor brake control which is independent of the towed vehicle
brake control; the latter being in all cases mounted on the tractor insuch a way as to be easily actuated by the driver from his driving seat,
1.11.2. the muscular energy of the driver is not the energy used for braking
the towed vehicles.
1.12.Independent braking
‘Independent braking'means the braking of combinations of vehicles
by means of devices having the following characteristics:
1.12.1. a tractor brake control which is independent of the trailer brake
control, the latter being in all cases mounted on the tractor in such away as to be easily actuated by the driver from his driving seat,
1.12.2. the muscular energy of the driver is the energy used for braking the
towed vehicles.
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1.13.Automatic braking
‘Automatic braking' means braking of the towed vehicle or vehicles
occurring automatically in the event of separation of components ofthe combination of coupled vehicles, including such separationthrough coupling breakage, without the braking effectiveness of theremainder of the combination being substantially reduced.
1.14.Inertia braking
‘Inertia braking'means braking by utilizing the forces generated by the
trailer closing up on the tractor.
1.15.Laden tractor
‘Ladentractor'mean s, except where otherwise stated, a tractor ladento
its ‘maximum weight'.
1.16.Maximum weight
‘Maximum weight' means the maximum technically permissible
weight stated by the manufacturer (this weight may be higher than the‘authorized maximum weight').
1.17.Unladen tractor
‘Unladen tractor' means the tractor in running order, with full tanks
and radiators, with a driver of a mass of 75 kg, but without passengers,optional accessories or load.
1.18.Unladen weight
‘Unladen weight' means the weight of the unladen tractor.
2. APPLICATION FOR EEC TYPE-APPROVAL
2.1. Anapplicationfor EEC type-approval for a type of tractor with respect
to the braking devices shall be submitted by the manufacturer or by hisauthorized representative.
2.2. It shall be accompanied by the following documents in triplicate:2.2.1. a description of the type of tractor as regards the points mentioned in
1.1.1 to 1.1.10. The numbers and/or symbols given by the manufac-turer or his authorized representative to the type of tractor must besupplied,
2.2.2. a list of parts, each properly identified, which make up the braking
device,
2.2.3. a diagram of the braking device showing the position of each of the
parts on the tractor, in order to enable the various components to belocated and identified.
2.3. The following must also be provided:2.3.1. a tractor, representative of the type of tractor to be approved,2.3.2. such drawings as may be requested of maximum A4 size (210 × 297
mm), or folded to this size and drawn to the appropriate scale.
3. EEC TYPE-APPROVAL
The form as illustrated in Annex V shall be completed and attached to
the EEC type-approval certificate.
4. CONSTRUCTION AND FITTING REQUIREMENTS4.1.General
4.1.1.Braking device
4.1.1.1. The braking device must be so designed, constructed and installed as
to enable the tractor in normal use to comply with the undermentionedrequirements, despite any vibration to which it may be subjected.
4.1.1.2. In particular, the braking device must be so designed, constructed and
installed as to resist corrosion and the effects of ageing during service,which could lead to a sudden loss of braking efficiency.
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4.1.2.Functions of the braking device
The braking device defined in 1.2 must meet the following conditions:
4.1.2.1. Service brakes
4.1.2.1.1. The service brake must enable the motion of the tractor to be
controlled and the tractor to be stopped safely, quickly and efficiently,at any design speed and with the authorized load on both up and downgradients. It must be possible to regulate its action. These conditionsare deemed to be fulfilled if the requirements of Annex II are satisfied.
The driver must be able to apply the service brake from his seat and
retain control of the steering device on the tractor with at least onehand. The service brake of the tractor may comprise right and lefthand devices. It must be possible to connect them up so that they canbe actuated in a single operation, and possible to disconnect themagain.
Each device, right or left hand, must have a system of adjustment,
which may be either manual or automatic, enabling the balance of thebrakes to be easily restored.
4.1.2.2. Parking brakes
4.1.2.2.1. The parking brake must enable the tractor to be held stationary on an
up or downgradien t eveninthe absen ce of the driver, the workin gparts bein g thenheld inthe locked positionby a purely mechan icaldevice. This may be achieved by means of a brake acting on thetransmission. The driver must be able to apply the parking brake fromhis seat; a repeated actionto obtainthe required performan ce ispermitted.
4.2.Characteristics of braking devices
4.2.1. The set of braking devices with which a tractor is equipped must
satisfy the requirements laid down for the service and parking brakes.
4.2.2. The service and parking brake devices may have common compo-
nents, provided that they fulfil the following conditions:
4.2.2.1. there must be at least two controls, independent of each other and
readily accessible to the driver from the driving seat; it must bepossible for this requiremen t to be met evenwhenthe driver iswearing a safety belt,
4.2.2.2. in the event of a breakage of any component of the braking device
other thanthe brakes (as defin ed in1.6) or of an y other failure of theservice braking device (malfunction, partial or total exhaustion of anenergy reserve), it must be possible to slow the tractor to a halt with adecelerationequal to at least 50 % of the value laid downin2.1.1 ofAnnex II.
These conditions shall be fulfilled when residual braking is achieved
onwheels located onboth sides of the medianlon gitudin al plan e(without the tractor deviating from its course).
For the purposes of this section, the lever and cam assemblies, or
similar assemblies, by means of which the brakes are applied, shall notbe regarded as liable to failure.
4.2.3. Where use is made of energy other than the muscular energy of the
driver, there need not be more than one source of such energy (e.g.hydraulic pump, air compressor, etc.) provided the requirements of4.2.2 are fulfilled.
4.2.4. The service braking device must act on both wheels of at least one
axle.
4.2.5. The actionof the service brakin g device must be distributed between
the wheels of the same axle symmetrically inrelationto the medianlongitudinal plane of the tractor.
4.2.6. The service braking device and the parking braking device must act on
braking surfaces permanently connected to the wheels through compo-nents of adequate strength. It must not be possible to uncouple abraking surface from the wheels.
When one axle is subject to braking, the differential must not be
mounted between the service brake and the wheels of that axle; when
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two axles are subject to braking, the differential may be mounted
betweenthe service brake an d the wheels onon e of the two axles.
4.2.7. Wear on the brakes must be easily compensated for by means of a
system of manual or automatic adjustment. In addition, the control andthe components of the transmission and the brakes must possess areserve of travel such that, whenthe brakes become heated or whenthe brake linings have reached a certain degree of wear, effectivebraking is ensured without an immediate adjustment being necessary.
4.2.8. In hydraulic braking devices, the filling ports of the fluid reservoirs
must be readily accessible; in addition, the containers of reserve fluidmust be so made that the level of the reserve fluid canbe easilychecked without the containers having to be opened.
4.2.9. Every tractor fitted with a brake activated from anen ergy reservoir
must, where the prescribed braking performance is impossible withoutthe use of stored energy, be fitted with a warning device, in addition tothe pressure gauge, giving a signal which can be seen or heard whenthe energy, in any part of the installation up to the control valve, fallsto 65 % or less of its normal value. This device must be directly andpermanently connected to the circuit.
4.2.10. Without prejudice to the requirements of 4.1.2.1, where the use of an
auxiliary energy source is essential for the operation of a brakingdevice, the energy reserve must be such as to ensure that, should theengine stop, the braking performance remains sufficient to bring thetractor to a halt under the prescribed conditions.
4.2.11. Any auxiliary equipment shall draw its energy only in such a way that
its operation, even in the event of damage to the energy source, cannotcause the reserves of energy feeding the braking devices to fall belowthe level indicated in 4.2.9.
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ANNEX II
BRAKING TESTS AND PERFORMANCE OF BRAKING DEVICES
1. BRAKING TESTS1.1.General
1.1.1. The performance prescribed for service braking devices shall be based
onthe meandecelerationcalculated over the stoppin g distan ce. Thestopping distance shall be the distance covered by the tractor from themoment when the driver begins to actuate the control of the deviceuntil the moment when the tractor stops.
The performance prescribed for parking braking devices shall be based
onthe ability to hold the tractor station ary onanup or downgradien t.
1.1.2. For the type-approval of any tractor, the braking performance shall be
measured during road tests conducted under the following conditions:
1.1.2.1. the tractor’s condition as regards weight must be as prescribed for
each type of test and be specified in the test report,
1.1.2.2. during the tests the force applied to the brake control in order to obtain
the prescribed performance must not exceed 60 daN on the pedalcontrols and 40 daN on the hand-operated controls,
1.1.2.3. the road must have a surface affording good adhesion,1.1.2.4. the tests must be performed when there is no wind liable to affect the
results,
1.1.2.5. at the start of the tests the tyres must be cold and at the pressure
prescribed for the load actually borne by the wheels when the tractor isstationary,
1.1.2.6. the prescribed performance must be obtained without locking of the
wheels, without deviationof the tractor from its course, an d withoutabnormal vibration.
1.1.3. During the tests, the tractor shall be fitted with any parts intended by
the manufacturer for the operation of the towed vehicle brakingdevices as referred to in 1.9, 1.10, 1.11 and 1.12 of Annex I.
1.2.Type 0 test
(ordinary performance test with brakes cold)
1.2.1.General
1.2.1.1. The brakes must be cold at the beginning of the test. A brake is
deemed to be cold if any one of the following conditions is met:
1.2.1.1.1. the temperature measured onthe disc or onthe outside of the drum
must be below 100 °C,
1.2.1.1.2. in the case of totally enclosed brakes, including oil immersed brakes,
the temperature measured onthe outside of the housin g must be below50 °C,
1.2.1.1.3. the brakes must not have been actuated for one hour.1.2.1.2. During the braking test, an unbraked axle, when capable of being
declutched, must not be connected with a braked axle.
1.2.1.3. The test must be conducted under the following conditions:1.2.1.3.1. the tractor must be ladento its maximum weight, with anun braked
axle also loaded to its technically permissible maximum weight; thebraked axle wheels must be fitted with the largest tyres intended forthat tractor type by the manufacturer. For tractors braking on allwheels, the front axle must be laden to its technically permissiblemaximum weight,
1.2.1.3.2. the test must be repeated onanun ladentractor carryin g on ly the driver
and if necessary a person responsible for monitoring the results of thetest; the tractor must be fitted with the largest tyres recommended bythe manufacturer,
1.2.1.3.3. the limits prescribed for minimum performance, both for tests with the
tractor unladen and for tests with it laden, shall be those laid down in2.1.1,
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1.2.1.3.4. the road must be level.
1.2.2.The type 0 test must be carried out:
1.2.2.1. at the maximum designspeed with the tran smissioninn eutral,1.2.2.2. a tolerance of ± 10 % is permitted on the test speed,1.2.2.3. the minimum prescribed performance must be attained.
1.3.Type I test
(fade test)
1.3.1. Laden tractors shall be tested in such a manner that the energy input is
equivalent to that recorded in the same period of time with a ladentractor drivenat a steady speed of 8 0%±5%o f that laid downfor
type 0 tests ona 10 % downgradien t for a distan ce of 1 km, with thetran smissioninn eutral.
1.3.2. At the end of the test, the residual performance of the service braking
device shall be measured under the same conditions as for the type 0test with the transmission in neutral (under different temperatureconditions of course).
2. PERFORMANCE OF BRAKING DEVICES2.1.Service braking devices
2.1.1.The service brakes of tractors must:
2.1.1.1. under type 0 test conditions achieve a mean deceleration, calculated
from the stopping distance, of at least 2 ·4 m/s
2,
2.1.1.2. after the type I test, produce a residual performance not less than 75 %
of that prescribed, and not less than 60 % of the value recorded duringthe type 0 test (with tran smissioninn eutral).
2.2.Parking braking devices
2.2.1. The parking braking device must, even if it is combined with one of
the other braking devices, be capable of holding a laden tractorstation ary onan18 % up or downgradien t.
2.2.2. On tractors to which the coupling of one or more trailers is authorized,
the parking braking device of the tractor must be capable of holdingthe vehicle combination, comprising an unladen tractor and anunbraked trailer of the same weight (not exceeding three metric tons),station ary ona 12 % up or downgradien t.
2.2.3. A parking braking device which has to be actuated several times
before attaining the prescribed performance is permissible.
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ANNEX III
SPRING BRAKES
1. DEFINITION
‘Spring brakes' are braking devices for which the energy required for
braking is supplied by one or more springs acting as an energy accumulator.
2. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
2.1. A spring brake must not be used as a service brake.2.2. A small variationinan y of the pressure limits which may occur inthe brake
compression chamber feed circuit must not cause a significant variation inthe braking force.
2.3. The feed circuit to the spring compression chamber must include an energy
reserve which does not supply any other device or equipment. This require-ment shall not apply if the springs can be maintained in the compressedstate by using two or more independent systems.
2.4. The device must be so designed that it is possible to apply and release the
brakes at least three times starting with an initial pressure in the springcompressionchamber equal to the maximum designpressure. This require-ment must be met when the brakes are adjusted as closely as possible.
2.5. The pressure inthe compressionchamber below which the sprin gs beginto
actuate the brakes, with the latter adjusted as closely as possible, must notbe greater than 80 % of the minimum level of the normal available pressure.
2.6. Whenthe pressure inthe sprin g compressionchamber falls to the level at
which the brake parts begin to move, a warning signal which can be seen orheard must be activated. Provided this requirements is met, the warningdevice may be that specified in 4.2.9 of Annex I.
2.7. On tractors fitted with spring brakes and authorized to draw trailers with
continuous or semi-continuous brakes, automatic application of the springbrakes must cause the trailer brakes to be applied.
3. RELEASE SYSTEM
3.1. Spring brakes must be so designed that, in the event of failure, it is possible
to release them without using their normal control. This may be achieved bythe use of an auxiliary device (pneumatic, mechanical, etc.)
3.2. If the operationof the auxiliary device referred to in3.1 requires the use of
a tool or spanner, the tool or spanner must be kept on the tractor.
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ANNEX IV
PARKING BRAKING BY MECHANICAL LOCKING OF THE BRAKE
CYLINDERS (LOCK ACTUATORS)
1. DEFINITION
‘Mechanicallockingofthebrakecylinders' means a device for ensuring the
operation of the parking brake by mechanical wedging of the brake pistonrod.
Mechanical locking occurs when the locking chamber is emptied of
compressed air; the mechanical locking device shall be designed in such away that it canbe released whenthe lockin g chamber is againsubjected topressure.
2. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
2.1. Whenthe pressure inthe lockin g chamber approaches the level corre-
sponding to mechanical locking, an optical or acoustic warning system mustbe activated.
2.2. In the case of brake actuators fitted with a mechanical locking device, the
brake actuator must be capable of being actuated by either of two energyreserves.
2.3. The locked brake cylinder may only be released if it is certain that the brake
canbe operated againafter such release.
2.4. In the event of a failure of the source of energy supplying the locking
chamber, an auxiliary unlocking device (mechanical or pneumatic, forinstance) using, for example, the air in one of the tyres of the tractor, mustbe provided.
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ANNEX V
MODEL

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