It was back in the 1980s when the team at Clarkes of London first installed a Tecalemit Commercial Vehicle Brake Tester. Then, in early 2012, Clarkes wanted to update their workshop facility into an approved Authorised Testing Facility (ATF). Tecalemit installed a set of DE-7353 CV Axle Play Detectors and upgraded their old DE-7194 to an ATF-approved Tecalemit DE-9500, which proved to be very successful for them over the last decade.
With a large fleet of coaches and ATF MOT volume, the Tecalemit DE-9500 has been subjected to continual use for periodic brake safety tests and full MOT testing, completing more than 20,000 brake performance tests during the last ten years.
The team wanted to upgrade their Commercial Vehicle brake tester to keep their workshop equipped with the latest specification equipment. However, this may be a significant undertaking, especially if civil work is required to make the necessary alterations to the brake tester floor recesses.
Clarkes contacted Steve Barnfield, National Account Manager at Tecalemit Garage Equipment, to understand the options available for their equipment upgrade. Steve informed them that, by using a specially developed conversion kit, it was possible to install the latest Tecalemit DE-9700 roller beds into the earlier DE-9500 floor recess frames. The Tecalemit conversion kit provides specially engineered adapter brackets that can be welded to the existing Tecalemit DE-9500 support frames. This allows the latest specification Tecalemit DE-9700 brake roller assemblies to slot straight into the modified frames.
Steve Barnfield has project-managed hundreds of Tecalemit Commercial Vehicle brake tester installations and is quick to highlight the advantages of using a Tecalemit DE-9700 conversion kit.
“The benefits are huge. Not only does it avoid the significant cost of civil works, but it also dramatically reduces the overall conversion time. With the frame adaptors welded in place, the Tecalemit DE-9700 slots straight in.”
Tecalemit attended the site location and removed the existing brake roller bed assemblies using the appropriately designed lifting equipment. This exposes the existing Tecalemit DE-9500 floor installation frames. The purposely designed conversion brackets are then welded to the existing floor recess frames. The Tecalemit DE-9700 Brake roller Assemblies are then lowered into position and coupled to the conversion brackets.
A new brake tester control station, incorporating a new PC and remote control unit, is then installed. The brake tester is correctly calibrated using the model-specific Tecalemit calibration rig.
The new Tecalemit DE-9700 features the latest ‘soft-start’ technology, reducing the load placed on the brake tester gearbox assemblies. The heavy-duty 15kW motors can cope with the heaviest commercial vehicle loads. With its DVSA approval, the Tecalemit DE-9700 will provide ample capacity for the demands of the Authorised Test Facility (ATF) operations at Clarkes’ workshop and continues over 40 years of Tecalemit Commercial Vehicle brake testing at this location.
Tecalemit would like to thank the team at Clarkes of London for their continued support and wish them well with their Authorised Testing Facility (ATF) operation.
To find out more about using a Tecalemit DE-9700 Commercial Vehicle Brake Tester for either periodic brake safety tests or MOT testing in a DVSA-approved Authorised Testing Facility, contact us on 01752 219111
