User and Service Manual for the KOMET Sailplane Trailer
 
 
 
 

For the Types:

KOMET- Classic (I to X ), all Models

KOMET- Standard (III to VI) , all Models

KOMET- Euro Light

Contents:
 
 
 
 

Construction of the Trailer

Check List before and during Towing of the Trailer

Opening and Closing the Trailer for Unloading or Loading

Loading the Trailer

Service and Care

Brake System

Electrical System

Road Service

Reporting Safety Defects
 

Construction of the Trailer

On the Type KOMET- Classic, (new name for the previous KOMET) models I to X, the sides of the chassis are fabricated from double walled aluminum extrusions, the cross members are made from square aluminum tubing. The axle- and tongue-assemblies are made from zinc- plated steel. The frame and safety skeleton in the top is made from aluminum profile stock and square aluminum tubing. All parts are welded into torsion- stiff assemblies. The aluminum alloy is AlMgSiO, 5F22.

The top consists of a laminated fiberglass construction.

The outer layer is a Polyester- Gelcoat, Color RAL 9010 pure white.

The fiberglass top has integral reinforcement strips.

On the Type KOMET-Standard, models III to VI, the chassis sides are torsion-stiff welded square aluminum tubing trusses. The outer sides are planked with 1 mm aluminum stucco-design sheet.

On the Type KOMET- Euro Light, the chassis is fabricated from aluminum/foam sandwich panels, which are joined with extrusions by a special process and powder-coated (white) on both sides.

The top frame and top of the KOMET- Standard and the KOMET- Euro Light are of identical construction as on the type KOMET- Classic.

Axle and tongue are fabricated of zinc plated steel

Make of axle: Knott

Rim attachment: Mercedes, 5 hole (5 X 112 mm)

Brake: 20-2425/1

Brake shoes: 200 x 50 mm with back-up automatic

Tongue: For KOMET- Classic III and IV

For KOMET-Standard III and IV

Either Knott KR 13/7 or Alko 131 R

For KOMET- Euro Light, Knott KV 13

All other models: Knott KF 13 – KF 17 and KF 20

Custom designs have not been considered here

Tires: Depending on equipment, 165R13, 185/65R14, 195/65R14,

195/50R15, 195/65R15, 205/65R15, 215/65R15, 225/60R15

Rim: Mercedes, 5 hole, 5 X 112 mm, press depth 30 mm

Check List before and during Towing of the Trailer
 
 
 
 

Visual Inspection:
 
 

All parts inside the trailer properly stowed

Fuselage belt fastened around fuselage

Ramp locked, depending on equipment tail wheel ramp locked

Depending on equipment, rear crank-out support raised

Spare wheel properly fastened

All internal parts in the proper position

Trailer properly locked

Trailer properly connected

Disconnect-cable fastened to proper place on the tow vehicle

Support wheel tightened in the uppermost position

Electrical system checked.

Check tire condition, tire pressure and wheel tightness.

Check loading condition of the trailer.

Tongue weight at least 2% of the trailer weight, between 110 and 175 lb.

Consider the maximum permissible tongue weight for the tow vehicle.

Caution:

When trailer shows unsatisfactory road performance:
 

As a rule of thumb: The higher the tongue weight, the better the road performance.

 
As a rule of thumb: The higher the tire pressure, the steadier the road behavior.

Note: With double axle trailers an increase in tire pressure leads to a decrease in longitudinal stability of the trailer.

Old tires also lead to a worsening of the road performance.

The older the tires, the worse the road performance.

We recommend, depending on the use of the trailer, to replace the tires every 6 to 8 years.
 

Opening and Closing the Trailer for Unloading
 
 
 
 

Assure that brake is set and wheels are chocked if trailer is unhitched from towing vehicle.

Open the tailgate first.

Open the over-the-center latches at the sides and raise the top.

Depending on equipment, crank down rear support or bring tailgate into vertical position.

Raise tongue with support wheel until tail gate or crank-down support is supporting the rear end of the trailer.

Pull out ramp and adjust ramp jacks to proper height. Depending on equipment, fold out tail wheel ramp and attach rear part of ramp.

Open fuselage belt and pull out fuselage.

On trailers with fold out tail wheel ramp, remove rear part of ramp.

On sailplanes with retractable wheel, lower wheel. Assure clearance between wheel and ground, so that mechanism properly locks down over center.

Place carpet shoes over trailer corners. Assure that dive brakes are closed to prevent interference with internal gas struts.

Lift wing tip and pull out wing.

Lift wing spar off wing dolly. (Caution: Holding the wing tip too low or too high may cause binding of the wing dolly pin in the spar bolt hole.)

Take out second wing and attach.

Attach elevator.

Lower ramp jack. (On sailplanes with fixed landing gear, lower jack on fuselage dolly.)

For driving with empty trailer, lock wing dollies in front of trailer, fasten fuselage dolly with tail belt, close elevator holder. Raise crank-out support in back if applicable. Assure that no loose parts are moving around inside trailer.

Always lock doors. This assures that they are properly closed.

Loading the Trailer
 
 

Preparation:

Open tailgate and top.

If trailer is not attached to tow vehicle, apply hand brake, chock wheels, turn support wheel into proper position and depending on equipment, use the tail gate or crank-out support for supporting the tail end of the trailer.

Open elevator holder.

Roll wing dollies to rear.

Pull out ramp and lower ramp jack completely. (On sailplanes with fixed landing gear, lower fuselage dolly jack.) Depending on equipment, fold out tail wheel ramp.

Set fuselage dolly on ramp.

Slide carpet protectors on chassis corners.

Loading:

Push fuselage onto saddle, observing proper position. (NOTE: A small mark with a permanent black felt pen on the fuselage greatly assists the proper positioning.)

Lift ramp. (On aircraft with fixed wheel, lift fuselage saddle.)

Detach elevator and insert into holder. Close elevator holder and assure proper latching. (Spring loaded pin must protrude from the hinged portion by at least 1 cm.)

Detach wing and set on wing dolly, observing proper position. (All LS- sailplanes use the forward bolt hole, all others the rear one. On spars with only one hole, there is of course no error possible.)

Lock dive brakes if possible. Lock aelerons and flaps with the supplied clips. Push wings in to the stop.

Repeat with other wing.

Retract landing gear.

Depending on equipment, attach tail wheel guide extension.

Push fuselage into trailer. (NOTE: When using the tail wheel ramp, the ramp jack should be adjusted, so that the folding ramp and the extension form a continuous plane. The trailer has to stand in the proper position. (Tail end not too high.))

Insert tail wheel or skid properly into the recess of the trailer.

Straighten fuselage with the vertical tail.

Push ramp into trailer. Depending an equipment fold down tail wheel ramp and stow extension. Lower ramp jack completely.

Close and tighten fuselage belt.

Before closing the top, check visually that nothing protrudes between the chassis and top.

Remove carpet pockets from corners.

Close top and check that the hold-downs properly and cleanly engage the wing tips. CAUTION: the storage room in front of the trailer decreases in size during the closing of the top. It is therefore recommended, to finish packing this area after the top is closed.

Close and safety over-center latches.

Close and lock tail gate.

Service and Care
 
 

The outer surface of the trailer should be treated like any other painted vehicle surface. It should be washed and waxed periodically. (Use wax without Silicone.)

The bearings in the surge brake mechanism of the tongue as well as all other grease fittings should be greased at least once every year. Use acid-free high temperature grease. Grease nipples can be either of the screw-in or press-in type. Make sure the ball type closure of the fitting is present and that grease is actually going into the fitting. There are three sizes of threads, 8, 9 and 10 mm. Defective press-in nipples are replaced by levering out the old ones with pliers and pressing in new ones, using a special tool. Care must be taken not to damage the seat during the removal operation. Replacement grease nipples are available by specifying the type and/or dimension, or by ordering them for the specific tongue make and model.

Inspect the condition of the rubber boot on the tongue for cracks and other damage.

The brake system should be inspected every two years or 9,000 miles.

Tires should be changed if deterioration is noticeable or at least every 6 to 8 years.

Wheel bearings should be checked during brake inspection. On new trailers there is only one large sealed bearing per wheel. These bearings cannot be greased or tightened. They have to be replaced if any play is noticed.

We recommend the use of a qualified automotive shop for service work on brakes and bearings.

There are also grease fittings on the folding legs, which counterbalance the weight of the top.

Furthermore, some of the older axles, which have a torsion bar spring, have grease fittings. The newer ones, of the rubber spring type, do not require lubrication.

If you have any damage on the chassis or top, we ask you to contact ENTEC, or Anschau directly, for assistance.

Brake System

The brakes on all Anschau sailplane trailers are of the surge-type, which means that during deceleration of the tow vehicle, the inertia of the trailer pushes forward and compresses a piston in the tongue. This mechanical movement actuates a lever and rod system, which presses the brake shoes against the brake drums. Of course this system is also actuated when backing up a hill. To prevent a locking of the brakes in this case, the brakes contain a feature called the "backup automatic". One of the brake shoes has a spring loaded sliding bracket, which decreases the effective diameter of the brake shoes when the wheel turns backward while the brake shoes are in contact with the drums. This releases the brake and allows the trailer to roll backward even though the brake is applied.

The backup automatic is of course also effective when the trailer is parked on an incline with the tongue pointing uphill. To assist the hand brake in this case, a set of wheel chocks is mounted on all late model trailers, which should be placed behind the wheel. These chocks are normally kept in stock by ENTEC.

It is recommended to have all brake and bearing work performed by a reputable automotive shop.

The brake rods are made of special high tensile steel and should not be replaced with regular hardware store type threaded rod. Brake shoes generally come in two different widths, 30 mm and 50 mm. The brake lining on all modern brake shoes is factory bonded to the shoe and cannot be replaced separately.

The brake rods are connected to a balance beam under the chassis, from which the Bowden-Cable type "pulls" lead to the brakes. On twin-axle trailers a main balance beam is connected to two secondary balance beams, each one of which works the brakes for one axle. A rubber O-ring is connected between each end of the single or secondary beam and the frame, pulling it backwards and unloading the brake system if the surge mechanism is inactive. This greatly extends the life of the brake shoes. On older trailers, aging may have deteriorated the rubber O-rings to the point, where they no longer exist. ENTEC stocks replacement O-rings.

Adjustment Procedure:

Jack up your trailer and support it so that both (all four) wheels are off the ground. You may want to do this without the sailplane in the trailer. Make sure that the brake shoes have sufficient lining thickness (2 mm minimum) and that the brake drums do not have any deep grooves. On some very old trailers, more than 25 years, especially on Grau and Peitz axles, you will find rivetedbrake linings. On these, the minimum lining thickness is 4 mm. If one brake shoe shows excessive wear, all shoes should be replaced (for both axles on twin axle trailers). Clean out all debris and dust. If you are using compressed air, wear safety glasses! This is also a good time to have your bearings checked and repacked.

There are generally two makes of brake systems employed on Anschau trailers, Peitz and Knott. All of them use Knott brake shoes. The adjustment mechanism for Knott systems is a hex head bolt on the upper axle side of the brake back plate, for Peitz a wheel type screw, which is accessed through a hole in the back plate. This wheel type adjuster is turned, by levering, with a screwdriver. If it cannot be turned, remove the brake drum and free the adjustment mechanism. Please check in which direction the mechanism is spreading the brake shoes, since it is possible to install it in more than one orientation. The brake drum should turn easily and smoothly (without hesitation).

• Disconnect the rod system completely at the balance beam.
• Tighten the adjustment mechanism until the wheel is completely blocked when trying to turn it in the forward rolling direction.
• On Knott brakes, loosen the adjustment bolt 5/4 turns (the clearance allows you to turn it only ¼ turn at the time). On Peitz brakes, loosen the adjuster until the brake shoes rub only slightly.
• Re-connect the brake rod system and with the hand brake lever fully loose and the tongue pulled out. Tighten the rod system until a slight rubbing noise is heard when spinning the wheels in the forward direction.
• The balance beams should be straight at this time. Re-adjust the pulls or the rods to the secondary beams if they are not.
• Test the release of the backup automatic by pulling on the hand brake (on brakes with a tooth segment three teeth, on brakes with an energy storage spring in the rod system 30degrees.

• If the brakes work too suddenly, there is too much slack in the rod system or the surge damper in the tongue is weak. Try tightening the rod system a little first. The surge damper should slowly push the hitch end back out if you push it in manually. There should be a definite resistance when you push it in. Unless your tongue assembly is of the type

Electrical System

Following is the tabulation of the wiring for the 7-pin European system in the trailer and the adapter to the four-pin plug of the American system. A 7-pin outlet is installed in the front of the trailer, into which either a connector cable for the European system or a four wire cable for the American system can be plugged.

Colors of the trailer wiring are carried all the way through the trailer.

Cable color Assignment Numbers in connector, 7-pin flat 4-pin connector

DIN - System / ISO – System Light US-System

Color

1 red Chassis Ground 31 3 white

2 white Running Lt. Left 58L 7 Red together

3 black Running Lt. Right 58R 5 Red brown

4 brown Brake Light Right 54 6 Red green

5 blue Brake Light Left 54g 2 Red yellow

6 green Left Dir. Blinker L 1 Yellow not connected

7 yellow Right Dir. Blinker R 4 Yellow not connected

Due to the fact that the American system uses the two direction-signals together as the brake light and both the brake light and the running light have to be red, the yellow lights of the tail light assemblies are not used with the four wire system. Anyone with a European car, who has a 7-pin plug and wants to use the European system, can simply plug in a 7- wire connecting cable.

The marker lamps (as well as the flood light for sailplane disassembly during retrieve, if applicable) are connected to the running light (brown on 4-pin connector).

To keep contacts in plugs and lamps from corroding, either a light coating of dielectric grease or a light spraying with WD-40 is recommended periodically.

Road Service

Make sure you have a lug wrench, which fits the lug nuts on your trailer wheels. An American size wrench will fit and a cross wrench is best since it will give you a lot of leverage, which an L-wrench will not. The jack from the tow vehicle will probably work OK with the trailer. It is a good idea to do a dry run once before you have a real emergency on the road. Make sure your crew is checked out with your system.

Before you start out on a trip make sure your tire pressure is where it should be. The cold tire pressure is the best to monitor. Keep a log of tire pressure vs. road behavior. After you start out on the road it is a good idea to stop at the first opportunity and check your trailer. Look inside to make sure that nothing has come loose. Feel your wheel bearings to make sure they do not heat up.

You may want to add your own notes to this manual and keep it in the trailer so your crew can use it if necessary.

You should make notes of your bearing numbers, if you have the older conventional ones, and keep a spare set in the trailer if you do long trips with it. Also keep a note of the brake shoe width. They come in 30 and 50mm widths.

Keep a record of service work performed and an approximate mileage log.

Reporting Safety Defects

The following information is supplied in accordance with the regulations of the USDOT, NHTSA:

If you believe that your vehicle has a defect, which could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying Gebr. Anschau GmbH and / or their agent, ENTEC Technical Services, Inc.

If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become involved in individual problems between you, your dealer, or Gebr. Anschau GmbH.

To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-800-424-9393

(or 366-0123 in Washington, DC area) or write to: NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC 20590. You can also obtain other information about motor vehicle safety from the Hotline.