Q 1 : What is 5th wheel on a Carriage?
A 1 : In a 4 wheel carriage, two front wheels make steering or turning. The turning devise looks like a round turntable connected with front wheel axle and splinter bar. Its up part is connected to body of carriage. Sometime, people call it the 5th wheel
Q 2 : What is the purpose to put a brake on 5th wheel?
A 2 : 2 major concerns for putting a brake on 5th wheel. When carriage is moving with a fast speed, especially during down hills, two front wheels may receive a different impact forces or resistance of moving. This causes 5th wheel turns. the turning force may accumulate enough to cause carriage swing side to side or snaking. A brake add holding tension to the 5th wheel will ease the unstable swing. The second reason is to use this brake to hold 5th wheel in position while doing carriage backward movement.