The Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) Trailer Committee has appointed Clint Lancaster as the Chairman of the Conventional Towing Systems up to 20,000 lbs Committee. Lancaster is the Technical Director for the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers.
The SAE committee for Conventional Towing Systems up to 20,000 lbs. will be revising a key industry standard SAE J684 “Trailer Couplings, Hitches, and Safety Chains – Automotive Type”. This standard was originally issued in 1938 and has been a cornerstone in the light- and medium-duty trailer industry for over 70 years. Last revised in 2005, the J684 Standard includes couplings, hitches and safety chains used on all types of trailers and towing vehicles with Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) up to 10,000 lbs. The standard established our current towing industry classifications of 1 through 4 as well as test methods and performance criteria. The new or updated standard will address towing system up to 20,000 lbs. GVWR and will better reflect the light- and medium-duty towing industry of today and into the future.
Lancaster’s trailer experience spans over 15 years in all aspects of the trailer industry including manufacturing and engineering with the past five years as a technical staff member for NATM. He is a member of several SAE committees and has published a paper though SAE. He is also the co-author of the Trailer Handbook: A Guide to Trailer and Towing Safety published by NATM in 2009.