Depends on where you're dropping your trailer. On asphalt/ concrete that works well, but in a muddy yard always crank a little higher in case trailer settles into the mud after a rainstorm. Much easier to lower a loaded trailer than to raise one.
Just want to add its not always the previous drivers fault either. I worked in the shipping department at cabelas distribution center and had an issue with UPS trailers. Im pretty sure, i never actually measured, the height of the trailer floor is slightly taller than standard trailers or that end of the building had more if a slope. The shipping docks are slopped for drainage and possibly even to make loading with a pallet jack easier. I would have to raise the nose of the trailer at least 6 inches to keep the retractable belt/rollers from binding. The UPS driver started getting pissed about it because i wouldnt always have time to lower it back down. The driver tried to tell me the landing gear wont go down on a loaded trailer. I actually had to show him that there are 2 gears on the landing gear and show him that it will work with a loaded trailer if you actually try. I get where you are coming from though, it would get old to have to do it every day when you have a deadline to meet.
I prefer it being high vs too low. Even on a heavy load if it's a tax too high I can still lower it easily because I have the assistance of gravity. if it's too low, and by that I mean I can even get my tires under the trailer, it's a pain to raise it. When I'm dropping an empty I dolly it down till it touches, but if I'm dropping a loaded trailer I typically Dolly it down till it touches and then I give it one more crank. Also as it's been said below, each type of tractor out there has a slightly different plate height. It also depends on the surface your dropping on. Concrete is nice and solid, but black top or gravel can compress variably depending on the weight of the load. Doesn't bother me one bit if it's too high, just put my fifth wheel plate under the edge of the trailer and lower it till it's flush. But I've had several occasions where it was too low and had a load onboard weighing around 44,000 pounds. The truck may be built to handle that weight, but my body sure wasn't.
I do the same. It’s what a person who has common sense does. No one taught us. It’s just common sense. I also pull the trolley valve after I’m hooked up and let the clutch out a little to make sure she’s totally locked in before I leave. Some people just go through life on auto pilot and don’t think for themselves. Most of these people are steering wheel holders who drive automatics hauling freight 80,000 lbs of less.
hell my truck doesnt have air dump to lower the bags so i drop the landing gear and crank it a few times i hate pulling out from a trailer and the rear of my truck jumps up from under the trailer. next guy can crank it down to needed height. its called get out and look before you back all the way under dont be a lazy ass
Andrew Vandergrift unfortunately dropping the gear with all the weight on it is the way to Obama rig it ... At least Trump is not making people pay for healthcare or get fined while making the cost if healthcare more expensive for people who have jobs , so the working people can subsidize health care for people that should be sterilized .
brian lane you never know either he's a dip shit you bought or leased a shit box or his company is the kind of morons that cut items from a truck that make no sense...lol... like the companies you see running the 4 corners that spec their trucks with only one live axle the other just a dead I beam with hubs . My new truck has silly shit like brake lights come on with engine brake , but yet it has no johnny bar ...egt , or boost gauge?
yerwrng they took out my air quality gauge on this one, and the ATC, HSA override, and eng shutdown override switches don't do anything... but they hooked up the OPT to the CB power which is cool... I guess (I don't want to admit how long it took me to figure that out)
@brian lane some trucks don't have air suspensions. They have springs. There are also trucks out there that have air suspensions but no dump switch in the cab. We've bought a few of those over the years and have had to add the dump switch.
Why not get out and check before backing under it? I wondered the same thing at around 3:25 when he just backed right on under. Seems like a good way to high hook or damage something. Just my 2 cents. Thanks fir the videos and tips.
Pulling out from under a trailer when the dollies are not touching the ground can shatter the bearing at the top of the leg screw shaft. It will be impossible to crank dollies with weight on them. Dollies should be cranked down until they touch the ground. Then drop air bags and pull out.
Jay Biberstein leaving landing gear a little off the ground and then dropping air and pulling out, allows for tractors that are different than yours. It's just common courtesy. I'd rather my tractor lift the trailer than have to fight landing gear binds.
Mechanic here, if ya don't crank the landing gear all the way down the shock of the drop WILL eventually either strip the worm gear or shatter the bearing.
Obviously you've never tried it. The air doesn't just dump out of the bags all at once, the air slowly comes out so the trailer landing gear won't slam onto the ground. Plus the way I've seen yard jockies drop trailers, they're dropping it way harder than letting the air out of the rear bags of your tractor.
Jay Biberstein you don't pull out from a trailer without the dollies touching. You lower the damn airbags until they touch. I swear half of y'all are incapable of understanding simple English
I've seen many a yard dog that cranked the gear all the way out depending on how the trailer sat against the dock. I've also been in many a place where they tell you to crank the gear all the way out as well. All seems to depend on if their docks are pointing up hill, down hill, or level. Also, the 379 I used to drive had a very high fifth wheel, so if I just kissed the ground with the landing gear, then dumped air and pulled out, the trailer nose still usually ended up to high for anyone driving a 387 or similar. What I hated was the guys in the 387's that left the gear 6 inches off the ground, dumped air and pulled out, then, when the trailer was loaded with 40k+ pounds of freight, I had to crank my arms off to raise the trailer nose enough to get the rear frame under the trailer! Then I would dump air, back the frame under it, then inflate the suspension again to raise the nose (hopefully) high enough to dolly down, dump air again and get the fifth wheel under it to hook up. I learned to carry a short section of 6x6 to assist in this exercise.
I load flatbeds at a steel yard. One of my drivers, who has the same make model and year truck I use to load, always asks me to drop a little lower than I normally would because for whatever reason, his fifth wheel sits lower.
It would seem that inexpensive integrated cameras would make trucks a lot easier to maneuver, like one showing the fifth wheel and kingpin as you back under the trailer, and blind side backing
The idea works if the same truck or same style is going to connect to the trailer, of course all applicable trucks must have their airbag levelers set the same. I run a fleet of trucks. There are two things that really anger me involving trailer connections. The first is of course G.O.A.L. Get Out And Look, do it or find another job. The second is tore back rear frame members from king pins falling too low and snagging the metal. Touch the ground with the gear, deflate and pull out. When reconnecting, get out and look before connecting every time, even if you are the person who dropped that trailer. Shit happens, ground sinks, someone else plays with the crank, who knows. There is any number of reasons the height of the trailer could have changed since you last seen it. So get out and look.
You just show you lack of experience with your comments. There are trucks that don't have airbags to let down. Then you have to fight with the landing gear that is messed up from some idiot that didn't crank them down to the ground and pulled out, dropping the trailer. I saw a driver one time that pulled that stunt and when he came out from under the trailer, the landing gear went up through the floor of the trailer which was loaded heavy with glassware. Then they had to call a wrecker to come pick up the trailer for him, so the landing gear could be replaced and part of the load was then trashed because of damage.
thank you, I thought I was the only one who did it like that. drop the bags to set it down makes it alot easier for the next guy especially on heavy load.
@@danstafford5977 you drop the airbags so when the next driver comes to pick it up their bags are at regular height so when they go under it it picks the trailer up so there is no weight on the landing gear. Have you ever tried lowering a landing gear because the driver who dropped it left it way too high and the yard jockey dropped it awkwardly so the landing gear is cockeyed? It’s impossible so that’s why you drop the air bags, it’s a prank if you don’t.
Open question. I am a driver in the UK. Every tractor unit i have driven has a pre-set driving position and you can raise and lower the suspension as needed. We crank the landing legs flush for a loaded trailer when dropping and slack off a little when empty, but if i was hooking up to a trailer that was higher than my 5th wheel i would just raise the suspension on the tractor. Can you not do that on trucks in the US? Honest question from a new driver in the UK
Steven Neill; I wish more people would be considerate of the next guy like you. I drive local hauling end-dumps and belly dumps, etc. This is an even bigger problem with the belly's because you don't have a crank to adjust the trailer height, they are basically just stands that you drop to about 2" off of the ground from one of our taller rigs, and all the way to the dirt from one of our shorter rigs and put the pin in so that either rig can hook up without a hassle. Alot of them don't even have landing gear we just use old wheels or chunks of 12"x12" Put under the gates to hold the trailer up.
I had it happen once back in the 80’s and 90’s the company I drove for had three different depth kingpins the deepest being 48” I think the shallowest was maybe 30” and I had dropped a 48” trailer and was picking up a shallow one so I backed too far and dropped it over the fifth wheel and it was at an inside dock I couldn’t crank the landing gear down to raise the trailer up with all the weight on it it must have been in a bind like this guy talked about luckily the dock next to me was empty and I was driving a cab over tractor I backed up as far as I could without hitting the sleeper with the steering wheel turned as short as it would go then turned them the other way and drove forward as far as I could without hitting the fifth wheel and kept doing that until I drove out sideways I never made that mistake again lol
I gauge the height by the distance between the trailer and my tires while backing under. If it looks kinda high i dont back all the way under just enough for trailer to cover the plate. Roll up landing gear and hook lines up then finish sliding under and do a tug test. Hooked it over the pin before also and didnt think about lowering the airbags so I had to crank the extra inches...ugh a real pain
@James Marquis exactly. All trucks have differrent ride heights and wear of the tires makes a huge difference! I thought like him til i got new tires and it made a huge difference on ride height and trailer dropping. I measured for curiousity when i had the old tires on because i heard it would. Then went back with the new tires and it was close to a foot difference. Helped new shocks as well. Each truck is different from wear and tear. Will take too high anyday. Have jumped fifth wheel once and was able to raise trailer enough while putting a bungee cord on the fifth wheel to keep it flat. There is ways around things if you think outside the box.
I’m always amazed at how many experienced truck drivers, I mean, people who’ve been driving some years, still don’t know how to drop a trailer. How is it possible they’ve never hooked an improperly dropped trailer and went, “A-ha, now I get it!" It’s simple. Leave about an inch between the ground and the sand-pads. Don’t hang the crank on a parked trailer. That’s all. It’s actually less work for you, and definitely less work for the guy who has to hook it next. That said, when you pick up a trailer on a yard that uses its own yard dog, the ground the trailer was originally dropped on might’ve been quite a bit different than the ground you find it on. It might’ve went from dirt to blacktop, or simply from uneven to even pavement. The yard dog doesn’t mess with the landing gear. He just picks it up and moves it.
Steven Neill... one error in something you said about the yard drivers... the problem of binding as you called it is when yard drivers drop the trailer... BEFORE they hit the auto disconnect on the 5th wheel they tug on the trailer which puts pressure on 2 opposite points on the landing gear tube... the landing gear is placing pressure on the top rear and bottom front of the gear tube... now if they drop the trailer then push back before hitting that disconnect, the pressure is applied to the top front and bottom rear... I've struggled thru this many times and while cranking as the pressure on the outer tube is relieved I've seen the skid on the bottom of the legs slide forward or backwards from 1-1½ inches... but otherwise good points made here... I've tried to no avail at getting this same info passed on to me drivers thru the company training office and safety...I to am tired of wasting time cranking trailers down to my fifth wheel... I've actually had em so high that I've stood gallon coolant bottles on the frame below the trailer
I have been told two different things. I was told if you are empty to stow your handle. If you are loaded, leave your handle down unstowed. Then I have been told the opposite recently? The reason I was told to leave it unstowed was the handle can be pinned under the crossed members when dropped? I also told not to leave it unstowed whether I am loaded or not?
Do the truck and trailers in the states not have air suspension ? In the U.K. Both truck and trailer have air suspension , meaning when I back up under a trailer , I pump up the suspension on the truck so it lifts the trailer , takin the strain of the legs , so once the trailer is locked in place it is then much easier to wind up the landing legs on the trailer ? How does it work in the USA ? Am just curious to see the differences between the uk and America ?
The cheap haulers that haul cheap freight have chassis that they throw boxes on....most of those are spring ride. Cheaper the better...cheap freight, cheap hauling. Those of us that haul own freight have air ride trucks and trailers as well. You can tell the experience and quality of the driver and truck by so many different things. The cleanliness and quality of the truck and trailer is one of the biggest signs.
Glad somebody said it. Video could have been cut down a lot, but I'm all with ya. Working as a local driver for a semi trailer repair shop, I drop and hook all day long, picking up trailers in need of repair to bring back to the shop. I was taught by Burlington Industries here in NC, one of the most respected (in its day) companies in the nation. Leave a couple inches. Don't crank the thing to the ground. That's what air bags are for. Dump the bags and set it down and then pull out. Cranking it to the ground does nothing but put extra stress on the landing gear if the next guy doesn't back under it perfectly straight. Not to mention, as you showed, having to lower the trailer just to get hooked. Which I have to do quite often. It's common sense, really....
I have known some yard guys that will adjust the height of the landing gear to suit them, their yard trucks, and possibly forklift operators. I have dropped trailers, and picked them up the next day, and the landing gear has been raised or lowered. Only when they drop the trailer that my drive tires won't go under the trailer, does it really irritate me.
Been there a million times. Those RTI trailers were the ones I pulled. Prior to that I pulled Wheeler trailers in and out of there but those were leased so no company names on them. Gotta love that exit system they have with pulling on the scale, talking with them on the radio, pull off the scale and drive around the building again to adjust and get legal, back on the scale again, then the bank tubes to get your paperwork.
some trailers are hight so there's a gap between the pin and the fifth wheel while backing because the yard dogs witch move trailers in the yard , they lift trailers up with their jack when they do that landing gear drops a little and when they drop it off that landing gear is holding the trailer way up hight
Keep a short 2x4 and a 4x4 with you.drop your bag,put the board on 5th wheel,raise bag,crank gears up some,drop bag,pull out some,remove board, and hook up
I used to work for Ryder at the Super Value warehouse in Richmond Virginia, a steering wheel holder came in and said he couldn't unhook his trailer. I went out to check it out figuring he had the landing gear high or wasn't backed up on the kingpin, what I found was the kingpin sitting on top of the locked 5th wheel. I dropped the air bags and pulled the truck out from under the trailer, I asked him where he had been with the trailer and he told me he was on the eastern shore and brought the trailer across the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. It was a refer unit and had a refused milk load in the nose because he didn't make his delivery time, I told him that was the only reason he still had the trailer. The kingpin was damaged on the bottom where it had been grinding on the locked jaw of the 5th wheel and the 5th wheel lock jaw was also damaged, I red tagged both units. I couldn't believe what I was looking at when I looked under the trailer, you could see a gap between the trailer and 5th wheel, I told the guy if it was up to me he wouldn't have a job. I have seen steering wheel holders jump kingpins and even drop full milk loads on asphalt and have the landing gear punch right through till the nose of the trailer was sitting on the ground. Dropped trailers because they didn't tug in the kingpin after hooking up all kinds of stupid, now I will be the first to tell anyone I'm not a driver, I'm a mechanic with a class "A" CDL, that doesn't make me a driver. My brother drives them, I fix them.....
When backing up to connect to a trailer, aren't you supposed to stop when the trailer touches the 5th wheel, then hook up ur service and emergency air lines, and apply the trailer breaks before backing completly under the trailer?
Coming in with big boy tires, 11R24.5 tires, versus girly tires, low pro 22.5 tires. I have the problem of trailers being too low. Seatwarming, door swinging steering wheel holders. Trailer landing gear will “bind” because you dropped the landing gear before setting the trailer brakes and allowing the airbags to deflate and push the trailer slightly forward, causing the pressure on the landing gear. Set your brakes before dropping landing gear to prevent getting your hands too dirty.
You are right and thanks for informing the rookies. I'm old enough to have driven truck before they had air suspension, and even then you left the landing gear slightly off the ground and if you pulled out slowly it wouldn't do any damage to the dolly legs. For the record I've also done a short stint as a trailer mechanic so I have more than a clue. Stay safe.
Common practice used to be to crank the gear down until there was daylight between the 5th wheel and the bottom of the trailer, so you weren't dropping it on the landing gear. And then when you backed under a trailer, it wash;t tight and you weren't scraping all the grease off the 5th wheel and making a messy pile of grease on top of the front rear end.
Many years ago I worked for a local trucking company in Phoenix, AZ and experienced that issue many times. New drivers, just out of school, were taught to run the gear down to the ground (mt trailers) and turn gear one more revolution! Then the load raises the front end too high to attach w/o cranking it down before the fifth wheel connects.
One thing many drivers don't think about regarding this is the fact that when you are hooking up you are almost never dead centre to the trailer, it usually slides about 1/2-1 inch to either left or right when it hits the V shape on the fifth wheel. If the landing gear is holding the weight at that moment it puts a lot of strain on it and shortens the life of the landing gear. Maybe not something that drivers who almost never tow the same trailer twice think much about, but when you are regularly switching between two or three trailers this becomes something that you keep in mind.
I'm not a trucker but this is the best, shortest explanation i've found. Still, wish u were more explicit about semi airbags vs trailer airbags, but you're writing for truckers who know so...
Honestly I don't know much about them. I honestly hold the opinion that if it ain't broke...don't fix it. What we have works. No need to get any fancier. Adding pneumatics only creates one more thing that can go wrong and needs repaired
A local trucking company invested into some control for the air bags. They can set a precise drop off height for the tractor when dropping the trailer, then fully lower the gear. This solved the issues they previously had because the fleet was made of 2/3 highway trucks and 1/3 construction site vehicles which are higher. Solves the problem with a small sensor and a cheap control box, and when it breaks you can still do it the old way.
Your advise was spot on but the last Co. I worked for had a different problem regarding trailers. The older drivers had Peterbilt's and the new drivers had Freightliners. The main problem was the height difference of the two tractors. The large cars bitched the dropped trailer was too low and the little FL's bitched the large cars were dropping trailer too high.
if you have a trailer that's a little too high. and then landing gear is jammed. there is a rod on the last axle or in between the axle on a truck that you can raise it up and down to add more air into it.
It don't matter if you hook up correctly. You partially back under it first, raise the landing gear off the ground but not all the way up, inspect the kingpin for any damage and make sure you've lined up properly. Fully back in, tug test 2 back & 2 forward pulls. You'll never jump a fifth wheel doing this.
If done the way you suggest someone with a higher fifth wheel will pound the front of the trailer with the back of the fifth wheel. You are out of breath letting the trailer down, how would you like to try raising it? Not every truck is the same as yours. A little common since goes a long way.
for one yep every truck is slightly different and then on top of that in a yard like that sometimes you drop it in one spot shunters move it around to a different spot that may be leveled differently or it happens to me alot when i show up drop it in a door with an incline then the next day the trailer is way to low even when i dump my air
I've been in transportation management for 25 years, and I have seen your issue before. The problem is the height distance between the fifth wheel decks of different trucks, not the yard Drivers. They can't "slam" those trailers down. It is a hydraulic mechanism and it is slow so there is no "slamming" of the trailer. Next, I saw you pass 4 yard drivers while complaining about not being able to find your trailer. Those yard Drivers are not only there to place trailers, but they are they to help you, use them as a resource. At my company (and most by now) they have a computerized map of the lot and tell the exact location of your trailer. Lastly, you had 3 yard trucks at your trailer that were lower than you could lift. Why did you not flag one of them to come and lit it up for you? I had a Driver who broke his arm trying to navigate one of these situations due to a high lift trailer. Just flag a yard Driver next time. And if he doesn't respond complain to management. Use the Yard Drivers, they are on production, yes, but they are a golden resource. Sorry Steven if I came of as offensive, just wanted to point out a few things. All apologies if I came across cross.
As you yanks run a fixed 5 wheel it doesn't matter if you have to crank the legs a few times, some of us over here in Oz run a ballrace turntable(5 th wheel) trust me you'd be glad the trailer is a fraction higher so the turntable doesn't spin when hooking up,easier to wind down than up.
If a trailer has sat for a while , the airbags let out all it air resulting in a high kingpin! Just backup close to hookup and connect air and it will bring it down , if you don't feel like cranking ! The legs are the pivot point when the airbags fill and empty ! Or do what you did , not really a big deal !
Trailer air ride can leak down (if last drive didnt mt the bags)and when it does it drops back end(raiseing the front)and trailer moves slightly foward putting strain on dolly legs to..
i have 3 question question one how do you look for the number trailer # question 2 what happened if you coupler the wrong trailer question 3 what happened if you dropping the trailer and the landing gear faiL and the trailer fall down
+pavel1809 Answer for question one: it's on the trailer.Question 2: then they screwed up by giving you the wrong trailer number. Not your fault. If there is a seal, it should match with the one on your Bill.Question 3: there is a correct way so that doesn't happen. When you drop the trailer, pull up only so to clear the flywheel from the trailer, but keep your tractor frame under the trailer. If the landing gear fails, it will fall on the frame of the tractor, and then proceed from there by inflating your air bags to raise the trailer. I usually do this mostly when i'm dropping a heavy trailer just to make sure the landing gear won't fail.
1. trailer number is on the trailer usually both the front and the back. 2. couple the wrong trailer then the guard shack will catch it and send you back into the yard to get the trailer you missed. 3. if you drop the trailer cause you didn't lower the landing gear, you dun goofed and will get in trouble. depending on your history of getting into trouble and how much damage was done, everything is a case by case basis, most of the time it is just a slap on the wrist or possibly take some training courses the company would make you take. but if you fuck up alot, you can get terminated easily.
I'll also say your wrong because if you have a heavy load and you leave that gap for the trailer to drop when you pull out and get going the weight of the truck will slam down on your steers and you can basically force the tire off of the rim. How do I know this? For the same reason I lower the legs like I do now lol
having full controll airbags in the rear axels and you dont have that problem, my truck has something 20-30cm range, i quess american trucks in general dont have much of of em?
When you load a trailer it's going to raise the front of the trailer, I work at a steel mill hualling sludge and the trailers are about 100k lb after being loaded I usually keep the legs about 2-3 inches from the ground when I drop the empty and when i pick it up it lifts the it up just enough for the legs to not be in a bind, I promise you your not cranking those legs at all will that heavy of a load
Depends on if you are on dirt or solid pavement or concrete. On solid ground I leave about a half inch on soft I crank all the way until barely touching. I lower the bags and pull ahead enough to make sure the landing gear holds and then freely out. There is play in the vertical of the king pin and fifth wheel locks so a half inch is the most you want to leave between the ground and landing gear. You're welcome! BTW if everyone did this no one would have to lower their bags hooking up.
I drove from 1979 until 2000 - 21 years and the rule we had was to plant the landing gear on the ground and give it one crank in high gear ( yes it took a little strength to do it ) . This took enough weight off the drives to let the tractor slide out nice and easy and still kept no space between the 5th wheel and the trailer plate and still kept just a bit of weight on the 5th wheel . Result was tho that we never had any issues and 90% of what we did was running containers to the Baltimore docks , so lots of yard jockeys but still no problems with landing gear . You actually need some weight on the landing gear in order to make sure it's going to support the trailer ( check this by pulling out from under the trailer to where the 5th wheel clears the trailer but still have some of the tractor frame to catch the trailer if the landing gear doesn't support it .
what your advocating causes the kingpin to get caught on the cross bar on the back of the frame and bend the member out in the middle. I lower my trailer till it touches and then I pull my truck forward 5 inches and then drop my air bags.
Too low and you can simply dump your air bags to get under it. Too high and you're screwed. I ended up replacing the cotter pin on my leveling arm with a quick pull pin so I can inflate my air bags a few extra inches - just enough to get some weight off the trailer while I raise the landing gear. Otherwise, it's sometimes impossible to crank on a fully loaded trailer. I know there's some risk in over-inflation and dumping the air bags. But you end up doing what you gotta do out there. One time the trailer went through the asfault. Luckily, I managed to get one corner of the tractor frame under the trailer enough to lift it. Throw a few rocks in the hole and set it down on the rocks. Did this about 3 or 4 times before I could get under it right. Some meat packing places will crank the legs all the way down for loading. They're supposed to crank them back up when they're done, but sometime they forget. Consequently, the legs will be a full foot over the fifth wheel. I just call them over and ask them nicely to help me out. Some will do this because some other driver ticked them off. I've gotten some razzing, but I've never had anyone refuse to help.
Yeah i ended up with shoulder surgery because of having to raise to landing gear while loaded. I always leave a 2 inch gap between the ground and the shoes. It makes life easier for all
Big Whitey That is simply what I do I mean just get out of your truck for two seconds and look if the trailer is t high crank it down a couple...if your truck is too high drop your air bags
Id rather crank that trailer down rather than have to go find a yard jockey to lift it up for me because it's too low, because if you can crank that trailer up i would like to see that video.
red spur you can't hold a camera and crank a trailer up lol, I might be a corn fed southern man, but damn that low gears not low enough when the trailers to low. it's hell even when it's too high
it could be this thing called ride height, for example when a freight hauler with low pro 22.5s drops a trailer, I get to crank them up being as how I like my road speed and have 24.5 tall tires (11r 24.5) so, could be that.
Lower profile tires on your tractor than the driver who dropped it...different suspension...ride height? Either way - best way to eliminate all of these headaches - get out and look before hooking up. No other way to know if the kingpin is still in decent shape, a piece of trailer apron is going to take out a tire, your fifth wheel is still open...etc... Ideally, back the fifth wheel within a foot or so of the nose of the trailer, get out check for damage and adjust trailer height, drop bags if necessary, move back so the fifth wheel is under the nose of the trailer, with suspension at ride height, raise the gear slightly off of the ground then connect. This process prevents damage to the throat and ramps of the fifth wheel while keeping grease in the connection instead of the front of the trailer apron, Also dropping bags prior to disconnecting kingpin from 5th wheel can damage the 5th wheel and bind up the kingpin in the locking mechanism. If you do drop your bags when you unhook do similar to what you've mentioned, it's important to do so after the locking mechanism has been disengaged and the kingpin is in or beyond the throat of the 5th wheel. So, best practice is to put the gear on the ground, release the locking mechanism, pull forward about a foot, then dump your bags. Speaking of the next guy - I'm guessing you run low pros & one of the problems with dropping a trailer the way you describe is that it leaves a headache for the next guy with fresh tall 24.5s - now there's a possibility he's got to raise the trailer over his tires to hook, not bad with an empty - but real work with 40k. The proper process is a pain in the neck that adds about two minutes to the work day and will keep your fifth wheel working better longer and will prevent high hooks, jumping the fifth wheel etc etc.
I just lost my job for jumping my fifth wheel and breaking my wing. My fault, should have checked. I always left a space between the ground and landing gear. As I worked for a training company, I ran into this a lot! Don't know if I will be able to find a new job, I drove for 7 months and had 4 very minor incidents, hit a yellow post and popped a tire with a bent rim, hit a curb on a right turn and did the same thing. I loved that this companies training was only 150 hours, took me less than 3 weeks before I was thrown to the wolves. My first 3 incidents happened my first week solo. I had a shitty trainer and basically had to learn on my own. I thought I was really turning into a good trucker when I jumped the fifth wheel. None of my incidents were reportable accidents, but they are on my DAC. Do you think I well ever be able to drive a truck again?
When I first started driving, it was for England... Every other trailer was like this. It was just ridiculous. One of the happiest days of my life was when I had put my time in and switched to a private company. This video should be mandatory watching at all those damn driver mills.
You also have to take into consideration that there more trailers with air ride suspensions. Even if you leave 1/2in space under your dolleys,when the suspension looses air the front will go up.
in lower gear you can raise fully loaded trailers without much strain unless it is a damaged landing gear. you can also press the lower suspension button in the truck releasing air from the air backs and lowering the trucking making hooking up to too low trailers easier, this also makes uncoupling alot easier, you can press that button lower air in the bags then drive off from the trailer without it dropping once it leave the 5th wheel. making a smoother uncoupling process.
It can be as much as 2 inches difference for some tractors. At our freight company we have tractors with leaf springs so the tractors that have air bags have to leave 1 or 2 inches off ground before lowering air bags.
....also, the yard jockey raises the the trailer to level the trailer for loading or unloading and, to prevent the trailer from tipping forward when the forklift enters the trailer.
We always back under just before V on turn table. Get out, check you lined up and table strait ( Most of the time it is). Lift landing gear up just if the ground. Back up, fell it's locked, do a couple tag tests. Get out, check that jaws locked, wind the legs up, connect service lines. As you drive out do another tag test, I prefer if possible do it as I slowly turn. Unless there is mechanical failure, you could never drop the trailer. It's safe and you also wont damage landing gear. We have hight difference between European and American trucks, good think about European truck you can lift the bags up, so can skip getting out first time. When there is heavy rain or +38 outside, small blessing. ( Australia) Love my 4900 Western Star but for comfort Scania, hand down for me. Still, I like a bonnet in the front of me.)))
I used to do a dedicated run from Miami to Atlanta. And every time I got down there, when it came time to grab my load going back up, those jackasses with yard dog would leave that trailer so high, I'm talking damn near a foot higher than my fifth wheel, until I damn near had a heart attack trying to lower that trailer down. Thanks to camera phones, I started taking pictures and I started bitching and that stopped that foolishness dead in its track. But it was a shame I had to go through all of that to get them to do their jobs the right way. Thanks for your post and I always leave a three to five inch gap on the landing gear off the ground and just drop The airbags, shoot that's what their for.
if the landing gear is in a bind, and its a common issue why not carry a couple pieces of wood, you can dump air put the blocks on the fifth wheel then re inflate will take the weight off the legs, lower the 2 inches or so necessary then dump air again and remove blocks. you got an air jack right there.granted the blocks will get greasy but you can keep them in a plastic bag
trailer too high i deal with carnival trailers all the time we dont have the a choice in it its simple you get under it you crank down the trailer if the gear is stuck hook the lines up and charge the air in the trailer til the brakes release to take pressure off crank it down til it presses on the plate pull the johnny bar and hit it test tug and then finish walk around goal and checking your trailer is just part of the job also different trucks are different height you just got to dump suspention before you unhook
If you're not sure what a ballrace turntable is, google it.Just means there is a block of steel behind the kingpin,the turn table turns with the trailer, more stable, easier turning.
I carry a hard wood 4x4 used it many times when trailer was too high and landing gear was being struberin. Let air out of the tractor bags place 4x4 on the plate and pick trailer up. Takes the bind out of the gear, and saves the back.
Depends on where you're dropping your trailer. On asphalt/ concrete that works well, but in a muddy yard always crank a little higher in case trailer settles into the mud after a rainstorm. Much easier to lower a loaded trailer than to raise one.
Just want to add its not always the previous drivers fault either. I worked in the shipping department at cabelas distribution center and had an issue with UPS trailers. Im pretty sure, i never actually measured, the height of the trailer floor is slightly taller than standard trailers or that end of the building had more if a slope. The shipping docks are slopped for drainage and possibly even to make loading with a pallet jack easier. I would have to raise the nose of the trailer at least 6 inches to keep the retractable belt/rollers from binding. The UPS driver started getting pissed about it because i wouldnt always have time to lower it back down. The driver tried to tell me the landing gear wont go down on a loaded trailer. I actually had to show him that there are 2 gears on the landing gear and show him that it will work with a loaded trailer if you actually try. I get where you are coming from though, it would get old to have to do it every day when you have a deadline to meet.
I prefer it being high vs too low. Even on a heavy load if it's a tax too high I can still lower it easily because I have the assistance of gravity. if it's too low, and by that I mean I can even get my tires under the trailer, it's a pain to raise it. When I'm dropping an empty I dolly it down till it touches, but if I'm dropping a loaded trailer I typically Dolly it down till it touches and then I give it one more crank.
Also as it's been said below, each type of tractor out there has a slightly different plate height. It also depends on the surface your dropping on. Concrete is nice and solid, but black top or gravel can compress variably depending on the weight of the load.
Doesn't bother me one bit if it's too high, just put my fifth wheel plate under the edge of the trailer and lower it till it's flush. But I've had several occasions where it was too low and had a load onboard weighing around 44,000 pounds. The truck may be built to handle that weight, but my body sure wasn't.
As soon as my fifth wheel hits the plate on the king pin, I get out and check the height. It's apart of trucking.
If I didnt drop the trailer, I stop before fifth wheel touches trailer. I've seen a few trailers my frame barely gets under.
I do the same. It’s what a person who has common sense does. No one taught us. It’s just common sense. I also pull the trolley valve after I’m hooked up and let the clutch out a little to make sure she’s totally locked in before I leave. Some people just go through life on auto pilot and don’t think for themselves. Most of these people are steering wheel holders who drive automatics hauling freight 80,000 lbs of less.
I was taught to check when fifth wheel gets close to king ping
well its nice when you have a daycab and a rear window.
The bottom plate under a trailer is called the "Apron." This is a good video, containing information rookies need to learn.
hell my truck doesnt have air dump to lower the bags so i drop the landing gear and crank it a few times i hate pulling out from a trailer and the rear of my truck jumps up from under the trailer. next guy can crank it down to needed height. its called get out and look before you back all the way under dont be a lazy ass
Andrew Vandergrift unfortunately dropping the gear with all the weight on it is the way to Obama rig it ... At least Trump is not making people pay for healthcare or get fined while making the cost if healthcare more expensive for people who have jobs , so the working people can subsidize health care for people that should be sterilized .
brian lane you never know either he's a dip shit you bought or leased a shit box or his company is the kind of morons that cut items from a truck that make no sense...lol... like the companies you see running the 4 corners that spec their trucks with only one live axle the other just a dead I beam with hubs . My new truck has silly shit like brake lights come on with engine brake , but yet it has no johnny bar ...egt , or boost gauge?
yerwrng they took out my air quality gauge on this one, and the ATC, HSA override, and eng shutdown override switches don't do anything... but they hooked up the OPT to the CB power which is cool... I guess (I don't want to admit how long it took me to figure that out)
@brian lane some trucks don't have air suspensions. They have springs. There are also trucks out there that have air suspensions but no dump switch in the cab. We've bought a few of those over the years and have had to add the dump switch.
Ok
what happen to your mudflap
I have never ever had an issue cranking a trailer up when it’s fully loaded. You guys need to get in shape.
I carry a couple of 1" planks to lay down under truck to back up on if I come across a loaded trailer that is too high.
this is a pro move. especially when trailers are sandwiched so close that you cant crank the landing gear.
Why not get out and check before backing under it? I wondered the same thing at around 3:25 when he just backed right on under.
Seems like a good way to high hook or damage something.
Just my 2 cents. Thanks fir the videos and tips.
I've seen them to high . And I've picked up trailers that were too low. Pain in the butt either way.
Pulling out from under a trailer when the dollies are not touching the ground can shatter the bearing at the top of the leg screw shaft. It will be impossible to crank dollies with weight on them. Dollies should be cranked down until they touch the ground. Then drop air bags and pull out.
Jay Biberstein leaving landing gear a little off the ground and then dropping air and pulling out, allows for tractors that are different than yours. It's just common courtesy. I'd rather my tractor lift the trailer than have to fight landing gear binds.
Mechanic here, if ya don't crank the landing gear all the way down the shock of the drop WILL eventually either strip the worm gear or shatter the bearing.
Obviously you've never tried it. The air doesn't just dump out of the bags all at once, the air slowly comes out so the trailer landing gear won't slam onto the ground. Plus the way I've seen yard jockies drop trailers, they're dropping it way harder than letting the air out of the rear bags of your tractor.
Jay Biberstein you don't pull out from a trailer without the dollies touching. You lower the damn airbags until they touch. I swear half of y'all are incapable of understanding simple English
Pribar Dolly down. Let the air out of tractor. Pull ahead slowly. If you have done it right. the feet will be on the ground before you pull out
I've seen many a yard dog that cranked the gear all the way out depending on how the trailer sat against the dock. I've also been in many a place where they tell you to crank the gear all the way out as well. All seems to depend on if their docks are pointing up hill, down hill, or level. Also, the 379 I used to drive had a very high fifth wheel, so if I just kissed the ground with the landing gear, then dumped air and pulled out, the trailer nose still usually ended up to high for anyone driving a 387 or similar. What I hated was the guys in the 387's that left the gear 6 inches off the ground, dumped air and pulled out, then, when the trailer was loaded with 40k+ pounds of freight, I had to crank my arms off to raise the trailer nose enough to get the rear frame under the trailer! Then I would dump air, back the frame under it, then inflate the suspension again to raise the nose (hopefully) high enough to dolly down, dump air again and get the fifth wheel under it to hook up. I learned to carry a short section of 6x6 to assist in this exercise.
I load flatbeds at a steel yard. One of my drivers, who has the same make model and year truck I use to load, always asks me to drop a little lower than I normally would because for whatever reason, his fifth wheel sits lower.
It would seem that inexpensive integrated cameras would make trucks a lot easier to maneuver, like one showing the fifth wheel and kingpin as you back under the trailer, and blind side backing
Just like my daddy said, show respect to the next driver , because he is trying to make a living and get home to his family also!!!😍😍😍
The idea works if the same truck or same style is going to connect to the trailer, of course all applicable trucks must have their airbag levelers set the same. I run a fleet of trucks. There are two things that really anger me involving trailer connections. The first is of course G.O.A.L. Get Out And Look, do it or find another job. The second is tore back rear frame members from king pins falling too low and snagging the metal. Touch the ground with the gear, deflate and pull out. When reconnecting, get out and look before connecting every time, even if you are the person who dropped that trailer. Shit happens, ground sinks, someone else plays with the crank, who knows. There is any number of reasons the height of the trailer could have changed since you last seen it. So get out and look.
You just show you lack of experience with your comments. There are trucks that don't have airbags to let down. Then you have to fight with the landing gear that is messed up from some idiot that didn't crank them down to the ground and pulled out, dropping the trailer. I saw a driver one time that pulled that stunt and when he came out from under the trailer, the landing gear went up through the floor of the trailer which was loaded heavy with glassware. Then they had to call a wrecker to come pick up the trailer for him, so the landing gear could be replaced and part of the load was then trashed because of damage.
Did you clip your passenger mud flap? It bent upwards
Also depends on what kind of tires the tractor is running. 22 1/2 vs 24. One of a 24 drop that trailer and a 22 and a half is picking it up
Some trucks do not have the air dump for the suspension
thank you, I thought I was the only one who did it like that. drop the bags to set it down makes it alot easier for the next guy especially on heavy load.
Dropping the airbags with a heavy trailer would make it a prank for the next driver... ever crank up the landing gear with a heavy trailer!
@@danstafford5977 you drop the airbags so when the next driver comes to pick it up their bags are at regular height so when they go under it it picks the trailer up so there is no weight on the landing gear.
Have you ever tried lowering a landing gear because the driver who dropped it left it way too high and the yard jockey dropped it awkwardly so the landing gear is cockeyed? It’s impossible so that’s why you drop the air bags, it’s a prank if you don’t.
Open question. I am a driver in the UK. Every tractor unit i have driven has a pre-set driving position and you can raise and lower the suspension as needed. We crank the landing legs flush for a loaded trailer when dropping and slack off a little when empty, but if i was hooking up to a trailer that was higher than my 5th wheel i would just raise the suspension on the tractor. Can you not do that on trucks in the US? Honest question from a new driver in the UK
Steven Neill; I wish more people would be considerate of the next guy like you. I drive local hauling end-dumps and belly dumps, etc. This is an even bigger problem with the belly's because you don't have a crank to adjust the trailer height, they are basically just stands that you drop to about 2" off of the ground from one of our taller rigs, and all the way to the dirt from one of our shorter rigs and put the pin in so that either rig can hook up without a hassle. Alot of them don't even have landing gear we just use old wheels or chunks of 12"x12" Put under the gates to hold the trailer up.
I'm not ashamed to say that I've jumped a kingpin before and it royally sucked.
You should be. Rookie move.
McNutt, you owe donuts in the break room for the next two months!
I had it happen once back in the 80’s and 90’s the company I drove for had three different depth kingpins the deepest being 48” I think the shallowest was maybe 30” and I had dropped a 48” trailer and was picking up a shallow one so I backed too far and dropped it over the fifth wheel and it was at an inside dock I couldn’t crank the landing gear down to raise the trailer up with all the weight on it it must have been in a bind like this guy talked about luckily the dock next to me was empty and I was driving a cab over tractor I backed up as far as I could without hitting the sleeper with the steering wheel turned as short as it would go then turned them the other way and drove forward as far as I could without hitting the fifth wheel and kept doing that until I drove out sideways I never made that mistake again lol
I gauge the height by the distance between the trailer and my tires while backing under. If it looks kinda high i dont back all the way under just enough for trailer to cover the plate. Roll up landing gear and hook lines up then finish sliding under and do a tug test. Hooked it over the pin before also and didnt think about lowering the airbags so I had to crank the extra inches...ugh a real pain
a tribute to Yeah, Sure like you’ve never done it before? Lmao. Give me a break buddy. We all have jumped the kingpin before
Over my years off and on tailers just deal with it what is the big deal! too high too low deal with it LOL
canvids1, does “DROP the Trailer” and “Pick the Trailer UP” come to mind?
What if its loaded and caught between gears and you cant crank it at all. Just deal with it. Right!!!
He did deal with it. Didn't you see?
Just Lazy Fat Fucks!! 😂😂😂😂
@James Marquis exactly. All trucks have differrent ride heights and wear of the tires makes a huge difference! I thought like him til i got new tires and it made a huge difference on ride height and trailer dropping. I measured for curiousity when i had the old tires on because i heard it would. Then went back with the new tires and it was close to a foot difference. Helped new shocks as well. Each truck is different from wear and tear. Will take too high anyday. Have jumped fifth wheel once and was able to raise trailer enough while putting a bungee cord on the fifth wheel to keep it flat. There is ways around things if you think outside the box.
You're at the P&G distribution center in Pontoon Beach IL..
D Wooden do you haul freight in the USA ?
I’m always amazed at how many experienced truck drivers, I mean, people who’ve been driving some years, still don’t know how to drop a trailer. How is it possible they’ve never hooked an improperly dropped trailer and went, “A-ha, now I get it!" It’s simple. Leave about an inch between the ground and the sand-pads. Don’t hang the crank on a parked trailer. That’s all. It’s actually less work for you, and definitely less work for the guy who has to hook it next.
That said, when you pick up a trailer on a yard that uses its own yard dog, the ground the trailer was originally dropped on might’ve been quite a bit different than the ground you find it on. It might’ve went from dirt to blacktop, or simply from uneven to even pavement. The yard dog doesn’t mess with the landing gear. He just picks it up and moves it.
Steven Neill... one error in something you said about the yard drivers... the problem of binding as you called it is when yard drivers drop the trailer... BEFORE they hit the auto disconnect on the 5th wheel they tug on the trailer which puts pressure on 2 opposite points on the landing gear tube... the landing gear is placing pressure on the top rear and bottom front of the gear tube... now if they drop the trailer then push back before hitting that disconnect, the pressure is applied to the top front and bottom rear... I've struggled thru this many times and while cranking as the pressure on the outer tube is relieved I've seen the skid on the bottom of the legs slide forward or backwards from 1-1½ inches... but otherwise good points made here... I've tried to no avail at getting this same info passed on to me drivers thru the company training office and safety...I to am tired of wasting time cranking trailers down to my fifth wheel... I've actually had em so high that I've stood gallon coolant bottles on the frame below the trailer
Thanks Nice video how lo g have you been driving
I don't have air dumping switch,what is the best way to drop the trailer??
I have been told two different things. I was told if you are empty to stow your handle. If you are loaded, leave your handle down unstowed.
Then I have been told the opposite recently?
The reason I was told to leave it unstowed was the handle can be pinned under the crossed members when dropped?
I also told not to leave it unstowed whether I am loaded or not?
I’m starting CDL class in a couple weeks. This is very informative thank you sir! Great video!
Do the truck and trailers in the states not have air suspension ? In the U.K. Both truck and trailer have air suspension , meaning when I back up under a trailer , I pump up the suspension on the truck so it lifts the trailer , takin the strain of the legs , so once the trailer is locked in place it is then much easier to wind up the landing legs on the trailer ? How does it work in the USA ? Am just curious to see the differences between the uk and America ?
Their at least ten years behind us over there in the states
The cheap haulers that haul cheap freight have chassis that they throw boxes on....most of those are spring ride. Cheaper the better...cheap freight, cheap hauling. Those of us that haul own freight have air ride trucks and trailers as well. You can tell the experience and quality of the driver and truck by so many different things. The cleanliness and quality of the truck and trailer is one of the biggest signs.
What do u do if the handle doesnt come out?
Can u not raise the suspension on the cab?
Glad somebody said it. Video could have been cut down a lot, but I'm all with ya. Working as a local driver for a semi trailer repair shop, I drop and hook all day long, picking up trailers in need of repair to bring back to the shop. I was taught by Burlington Industries here in NC, one of the most respected (in its day) companies in the nation. Leave a couple inches. Don't crank the thing to the ground. That's what air bags are for. Dump the bags and set it down and then pull out. Cranking it to the ground does nothing but put extra stress on the landing gear if the next guy doesn't back under it perfectly straight. Not to mention, as you showed, having to lower the trailer just to get hooked. Which I have to do quite often. It's common sense, really....
I have known some yard guys that will adjust the height of the landing gear to suit them, their yard trucks, and possibly forklift operators. I have dropped trailers, and picked them up the next day, and the landing gear has been raised or lowered. Only when they drop the trailer that my drive tires won't go under the trailer, does it really irritate me.
Been there a million times. Those RTI trailers were the ones I pulled. Prior to that I pulled Wheeler trailers in and out of there but those were leased so no company names on them. Gotta love that exit system they have with pulling on the scale, talking with them on the radio, pull off the scale and drive around the building again to adjust and get legal, back on the scale again, then the bank tubes to get your paperwork.
Over here in the UK we can just adjust the ride height on the Tractor Unit? you not able to do that over there?
neilizer ours just just stay at one height and the you can dump your air when you want to lower only the fanciest of trucks have a raising option
some trailers are hight so there's a gap between the pin and the fifth wheel while backing because the yard dogs witch move trailers in the yard , they lift trailers up with their jack when they do that landing gear drops a little and when they drop it off that landing gear is holding the trailer way up hight
Keep a short 2x4 and a 4x4 with you.drop your bag,put the board on 5th wheel,raise bag,crank gears up some,drop bag,pull out some,remove board, and hook up
what happened to the old landing gears with the wheels on the bottom?
I used to work for Ryder at the Super Value warehouse in Richmond Virginia, a steering wheel holder came in and said he couldn't unhook his trailer. I went out to check it out figuring he had the landing gear high or wasn't backed up on the kingpin, what I found was the kingpin sitting on top of the locked 5th wheel. I dropped the air bags and pulled the truck out from under the trailer, I asked him where he had been with the trailer and he told me he was on the eastern shore and brought the trailer across the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. It was a refer unit and had a refused milk load in the nose because he didn't make his delivery time, I told him that was the only reason he still had the trailer. The kingpin was damaged on the bottom where it had been grinding on the locked jaw of the 5th wheel and the 5th wheel lock jaw was also damaged, I red tagged both units. I couldn't believe what I was looking at when I looked under the trailer, you could see a gap between the trailer and 5th wheel, I told the guy if it was up to me he wouldn't have a job. I have seen steering wheel holders jump kingpins and even drop full milk loads on asphalt and have the landing gear punch right through till the nose of the trailer was sitting on the ground. Dropped trailers because they didn't tug in the kingpin after hooking up all kinds of stupid, now I will be the first to tell anyone I'm not a driver, I'm a mechanic with a class "A" CDL, that doesn't make me a driver. My brother drives them, I fix them.....
When backing up to connect to a trailer, aren't you supposed to stop when the trailer touches the 5th wheel, then hook up ur service and emergency air lines, and apply the trailer breaks before backing completly under the trailer?
Coming in with big boy tires, 11R24.5 tires, versus girly tires, low pro 22.5 tires. I have the problem of trailers being too low. Seatwarming, door swinging steering wheel holders. Trailer landing gear will “bind” because you dropped the landing gear before setting the trailer brakes and allowing the airbags to deflate and push the trailer slightly forward, causing the pressure on the landing gear. Set your brakes before dropping landing gear to prevent getting your hands too dirty.
You are right and thanks for informing the rookies. I'm old enough to have driven truck before they had air suspension, and even then you left the landing gear slightly off the ground and if you pulled out slowly it wouldn't do any damage to the dolly legs.
For the record I've also done a short stint as a trailer mechanic so I have more than a clue.
Stay safe.
but not everyone has dump valves.
Common practice used to be to crank the gear down until there was daylight between the 5th wheel and the bottom of the trailer, so you weren't dropping it on the landing gear. And then when you backed under a trailer, it wash;t tight and you weren't scraping all the grease off the 5th wheel and making a messy pile of grease on top of the front rear end.
Many years ago I worked for a local trucking company in Phoenix, AZ and experienced that issue many times. New drivers, just out of school, were taught to run the gear down to the ground (mt trailers) and turn gear one more revolution! Then the load raises the front end too high to attach w/o cranking it down before the fifth wheel connects.
One thing many drivers don't think about regarding this is the fact that when you are hooking up you are almost never dead centre to the trailer, it usually slides about 1/2-1 inch to either left or right when it hits the V shape on the fifth wheel. If the landing gear is holding the weight at that moment it puts a lot of strain on it and shortens the life of the landing gear. Maybe not something that drivers who almost never tow the same trailer twice think much about, but when you are regularly switching between two or three trailers this becomes something that you keep in mind.
I'm not a trucker but this is the best, shortest explanation i've found. Still, wish u were more explicit about semi airbags vs trailer airbags, but you're writing for truckers who know so...
Lift the unit if there is a gap??????
What is your feedback on Pneumatic landing gear ? does it have a demand ? or a real market ?
Honestly I don't know much about them. I honestly hold the opinion that if it ain't broke...don't fix it. What we have works. No need to get any fancier. Adding pneumatics only creates one more thing that can go wrong and needs repaired
A local trucking company invested into some control for the air bags. They can set a precise drop off height for the tractor when dropping the trailer, then fully lower the gear. This solved the issues they previously had because the fleet was made of 2/3 highway trucks and 1/3 construction site vehicles which are higher. Solves the problem with a small sensor and a cheap control box, and when it breaks you can still do it the old way.
Your advise was spot on but the last Co. I worked for had a different problem regarding trailers. The older drivers had Peterbilt's and the new drivers had Freightliners. The main problem was the height difference of the two tractors. The large cars bitched the dropped trailer was too low and the little FL's bitched the large cars were dropping trailer too high.
if you have a trailer that's a little too high. and then landing gear is jammed. there is a rod on the last axle or in between the axle on a truck that you can raise it up and down to add more air into it.
What up with all the potholes? speed control?
Fix that mudflap. I drop empties with a one inch gap from landing gear and the ground . Full goes to the ground
That's what I was taught.
It don't matter if you hook up correctly. You partially back under it first, raise the landing gear off the ground but not all the way up, inspect the kingpin for any damage and make sure you've lined up properly. Fully back in, tug test 2 back & 2 forward pulls. You'll never jump a fifth wheel doing this.
If done the way you suggest someone with a higher fifth wheel will pound the front of the trailer with the back of the fifth wheel. You are out of breath letting the trailer down, how would you like to try raising it? Not every truck is the same as yours. A little common since goes a long way.
for one yep every truck is slightly different and then on top of that in a yard like that sometimes you drop it in one spot shunters move it around to a different spot that may be leveled differently or it happens to me alot when i show up drop it in a door with an incline then the next day the trailer is way to low even when i dump my air
I've been in transportation management for 25 years, and I have seen your issue before. The problem is the height distance between the fifth wheel decks of different trucks, not the yard Drivers. They can't "slam" those trailers down. It is a hydraulic mechanism and it is slow so there is no "slamming" of the trailer. Next, I saw you pass 4 yard drivers while complaining about not being able to find your trailer. Those yard Drivers are not only there to place trailers, but they are they to help you, use them as a resource. At my company (and most by now) they have a computerized map of the lot and tell the exact location of your trailer.
Lastly, you had 3 yard trucks at your trailer that were lower than you could lift. Why did you not flag one of them to come and lit it up for you? I had a Driver who broke his arm trying to navigate one of these situations due to a high lift trailer. Just flag a yard Driver next time. And if he doesn't respond complain to management.
Use the Yard Drivers, they are on production, yes, but they are a golden resource.
Sorry Steven if I came of as offensive, just wanted to point out a few things. All apologies if I came across cross.
His ego is why he did not use yard driver lol 😆
As you yanks run a fixed 5 wheel it doesn't matter if you have to crank the legs a few times, some of us over here in Oz run a ballrace turntable(5 th wheel) trust me you'd be glad the trailer is a fraction higher so the turntable doesn't spin when hooking up,easier to wind down than up.
Video starts at 5:30.
If a trailer has sat for a while , the airbags let out all it air resulting in a high kingpin! Just backup close to hookup and connect air and it will bring it down , if you don't feel like cranking ! The legs are the pivot point when the airbags fill and empty ! Or do what you did , not really a big deal !
paleface8 that's interesting but it would be my luck to forget to lock the brakes back
Yes that’s the right reason finally
Wow...I seriously wish I knew that. Dammit, where were you when I drove!!!
Trailer air ride can leak down (if last drive didnt mt the bags)and when it does it drops back end(raiseing the front)and trailer moves slightly foward putting strain on dolly legs to..
so I guess my question is do I just let the trailer drop that inch
i have 3 question question one how do you look for the number trailer # question 2 what happened if you coupler the wrong trailer question 3 what happened if you dropping the trailer and the landing gear faiL and the trailer fall down
+pavel1809 Answer for question one: it's on the trailer.Question 2: then they screwed up by giving you the wrong trailer number. Not your fault. If there is a seal, it should match with the one on your Bill.Question 3: there is a correct way so that doesn't happen. When you drop the trailer, pull up only so to clear the flywheel from the trailer, but keep your tractor frame under the trailer. If the landing gear fails, it will fall on the frame of the tractor, and then proceed from there by inflating your air bags to raise the trailer. I usually do this mostly when i'm dropping a heavy trailer just to make sure the landing gear won't fail.
1. trailer number is on the trailer usually both the front and the back. 2. couple the wrong trailer then the guard shack will catch it and send you back into the yard to get the trailer you missed. 3. if you drop the trailer cause you didn't lower the landing gear, you dun goofed and will get in trouble. depending on your history of getting into trouble and how much damage was done, everything is a case by case basis, most of the time it is just a slap on the wrist or possibly take some training courses the company would make you take. but if you fuck up alot, you can get terminated easily.
I'll also say your wrong because if you have a heavy load and you leave that gap for the trailer to drop when you pull out and get going the weight of the truck will slam down on your steers and you can basically force the tire off of the rim. How do I know this? For the same reason I lower the legs like I do now lol
4:24 where the landing gear comes into play
having full controll airbags in the rear axels and you dont have that problem, my truck has something 20-30cm range, i quess american trucks in general dont have much of of em?
When you load a trailer it's going to raise the front of the trailer, I work at a steel mill hualling sludge and the trailers are about 100k lb after being loaded I usually keep the legs about 2-3 inches from the ground when I drop the empty and when i pick it up it lifts the it up just enough for the legs to not be in a bind, I promise you your not cranking those legs at all will that heavy of a load
Depends on if you are on dirt or solid pavement or concrete. On solid ground I leave about a half inch on soft I crank all the way until barely touching. I lower the bags and pull ahead enough to make sure the landing gear holds and then freely out. There is play in the vertical of the king pin and fifth wheel locks so a half inch is the most you want to leave between the ground and landing gear. You're welcome! BTW if everyone did this no one would have to lower their bags hooking up.
Kriska is a big company out of Ontario, Canada.Why did it sound like you did double plungers? Bobtailing, the trailer brake one should be out already.
I drove from 1979 until 2000 - 21 years and the rule we had was to plant the landing gear on the ground and give it one crank in high gear ( yes it took a little strength to do it ) . This took enough weight off the drives to let the tractor slide out nice and easy and still kept no space between the 5th wheel and the trailer plate and still kept just a bit of weight on the 5th wheel . Result was tho that we never had any issues and 90% of what we did was running containers to the Baltimore docks , so lots of yard jockeys but still no problems with landing gear . You actually need some weight on the landing gear in order to make sure it's going to support the trailer ( check this by pulling out from under the trailer to where the 5th wheel clears the trailer but still have some of the tractor frame to catch the trailer if the landing gear doesn't support it .
what your advocating causes the kingpin to get caught on the cross bar on the back of the frame and bend the member out in the middle.
I lower my trailer till it touches and then I pull my truck forward 5 inches and then drop my air bags.
How do you feel driving for heartland Express now?
Did you stop to think the other truck had 11 R 24.5 tires
Nice bent up mud flap there rookie.
Lmao thought I was the only 1 who noticed 😂
I'd take to high over to low any day.
Exactly, end of discussion. Take the leg's to the ground.
100%
Too low and you can simply dump your air bags to get under it. Too high and you're screwed. I ended up replacing the cotter pin on my leveling arm with a quick pull pin so I can inflate my air bags a few extra inches - just enough to get some weight off the trailer while I raise the landing gear. Otherwise, it's sometimes impossible to crank on a fully loaded trailer. I know there's some risk in over-inflation and dumping the air bags. But you end up doing what you gotta do out there.
One time the trailer went through the asfault. Luckily, I managed to get one corner of the tractor frame under the trailer enough to lift it. Throw a few rocks in the hole and set it down on the rocks. Did this about 3 or 4 times before I could get under it right.
Some meat packing places will crank the legs all the way down for loading. They're supposed to crank them back up when they're done, but sometime they forget. Consequently, the legs will be a full foot over the fifth wheel. I just call them over and ask them nicely to help me out. Some will do this because some other driver ticked them off. I've gotten some razzing, but I've never had anyone refuse to help.
Empyrean B no 2 to 3 inches from the ground let the truck work for u.
Yeah i ended up with shoulder surgery because of having to raise to landing gear while loaded. I always leave a 2 inch gap between the ground and the shoes. It makes life easier for all
You should check the height before backing that far under plus I didn't see him do a tug test. Rookie
Big Whitey That is simply what I do I mean just get out of your truck for two seconds and look if the trailer is t high crank it down a couple...if your truck is too high drop your air bags
A tug test, doesn't always work. Get out and looking, with a flashlight, always does. A tug test,can twist a drive shaft.
I 100% guarantee this manatee never ever gets under and checks that the locking jaw is fully across the kingpin. Fat lazy steering wheel holder.
We shall name him “ SUPATRUCKER”.
Every transport company has one.
Id rather crank that trailer down rather than have to go find a yard jockey to lift it up for me because it's too low, because if you can crank that trailer up i would like to see that video.
red spur you can't hold a camera and crank a trailer up lol, I might be a corn fed southern man, but damn that low gears not low enough when the trailers to low. it's hell even when it's too high
it could be this thing called ride height, for example when a freight hauler with low pro 22.5s drops a trailer, I get to crank them up being as how I like my road speed and have 24.5 tall tires (11r 24.5) so, could be that.
aahhh. the old drop and hook days--all hail the holy air bags!!
Lower profile tires on your tractor than the driver who dropped it...different suspension...ride height? Either way - best way to eliminate all of these headaches - get out and look before hooking up. No other way to know if the kingpin is still in decent shape, a piece of trailer apron is going to take out a tire, your fifth wheel is still open...etc... Ideally, back the fifth wheel within a foot or so of the nose of the trailer, get out check for damage and adjust trailer height, drop bags if necessary, move back so the fifth wheel is under the nose of the trailer, with suspension at ride height, raise the gear slightly off of the ground then connect. This process prevents damage to the throat and ramps of the fifth wheel while keeping grease in the connection instead of the front of the trailer apron, Also dropping bags prior to disconnecting kingpin from 5th wheel can damage the 5th wheel and bind up the kingpin in the locking mechanism. If you do drop your bags when you unhook do similar to what you've mentioned, it's important to do so after the locking mechanism has been disengaged and the kingpin is in or beyond the throat of the 5th wheel. So, best practice is to put the gear on the ground, release the locking mechanism, pull forward about a foot, then dump your bags. Speaking of the next guy - I'm guessing you run low pros & one of the problems with dropping a trailer the way you describe is that it leaves a headache for the next guy with fresh tall 24.5s - now there's a possibility he's got to raise the trailer over his tires to hook, not bad with an empty - but real work with 40k. The proper process is a pain in the neck that adds about two minutes to the work day and will keep your fifth wheel working better longer and will prevent high hooks, jumping the fifth wheel etc etc.
I just lost my job for jumping my fifth wheel and breaking my wing. My fault, should have checked. I always left a space between the ground and landing gear. As I worked for a training company, I ran into this a lot! Don't know if I will be able to find a new job, I drove for 7 months and had 4 very minor incidents, hit a yellow post and popped a tire with a bent rim, hit a curb on a right turn and did the same thing. I loved that this companies training was only 150 hours, took me less than 3 weeks before I was thrown to the wolves. My first 3 incidents happened my first week solo. I had a shitty trainer and basically had to learn on my own. I thought I was really turning into a good trucker when I jumped the fifth wheel. None of my incidents were reportable accidents, but they are on my DAC. Do you think I well ever be able to drive a truck again?
A lot of small companies dont use DAC
1307scooter get real training first and start all over.
When I first started driving, it was for England... Every other trailer was like this. It was just ridiculous. One of the happiest days of my life was when I had put my time in and switched to a private company. This video should be mandatory watching at all those damn driver mills.
You also have to take into consideration that there more trailers with air ride suspensions. Even if you leave 1/2in space under your dolleys,when the suspension looses air the front will go up.
I run into this a lot the worst is when someone drops a trailer too low and you can't even get the fifth wheel under it
in lower gear you can raise fully loaded trailers without much strain unless it is a damaged landing gear. you can also press the lower suspension button in the truck releasing air from the air backs and lowering the trucking making hooking up to too low trailers easier, this also makes uncoupling alot easier, you can press that button lower air in the bags then drive off from the trailer without it dropping once it leave the 5th wheel. making a smoother uncoupling process.
I miss living in Wisconsin. Oconomowoc was a beautiful city
It can be as much as 2 inches difference for some tractors. At our freight company we have tractors with leaf springs so the tractors that have air bags have to leave 1 or 2 inches off ground before lowering air bags.
....also, the yard jockey raises the the trailer to level the trailer for loading or unloading and, to prevent the trailer from tipping forward when the forklift enters the trailer.
Maybe you should do a video on how to do a quick pre-trip, look at 6:00 your mud flap is bent back.
We always back under just before V on turn table.
Get out, check you lined up and table strait ( Most of the time it is).
Lift landing gear up just if the ground.
Back up, fell it's locked, do a couple tag tests.
Get out, check that jaws locked, wind the legs up, connect service lines.
As you drive out do another tag test, I prefer if possible do it as I slowly turn. Unless there is mechanical failure, you could never drop the trailer.
It's safe and you also wont damage landing gear.
We have hight difference between European and American trucks, good think about European truck you can lift the bags up, so can skip getting out first time.
When there is heavy rain or +38 outside, small blessing. ( Australia) Love my 4900 Western Star but for comfort Scania, hand down for me. Still, I like a bonnet in the front of me.)))
I used to do a dedicated run from Miami to Atlanta. And every time I got down there, when it came time to grab my load going back up, those jackasses with yard dog would leave that trailer so high, I'm talking damn near a foot higher than my fifth wheel, until I damn near had a heart attack trying to lower that trailer down.
Thanks to camera phones, I started taking pictures and I started bitching and that stopped that foolishness dead in its track. But it was a shame I had to go through all of that to get them to do their jobs the right way.
Thanks for your post and I always leave a three to five inch gap on the landing gear off the ground and just drop The airbags, shoot that's what their for.
if the landing gear is in a bind, and its a common issue why not carry a couple pieces of wood, you can dump air put the blocks on the fifth wheel then re inflate will take the weight off the legs, lower the 2 inches or so necessary then dump air again and remove blocks. you got an air jack right there.granted the blocks will get greasy but you can keep them in a plastic bag
trailer too high i deal with carnival trailers all the time we dont have the a choice in it its simple you get under it you crank down the trailer if the gear is stuck hook the lines up and charge the air in the trailer til the brakes release to take pressure off crank it down til it presses on the plate pull the johnny bar and hit it test tug and then finish walk around goal and checking your trailer is just part of the job also different trucks are different height you just got to dump suspention before you unhook
If you're not sure what a ballrace turntable is, google it.Just means there is a block of steel behind the kingpin,the turn table turns with the trailer, more stable, easier turning.
I carry a hard wood 4x4 used it many times when trailer was too high and landing gear was being struberin. Let air out of the tractor bags place 4x4 on the plate and pick trailer up. Takes the bind out of the gear, and saves the back.