Tips and Tricks

Here are a few tips and tricks that come in handy. For all you new drivers, this will help you one day. I know theres more and ill add when it comes to mind.

First time no guess axle setting™- Get yourself a steel pin, sold at tractor supply for around 20$. Make sure you buy one thats as big in diameter as the holes on your tandems. This is your stopper. You never need a helper. Set your axle forward then scale your load. Adjust accordingly. Place the pin one hole more than you need. So if you need to move 300 lbs, you would put it two holes back or forward then slide and lock by releasing trailer brake. I seen an england driver remove the whole stopper thats there. You dont need to do all that with one pin. Saves you time without the guessing and marking of trailer frame and all the in and out of truck that comes with that.

Disengaging air actuated tandem pins- This is an efficient way of disengaging pins. Set both brakes, release the air for the pins on trailer, put it in forward gear, or reverse, release tractor brakes, Leave trailer brakes (red valve) supplied. Tug on trailer til you hear pins disengage. Slide tandems. You do not have to tug on trailer so hard to release pins. If it doesnt disengage, supply the trailer air for a few then try it again. Or get your hammer and hit the pins in.

Engaging pins- after sliding tandems, release air on trailer(red valve). The air will push the pins out. For those that have a johnson bar, use that to tug on trailer. You dont have to get out again and manually lock pins with air system

Sliding pita tandems- sometimes youll get the ones that are a total pita. Maybe the brakes arent adjusted properly, the frame could be tweaked or what have you. You need to have a block of wood for this. Or find a curb you can back up on. Be sure if you do this, you secure your mudflaps with bungees so you dont rip it off. I spray the rails with lubricant just to make it slide easier.

Trick: Spare key- get a couple. Zip tie one under the hood somewhere. Save you 100 bucks right here

Tip: Driving on ice snow- lock your axles. You wont believe how many drivers dont know to do this. Dont engage when the roads are dry or when wheels are spinning.

Tip: No chain necessary- carry a metal square shovel. This helps when your parked on ice and have no traction ie your start of the day at 0200. Use the shovel to chip the ice. Nobody wants to chain up just to get out of the parking lot. I had to once and never again.


If you guys know some post it up.

 

If your electrical or air lines are stretched out, use short bungees to shorten the stretch. Save you a ticket from the coop for lines touching the catwalk. Cali is notorius issuing citations for this violation

 

Good idea to carry cables. I dont advice driving with them hooked up to battery. If it comes to that, its time for shop status.

 

Yeah sure. Steal Parts from other trailers. Great advice.

Heres a tip for coupling uncoupling fully loaded heavy trailers. Crank down to about an inch to inch and a half then lower tractor air bags. Pull from under it right. But what if you knew the driver is say, mr gladhand seal thief here, you would crank it down til it touches the ground, then crank it down a little more, then put it in low gear and crank down a few more times. Give him something to moan and groan. Maybe he'll come in here complaining about how a driver did him wrong and how he broke his back cranking the landing gear.
Thats the thing, alot of drivers have no idea theres a high and low gear. Put it in the middle and crank, the trailer does not seem to be going up or down but it is. Low gear allows for issues I just described. You dont have to break your back cranking the gear on a heavy trailer.

 

Hammer, vice grips are pretty much all the tools you need. Big round guys have trouble tying thier shoes much less getting on thier knees and breaking ice with a hammer.