Tandem Sliding and Pin pulling tool

I preferred it when brakes did not have all that auto stuff.
You climb your happy but down there. Tighten the set nut all the way then back off a half a turn.
Do that on all of them and you are done.
Takes less than 10 min to set them all. Now you have brakes and they are evenly set all around.
Too many drivers do not allow there auto adjust brakes to adjust correctly. And they can get fairly far off. From braking when turning or on uneven surfaces. One brake will then adjust more than the others. That is why it is important that it be done in a straight line.
Do not have to do it every day, but it is helpful to do as he suggested every week or so, or if you hook a trailer and when you do your pretrip you notice a brake out of adjustment. You can see if it will adjust.

 

Liquid Dish Soap(never use petro base lubes)
3lb Sledge
Large set of Vise-Grips

Latching an empty,always slide the tandems front to back a few times
during your walk around.
Set the tandems for Ca. specs then load the wagon!
Always easier to pull them forward then to push them back

 

I bought a STA-RAT a couple weeks ago, after getting really frustrated with sliding tandemns on our 3-axle Refer's. It works great. It's definately worth its weight in gold, and I was happy to pay the $120. It solves two problems: one is the handle that won't stay out (this is usually easily solved using vice grips too, but the STA-RAT does a fine job and I think is a bit easier); second, and more importantly the handle you can't pull out because the weight of the trailer is putting too much pressure on the pin. It saves the in, out, in, out, in, out of the cab trying to find the "magic" spot where you can get the handle pulled out.

Since I have started using this tool, I have yet to use a hammer, vice grips, wd-40 or any other tools in order to slide tandems. Just head back with the STA-RAT, hook it up, move the tandems, retreive it, lock and go. What a time saver!

 

I love my air slide!

 

I have both the coil spring style and the lever type pin pullers and have had trailers where I actually had to use both at the same time.I hook the spring up clamp it to the rail and pull the bar out,rock the trailer to get the pins to fall in and then while the spring is still attached use the lever to pull the handle the rest off the way to lock it down.This was due to the company being to cheap to order the correct pull bar and using ones from older trailers that had a longer travel spring.

I also use a spray called Deep Creep made by SeaFoam,Inc.This stuff is unreal it eats rust,will free up and keep sliders lubed,keeps locks deiced and rust free in winter as well as cleans grease and fuel off the engine.It costs $10 a can but it has been a pretty good investment for me because
I have had trailers that have not been moved in months.I just duck walk under the trailer and using that little red straw spray right in between the rails in front and behind the tandems,then let it soak for 5 minutes.The trailer slides just as if it were new.

I have had the same trailer two-tree months later and it still works beautifully.The best part is the wet evaporates quickly leaving a silicone residue to lube the rails.

 

You don't need a sta-rat or those goofy chain contraptions. All you need is a hammer and locking pliers. Pull the release handle out and lock the pliers around it to hold it out with a little tension on the handle. Go around and tap each pin with the hammer until you find the ones that aren't loose and beat them in with the hammer. The only time it doesn't work is when the pins are so worn that there is a groove on the front side of the pin from the slider rail wearing into it, in which case they should be replaced anyway. Sometimes if you drive it around a little before trying to pull the handle it loosens the pins a bit.

 

OK I am probably gonna catch a lot of flack for this answer for the female types, but oh heck here we go.

I had a wife once, also my co driver, well when we had to slide the Tandems, She got out pulled the handle, while I rocked the truck to get'em loose, and then slid it to where we needed. It was fun for me, I got to holler out the window,even got to cuss a little bit when she was whining about the rain or snow. Now I know many of you are thinking what a jerk, but this is my side of it. Her side would be totally different, I got out and she drove the truck, she cussed me and called me everything but a dirty white boy.

We did find one easy solution to the whole problem, Our tractor had an Air release fifth wheel, and we happened to get a Air Slide Tandem on a reefer trailer solved all the issues with crappy sliding tandems. When We had issues with real crappy tandems, I used a five pound maul on em, then vise grips.

 

this post was over 3 years and 5 months old come on now people. just slid them like swift does pull the lever out clamp vice grips then get the truck up to 15 mph and pull the button on the dash. funniest thing I ever saw in my life. right next to when he came back across the cb and asked how to put the wheels back under the trailer.

 

Yes....NOT a good feeling when the pins are out of battery and you don't know it until somebody cuts you off and you brake hard.......BOOM goes the dynamite! Well, not the dynamite but the slider anyway, when it hits the rear stops. And that's if it doesn't come off completely, or at least bend the front brackets.