Hooking doubles/triples

Hey thanks century. Right now I am practicing just backing the con gear into the storage area where we keep our gear after breaking the sets down. It is just too frustrating and time consuming to build a set with backing both trailer with con gear. Maybe one day I will get it down... But right now I either just jack-knife the rear box(es) in, or I use the yard goat (if they have one at the current terminal) to build my set.

 

Hooking up doubles is fun

 

Particularly if you are in a three way meet, beside the road, and it is raining or even more fun, snowing. . .

 

biggest gripe i have is the handles on the dollies are always messed up or missing, so when you have to drop and hook your set at a customer its a real pita if its on gravel or ##### surface. in the first 3 months i worked at our terminal of like 35 guys, 3 of them broke there hand or finger from the dolley rolling into the rut and getting there hand smashed in the pintle.

 

I usually see the line guys doing it the typical way, one piece at a time. I've sometimes seen guys doing it the hard way with the dolly already hooked to the lead box, often needing to pull up several times to get it lined up and in.

 

It all comes with practice and how much you do it--now I haven't done it in 25 years(and have no intention of doing it again)But I know yard jockeys that break and hook 3 dozen plus sets a shift--that can do it 10 different ways in the time it takes to stir your coffee!! LOL--just take your time and keep at it--it WILL get easier for you

 

It's better to learn how to hook with the dolley on lead box. I can do it sometimes fast sometimes takes a min. If takes me a couple of times it's about the same time placing the dolley with the tractor but less killing yourself. Your not always gonna have pavement and a flat surface. You'll be screwed once snow is on a dirt lot. Better to learn it with the dolley on the lead box cause it might keep you from getting injured cause you to slip and fall moving that dolley by hand. You can Easily tear your knee up or pin your hand somewhere. I'm trying to learn how to back a 48" with dolley cause one of the places I go is dirt and pot holes and gets really dicey in the winter.

 

I wish we had those FedEx ground supersingle dollies. Those things are superlight and way easy to move by hand almost ridiculous lite. I miss those.

 

I broke my thumb hooking a dolly to a lead. I had a bad habit of throwing the eye over the pintle and slapping down the latch all in one motion. I hit a hole and the eye of the dolly smashed my thumb when it hopped up and pinched it against the closed pintle hook. That hurt like hell and I learned my lesson - neat looking x-ray though..

 

If the dolly is already hooked to the lead, I will jack knife the rear box in. Usually I will do this with my power unit attached to the lead... And then use the yard goat to spot the back box.