My new adventure with Gordon Trucking

I was in orientation with a guy from oklahoma...

 

Okay, GTIers. I have a technical question and I'm asking here and not my own thread because I think there's more "experience" here. Like the other GTI drivers, I have a truck with a sliding 5th wheel and I have no experience with one. I came up to a weight and balance issue the other day and wondered I'd knowing more about it would help, so here are the specifics:

My load was heavy, about 77,000 total.
The steer weight was fine, as usual, and so was the tandem weight, though it was light.
The issue was the drives; though legal, it was very close to 34,000, and the tandems were down near 30,000.
The tandems were adjusted as far as I could, so I couldn't "pull" any more of the weight back by sliding the tandems.

I hope that's clear.

Question: In this situation, would moving the fifth wheel move some of the weight back to even out the load? If so, in which direction would I move it?

If there is a very good reference (especially on TTR, mods!) I couldn't find it, so point me in that direction.

 

Move it forward to remove weight from 5th wheel..... Although with the totals you give their isn't much room for weight on the steers

 

If your tandems were all the way forward, not gonna change much at all moving the 5th wheel around. Sliding the 5th wheel just redistributes the combined weight of the steers and drives. Some of the tandem slide stop bars are movable but I doubt your company would want you touching them.

 

^^^^ One more thing if you're gonna move fifth wheel... Dump your air bags... Should slide real easy^^^^^^^

 

Sliding the 5th would not have helped much on that load.

Only real help would be moving the freight around in the box. (trucker jargon = "rework the load")

We run into this situation with refers a bunch because we have that 1000 pound fridge hanging on the nose.

I make sure light stuff goes on the nose heavy in the middle if possible.

If not; I will have them put one skid on the nose and then regular side by side. ("Single then double to the back").

Or if Heavy like apples; ("Single, double, single, and double to the back")

You basically are trying to get a couple of skids behind the tandems so it takes weight of the nose/tractor.

 

you could slide the fifth wheel forward and put about 12,300 on the front axle that might help a little I have my fifth wheel all the way back now but have had it 2 notches from the back that gives me a front axle weight of about 12,400

 

You can't exceed what your steer tires are rated for. The 20,000 lbs for a single axle is true but you have to have an axle that's rated for that and tires that can handle it as well. Front axle rating should be inside your door on the data plate and just look at the tires, The dot will, and see what the maximum load is. Then x2

hope this helps.