Fueling when heavy, will it add weight to the drives?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by RayBlaszak, Apr 26, 2019.

  1. D.Tibbitt

    D.Tibbitt Road Train Member

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    Weird how one truck to the next could be different...he did say his tandems were all the way up, but idk what that would do to the weight, i always thought moving them back puts more weight on the drives, but i pull flatbed so i dont know much about how that stuff works
     
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  3. Joetro

    Joetro Road Train Member

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    Oops, I missed the part about the tandems. Yes, moving them back would put more weight on the drives. Most of my career has been open-deck, but the last few years I moved to the dark side and am doing something I swore for 20 years I'd never do again; pulling a reefer. Still hate 'em, but I've gotten spoiled and lazy.
     
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  4. REO6205

    REO6205 Road Train Member

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    Being able to adjust your fifth wheel might keep you from having to re-work a load or stop every 100 miles to dribble in a little fuel. The extra time involved and the hassle would make the added cost of an adjustable fifth wheel make sense.
    Spend a little to make a lot, no?
     
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  5. Cattleman84

    Cattleman84 Road Train Member

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    My company has figured out the optimal 5th wheel location for fuel economy vs weight distribution... And its fixed there.

    My reefer unit is so close to the sleeper that I can barely squeeze between the 2 to get load locks out... And I can't open the reefer Maintenance covers completely without unhooking.

    I've never had a problem with overloading the steers or drives if its loaded correctly. I gross 79,800 to 79,980 very often when I haul bulk potatoe loads.
     
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  6. Cattleman84

    Cattleman84 Road Train Member

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    An adjustable 5th wheel is also several hundred pounds heavier than a fixed one... When your paid by the hundred weight that couple hundred pounds can equate to losing several hundred dollars per load.
     
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  7. Farmerbob1

    Farmerbob1 Road Train Member

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    I can't tell Crete what to do. I can modify a truck I bought from Crete though.

    The account I am on tends to have a lot of heavy loads too, so that adjustable 5th wheel will be happening, but it might be a couple months down the line. I have a B service, a valve adjustment, and a couple other tweaky fixes in the problem book that take precedence.
     
  8. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    Yes.
    We all know the cheap stuff weighs less than the good stuff.
     
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  9. Oxbow

    Oxbow Road Train Member

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    Many never learn how to slide the fifth wheel without trashing the clutch and/or driveline. I suspect some companies have made the decision that it is cheaper to deal with occasional weight issues than repair bills.
     
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  10. Oxbow

    Oxbow Road Train Member

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    The response was probably based upon the assumption that the OP wanted to fill completely up. An o/o tries to take advantage of better fuel prices, as do better company drivers. It had nothing to do with the weight of fuel as it relates to price.
     
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  11. Joetro

    Joetro Road Train Member

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    Several hundred? Hardly. And what are you hauling that pays that much?
     
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