Trailer tandem slide repair?

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by zaroba, Apr 6, 2020.

  1. zaroba

    zaroba Heavy Load Member

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    Old trailer I bought has the tandems nearly impossible to slide when empty. Had to slam the wheels against a curb to get them to move forward and get the pins away from holes then do 15mph across the lot and hit the trailer brakes while turning to get the tandems to slide back before the pins had time to lock. Royal pain in the butt and certainly not good on the tires.

    It simply wont move empty just sitting. The tires will skid when moving forward or bounce when trying to reverse.

    Wondering if theres an easy way to improve it when I'm home next week. If it's even worth it on the 19 year old trailer that I'm planning to replace in a few months, although it might increase it's value.

    Maybe detach the carriage and sand the heck out of everything and hope it goes back together properly or a good lubricant?
     
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  3. HoneyBadger67

    HoneyBadger67 Road Train Member

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    Use a wire wheel along where it's supposed to slide. It's probably just scaled up. You might make it slippery with a bit of 3-in-1 oil, grease will just attract dirt.
     
  4. BoxCarKidd

    BoxCarKidd Road Train Member

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    Pictures of the slides and pins? Do the pins align with the holes?
    Some trailers had teflon slides between the two. Yours maybe gone. Sometimes spraying the slide with a water hose helps and wheel chocks.
    Maybe try dry slide. Oil products collect dirt and end up worse in the long run.
    Be careful sliding on the move. Saw the results of that over the RR tracks. Slider flipped out from under the trailer.
     
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  5. fishonron

    fishonron Medium Load Member

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    I'm sure this is not the approved approach but a squirt of WD or PB in each of the holes on the frame-rail has always worked for me.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2020
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  6. zaroba

    zaroba Heavy Load Member

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    I do see a plate up there. Maybe it's teflon, can't tell. Pins appear to line up, but I have to tease them with a flathead screwdriver to get them to pop into the holes.

    (Moisture trails in the 2nd pic are from when I tried some wd40 to help slide them)

    20200406_180239.jpg 20200406_180211.jpg
     
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  7. zaroba

    zaroba Heavy Load Member

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    About to pick up a load of cat littler.
    If the weight let's them slide then maybe I'll try sliding them back and forth a few times while parked just to 'buff' it a bit.
     
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  8. jbatmick

    jbatmick Road Train Member

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    Water. Wet the slides down good, it has worked for me before.
     
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  9. 062

    062 Road Train Member

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    In the first pic it looks like the pins may be dragging on the rail. I’d spray all the guides and pivots for the pins with wd40 or pb blaster and work them in and out a few times. After a day or so go back and spray them with fluid film. Where you see Teflon plate can be sprayed with fluid film. I slide the wheels all the way back and spray the rail,then all the way forward and spray again. Any place you see the rust being knocked off needs to be sprayed.
     
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  10. 201

    201 Road Train Member

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    I learned that from the railroad. If it wouldn't slide, they'd soak it with a hose at the shop, and slid like buttah. Only problem, it was a one shot deal, and they'd rust up again. IDK, seems like common sense to me, but soak the rails with a can of "knocker
    loose", or wd, or chain lube, ANYTHING, it's not that tough.
     
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  11. Rideandrepair

    Rideandrepair Road Train Member

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    My old trailer had that problem, worn Teflon plates. A wheel chock, dry lube spray, or Pb blaster, whatever I had. Before loading, sliding it while empty, spraying it good. Otherwise it wouldn’t slide when loaded at all.
     
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