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Stop it with the high trailers!

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Sequoia, Mar 14, 2011.

Page 1 of 8
  1. Mar 14, 2011 #1
    Sequoia

    Sequoia Road Train Member

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    When you're disconnecting from a trailer, crank the landing gear down until both feet are firmly on the ground (and even). Then keep cranking until you hear the hissing from your air bags, letting you know pressure is being taken off the tractor. Once you hear that hissing sound (and you'll know it when you hear it) STOP CRANKING THE LANDING GEAR!

    I just swapped trailers with another driver who had the exact same truck as mine (International ProStar). When I went to connect up to the trailer he had, I could tell when I was getting ready to get underneath it that it was too high. Stopped, got out, sure enough he had overcranked the landing gear.

    The worst is when it's a high trailer and it's heavy. Good lord those are a pain to crank. I don't know how you skinny people do it. I've had to really put my weight into some of those to get them to crank. Well I guess there's low gear but that takes forever and I got places to go, things to do and people to annoy. :)

    ..and this is the part where someone will tell me that different trucks have different frame heights so it's not always the driver's fault.
     
    Sequoia, Mar 14, 2011
    Sequoia, Mar 14, 2011
    #1
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  3. Mar 14, 2011 #2
    CondoCruiser

    CondoCruiser The Legend

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    You all are killing yourself. I always stop my landing gear about an inch from the ground and then dump my air, then pull out. Then when the next guy gets under it, the weight is off the landing gear and you don't have to fight it.
     
    CondoCruiser, Mar 14, 2011
    CondoCruiser, Mar 14, 2011
    #2
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  4. Mar 14, 2011 #3
    Inland-Pilot

    Inland-Pilot Light Load Member

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    different trucks have different frame heights so it's not always the driver's fault.
     
    Inland-Pilot, Mar 14, 2011
    Inland-Pilot, Mar 14, 2011
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  5. Mar 14, 2011 #4
    Scarecrow03

    Scarecrow03 Road Train Member

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    I used to do that until the dolly legs bent the five cross-members of the trailer it's attached to. Even though I'd let the bags deflate completely, the trailer had weakened to the point that it couldn't take anymore.

    Now I crank 'em down til the dolly legs are touching the ground and it starts to get tough to turn the handle. Then I get in the truck, dump the air, and ease on out. Even though I generally pull the same trailer, I deliver to a lot of Wal-Mart DC's and always have to drop the trailer in the door.

    If all you're pulling is 3 year old trailers or newer, you can get by with what you do. However, you're drastically shortening the lifespan of that trailer. Even if the trailer belongs to the company, it's our responsibility as drivers to not intentionally do things that are detrimental to the equipment we use.

    When I worked for large companies I didn't care so much, but now I realize that was the wrong attitude to have. Somewhere someone is probably cussing me or another mega-fleet driver who didn't give a rats arse about the equipment they used. Every carrier sells they're used equipment to smaller companies and/or independents.
     
    Scarecrow03, Mar 14, 2011
    Scarecrow03, Mar 14, 2011
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  7. Mar 14, 2011 #5
    Paddington

    Paddington Medium Load Member

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    I believe CondoCruiser is right.
    The tractor should always lift the trailer.
    Therefore, you should leave about and inch of space or so before you drop so the next guy who hooks to it lifts it.
     
    Paddington, Mar 14, 2011
    Paddington, Mar 14, 2011
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  8. Mar 14, 2011 #6
    outerspacehillbilly

    outerspacehillbilly "Instigator of the Legend"

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    That's the way I've always done it too.
     
    outerspacehillbilly, Mar 14, 2011
    outerspacehillbilly, Mar 14, 2011
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  9. Mar 14, 2011 #7
    Sequoia

    Sequoia Road Train Member

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    The way I do it (as described earlier), I still dump the air bags before I'm pulling out from it, so when backing under fully inflated the trailer should still lift up some.
     
    Sequoia, Mar 14, 2011
    Sequoia, Mar 14, 2011
    #7
  10. Mar 14, 2011 #8
    Scarecrow03

    Scarecrow03 Road Train Member

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    It still lifts up the way I do it. And when the trailer is empty the dolly legs come up off the ground an inch or so. No straining yourself to crank 'em up. When the trailer's loaded it'll come up enough to take the tension off the legs.
     
    Scarecrow03, Mar 14, 2011
    Scarecrow03, Mar 14, 2011
    #8
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  11. Mar 14, 2011 #9
    25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Every once in a while, I'll get one that has been dropped in a bad place by the yard jockey, and it will be too high because of differences in slopes or maybe because the previous OTR guy cranked it too high. If it will lift at all, when I back under it, I hook it up and hook up the air and electrical, push in the supply knob, and do the walk around checking tires and lights. If the airbags had dumped, the trailer will lift a bit when the bags air up and that will take some weight off the landing gear, if the landing gear is pinched, the trailer will move to reduce that.

    I remember when I started that Schneider had their drivers hook up the hoses and supply air and use the trolley valve hold the brakes to hook, that would get air to the bags, too. The thing is, it didn't help the height situation with Schneider's trailers because those are all sprung on steel(the vans were, anyway). I seldom see them anymore because I haven't pulled a dry van in what seems forever.

    You need to learn to use low gear sometimes to lower a trailer enough to get it down to where you can crank it on high, sometimes, you have no choice unless you can get the yard jockey to lower it for you. If you can't crank it, you have to figure something else out, either get help, or use your imagination to come up with a solution.
     
    25(2)+2, Mar 14, 2011
    25(2)+2, Mar 14, 2011
    #9
  12. Mar 14, 2011 #10
    Lonesome

    Lonesome Mr. Sarcasm

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    If you drop the landing gear, until you hear the suspension on the truck hissing, you're NOT going to lift the trailer with the truck when you go back under it, especially if it's loaded. Also, if you're off an inch or two, and the trailer moves sideways to line the pin up, you'll have a heluva time cranking the gear. Especially if someone locked the handle in the holder.
     
    Lonesome, Mar 14, 2011
    Lonesome, Mar 14, 2011
    #10
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