Tips on moving trailer wheels alone.

Like everything with driving--experience will make it go smoother. When I started I would swear it took me 1/2 hour or more, but now it doesn't take 2 mintues and I'm "on the money" darn near all the time (of course, it's always in the rain that I have to make multiple corrections!) At any rate, if you work for a company where you have to be in a specific hole (say, 13 from the rear) at all times, I would advise you get some Play-Doh in neon colors. When you count out to the 13th hole, place some neon Play-Doh on rack just below the hole you need the pin to be in. That way, after you slide and go back to look, you can quickly at-a-glance know if you are lined up w/o having to begin counting holes and immediately know if you need to go forward or backward and how far you need to go. If you only have to get the tandems slid in a certain range, try tying a bright bandana or such onto a large binder clip. Clip the rag onto the trailer where the arrow is painted (if you have one). That way you can see the bright flag in your mirror and stop your truck when it looks lined up between the axles. Hope this helps.

 

You might try measuring the distance from mid tandem to the mark on your trailer, and apply it to a point in front or in back of your tire.

 

As a rule of thumb most trailers are not hard to slide. Each hole on average is 500 lbs depending on the trailer manufacturer and the hole spacing.
Take an old dish soap bottle and fill it with a little bit of soap and water and squirt it on both sides of the slide rail. That will make it easier as the soap makes it slippery. I'd take a permanent marker and number each hole from which ever direction you want. Then you know which hole you want it to be in. Even if you don't pull the same trailer all the time it's a good thing to do, as it might help out the next driver.

 

Finding the right hole -- I use a short piece of 1 1/4" pipe with an end cap. I set it one hole in front/back of where I want to be at. I gently slide the trailer till it contacts the pipe, then move back/forward just enough to take the pressure off the pipe. Guarenteed to be in the right spot everytime. A word of CAUTION! I said gently --- If you hit the pipe with force you can crush it and get it caught between the rails. (Did that to an overused piece once, almost had to have it torched out!) The pipe will crush a little each time you do this. I get about 15-20 uses out of a piece of pipe before I get worried that one more hit and it will crush completely.

The cheapest way to get the pipe is go to any of the home centers and ask them to cut and thread a foot of pipe 3" at a time. They will thread one side of each piece and leave the other side alone. You will pay for the 4 pieces the same as you would for one 'off-the-shelf' piece.

Now pulling the release arm when the pins are stuck --- I use a pair of vise grips, a short but heavy contraction spring, short length of chain, 2 spring clips, a chain link (I cant think of what they are exactly called), and a large bolt with a nut on it.

Attach a spring clip to one end of the spring. Using the chain link attach the chain to the other end of the spring. Put the bolt/nut through the other end of the chain. A few links from the spring I put the other spring clip.

Clamp the vise grip onto the trailer inline with the release handle. Using the bolt as a pull handle, pull the chain/spring assembly far enough back so that when the handle releases, the spring will continue to have some tension on it. Slip the loose spring clip around the main post of the vise grip.

Note which way the pins are trapped. Gently, again I stress, gently move the truck in the direction needed to release the pressure on the pins. Once the pressure is released, if you have a strong enough spring, it will pull the handle.

Again, CAUTION! Once the release handle has been pulled it is imperative that you stop, remove the chain/spring assembly and vise grip from the truck. Secure the release handle. Set you "Hole Pipe" and success is at hand. Remember that when the pull handle is released the trailer can now be slid. If you continue to try to slide the trailer with my gizmo still attached, you will ruin your spring and bend the hell out of the release handle. Ever see one that is so bent that you cant secure it in the released position? Thank the driver before you who use some device incorrectly.

Two bungee cords can also be used, but are dangerous as the tension placed upon them is great. If one or both release prematurely they can cause injuries. That is why I prefer my gizmo.

The previous suggestion of using a spray bottle with the cheapest dish soap you can buy is also helpful.

 

The dish soap is a good idea and works. You dont need to "line up" the holes when sliding, you just need to be in the area close to the hole that you want, release the handle then go back to the truck and bump it into the pin hole, then check to make sure both or all four pins went in.

 

Getting help is the best tip of all. When I started driving, if someone was trying to slide their axles, you can bet that at least one person would be offering to help. You don't see nearly as much of that anymore, but to this day, when I see someone working on moving their axles I will get out and help.

On some trailers, just getting the pin pulled can be a nightmare. Sometimes the axles can be in a bind and simply not want to move enough to get the pin pulled. Something I learned from an old hand for this, if there was enough room was to do a few tight figure 8 patterns, then try to pull the pin.

Another tip, you may or may not already know, is to line your axles up with the back of the load. Providing that the load is loaded evenly in terms of weight, you will be pretty close when you check your weight, and often times, already legal.

Also, have a piece of white chalk or soapstone to mark where you want to move the pin to once you start sliding. Makes it easier to line it up when you are alone.

Last but not least, carry wheel chocks or 4x4 blocks. Having something there to block the trailer wheels can come in handy at times, especially on older trailers when the brakes aren't the always the best in the world.