Tandems all the way forward

Sounds like you're keeping your pivot point the same, but, by letting the tamdems float you can pull the back of your trailer away from a trailer your backing in beside, then continue pivoting, with less of your trailer behind the pivot point. Then, once you're "clear" of the other trailer, you can slide your tandems forward again to be able to use the space out in front of your nose. Is that close to what you're talking about?

 

But having the pivot point all the way back means you need more room in front to swing the cab around...

So if the docks are tight together, and you have room in front then tandems back is the ticket!

Right?

Mikeeee

 

Pretty much it. Many times I'll have to bring the tractor around, while the trailer brakes are set and the trailer sliding back (tandems released). Working with what room I have.

As I've stated. It's much easier to show someone, than it is to explain.

If you have room in front, and can straight line back. It really doesn't matter where your tandems are set. Unless the customer wants them set to the rear. I don't touch them, unless I need to.

 

Because as the captain of this ship, the tandems will be at the front unless axle weights require them to be slid further back. Now if you'll excuse me, I have minions to flog....

 

Running empty with your tandems all the way forward,

CAN/MAY get you a ticket in Maryland as well as in other areas.

Just a FYI........

 

That's news to me but it wouldn't surprise me none.

I don't like running my tandems any further than what California requires mainly for excessive tail swing but there's been times where I've had to because of drive axle weight.

I'm not sure about anyone else but I've seen a lot of England drivers run the tandems all the way up and yeah, some may do it out of laziness but since England removes the air cylinders from the 5thwheels that allows it to slide, they probly do it to reduce steer axle weight and with the 5th wheels "locked" in the almost "all the way" forward position, steer axles get pretty heavy.

I can move mine so I don't have that problem.

 

I run my tandems in the CA hole empty or loaded unless weight is an issue. It's a rare load that I can't scale in the CA hole though and it's usually balanced well. I've never liked the tandems all the way forward, but that's just my personal preference.

 

We load Schneider containers with scrap aluminum that goes to a sister plant in the people's republik of Kalifornia. We load them with the axle all the way forward, so when we scale it out, we know it's legal out west.

 

I didn't mean to indicate, if I did, that your tandems would be all the way back when you were beginning to back into the slot. What I was trying to say is that if, e.g., your tandems are at the 41' mark, then you make your first "assault" on the slot with the tandems as they are...at the 41' mark. Once you've backed far enough into the slot to have enough room in front of your nose, then you can get straight with your trailer, release the tandem pins, pull forward as much as you can (increasing the distance between the right corner of your trailer and the trailer beside you) while still leaving enough room in front of your nose to be able to crank to the right on the steering wheel and improve your alignment to the door without having your drives running into anything (one helluva run on sentence that was, eh?). Rinse and repeat...