Landing gear height?

That's crazy,I don't even wanna think what that bill was.I drop and pick up loads in a dirt lot full of pot holes and mud so I make sure the landing gear is high enough.A few times ive delivered to places that had such a steep slope that even with the gear completely raised it was still too low.One cust had to off load me from the street then some of the yard dogs took the loads.

 

that's a good system ! as I mentioned I don't mind a loaded trailer lowering until it just touches, I mean JUST touches. But you can do it this way, I would say dump the bags and ease out though. If you go til the gear touches and add a crank or two, there's a good chance the next guy will slam into the kingpin or if he doesn't hit it square run the kingpin up over the 5th wheel.

I wouldn't do that, cuz I always back up to the point where the front of the skid plate should be hitting my 5th wheel. Then when some jerk off dropped it too high I cuss and crank it down til the weight is off the landing gear and proceed to back under it. dropping too high is my pet peave !

 

If you can dump the bags this is fine as it will lower the gear to the ground, however if you do not have this option allowing a loaded trailer to drop a couple of inches in my opinion is placing unnecessary strain on the landing gear. In addition if a loaded trailer is dropped in this manner being that different trucks have different 5th wheel heights the trailer may be to low for the next driver to get under and it is a lot easier to crank a loaded trailer down that it is to crank a loaded trailer up.

 

It is the drivers responsibility to get out and look before backing under a trailer.

 

good point on dropping the air ride. i do it all the time when i am dropping a loaded heavy trailer, just to reduce shock to the suspension and the landing pads.

all of our tractors are volvos with 22.5 in tires, so we never really have any height issues with hooking to any trailer in the yard.

 

Your correct about it being easier cranking down than up, and if that is the case, do it before your jaws touch the kingpin so there is no binding. But in my opinion dropping a trailer a little low is not that big of an issues as long as it's not too low, and most drivers will realize it's too low when it hits the frame, but instead of correcting it before they get out from under it, they just go. A lot of your trucks now days have frame rails that are angled so they basically have built in ramps and if you notice, on most trucks the the end of the 5th wheel will hang just a tad below the top of the frame rail. So if you pull out nice and easy there should be no more strain on the legs than if it was raised two more inches.

 

The landing gear is designed to take a beating.

 

Until every one and thing in this world started scrimping on quality to save money...

Mikeeee

 

Every truck in my company has the ability to to dump the bags so that isn't an issue for me.

 

I have been setting the landing gear to put enough up pressure on to start venting the suspension. I then dump the air bags while I pull the 5th wheel, unhook the air lines and pigtail.

By the time I get out, the air is low enough on the suspension I don't pop up the frame when it unloads.

Keeps it from setting the trailer too low also for the next guy.