question on hooking to an empty

Yup, I still do a 'pre trip' on the trailer, empty or loaded.

 

Why hook up to a trailer that has a flat tire, missing mud flaps, or has busted gladhands.
Besides you need to check the pin height before you back past it because it is too high.

 

Always check it before. And after. Every time. A lot of guys never do though. They're the ones you see sitting on the side of the road waiting on a service truck cause they drove off on a flat tire. You can save yourself some wasted time sometimes by checking it out BEFORE you hook to it. The pre-departure check once you're hooked to it should go without saying.

 

I just back under mine and then check it. I can look out the back window to check the height. If it has a flat, I'll just take 2 seconds of my time and pull the pin to unhook from it or get it fixed.

 

I should clarify. I do not inspect the trailer before hooking to it, only after I've hooked to it. You can normally feel/hear the trailer contact so rarely do I actually get out to check it. Mind you if you like to slam back under stuff it's only a matter of time before you have a trailer jump the plate... Along with the beating you're putting on everything slamming into them.

 

ill slip the 5th wheel under the lip of the trailer, not hook to it, then inspect tires and doors and check for obvious damage. im also looking at the trailer height at this point. (im the idiot who has in the past tried to hook to a trailer only to have the 5th wheel slip under the kingpin...dont wanna repeat that) then hok to trailer, turn on the lights, hook up lines, and proceed with full pretrip. if its empty, and i have choices of empties, im gonna make DARN sure its a good one im leaving with.

 

I look for problems when I'm driving to the trailer, then I hook it but won't touch the landing gear till
I get a better look. Been burnt way to many times on that one! Seems like postrips aren't done at my
yard and I get tired of cleaning up after everyone else. Mechanics have grown to hate me with all the
work I was throwin at em.

 

It depends what I'm doing. If I'm finding an empty and I have choices, I check them before I hook up, then check the lights and that I'm properly hooked up after. If I'm picking up a loaded trailer or the only empty around, I hook up first as I have to take the trailer even if that means taking it to a shop first.