jumped the fifth wheel

My hubby jumped the 5th wheel once ( that I know of anyway) Nebraska, picking up power poles. Middle of winter. The ppl their said to strap the poles then hook to the trailer. Spent 2 hrs putting 10 straps on the wretched things, him throwing and me playing chase in 30mph winds. . .I forgot to mention it was 20*f. IDK with wind chill. Got back in the truck and he started it up and unlike normal didn't stop and check. Took two large forklifts to pick the trailer up, couldn't crank it, we tried and him and another guy tried.

Funny thing didn't get 50 miles up the road and the tractor decided to "loose power", was in the shop for two days. Someone else delivered the load.

Funnier thing, the two forklift drivers said someone "jumped the wheel" at least once a week there.

 

I had to move a rail trailer from one lot to the next.the racks werent pinned and when I pulled out all the racks came out.caused a major delay in the yard.hadxto get a lift truck to pick the racks up .no damage just major embarrassing.

 

Soon enough you will be able to tell if a Trailer is too high, too low or just right when backing under it.

 

IMHO nothing replaces the 10 second job of setting your brakes, getting out, and looking at trailer height in relation to the 5th wheel... although I do realize for some truckers this is an exhausting foray to get their bulk out and back into the truck...

 

look in your mirror before you ram the trailer...look at the gap between the tires and the skid plate..too much and you'll have a high hook.. you want the fifth wheel to raise the trailer up onto the plate...otherwise a greater chance for a high hook.

Its quite assuming watching the purchase drivers hook in the yard, hooking in an L, missing the pin quite often..What are the trainers teaching..

 

Correct. This procedure is mandatory when you do not feel the rear end take on the trailer nose weight when the fifth wheel should have contacted it.

Mikeeee

 

I found a good video showing the problem. Pretty obvious this guy didn't figure it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHdbw8Ps6xc

 

Everybody has their own way of driving.

 

If you are to lazy to get out and look you should just install a camera

 

A common occurrence is is a yard dog retrieves an empty and puts it in the dock. He then takes it back out to the lot loaded and drops it on different terrain.

Another thing to watch on dirt lots where there are dips or potholes in front of the trailer where previous drivers were spinning tires. That's a quick way to go under one and should be a warning sign to take extra care. You think you are okay but drop at the very last second. If it's muddy out or raining I won't hesitate to ask the yard dog to pull it out on flat ground. Most are glad to help.

If you are on flat solid ground and you are sure there are no incline or dips you can pretty well trust the fifth wheel flipping flat against the trailer or lifting it up you have a good grab coming. This can be accomplished by your mirrors with experience. When in doubt, get out! Cranking up loaded trailers is no fun.