9+ MPG Class 8 5 Axel Trucks with Trailers

I may need to do that afterall, get my welder friend to attach the UBL kit to the suspension, then figure out how to do the plumbing. Shop I was waiting to call back never did, and I called another this afternoon and the weren't interested in the work. Economy must be a lot better than I thought with everyone willing to turn away work like this! Is there anyplace that shows how to install the valves? I've read there can be ABS issues when the axle is raised also.

 

They turn away work because there all parts changers now. That option doesn't come up with the vin.

 

Thanks a lot Dice, I'll check with both of them in the morning before I head out.

 

IMO someone is blowing a lot of smoke. Come on. .5 to1.2 just for picking 4 tires up off the highway while empty. The air turbulence is still there. The only thing that changes is the sidewalls on 4 (2?) tires are not flexing while the trailer is empty. A side note: you will be shocked at the difference in braking w/o that fifth axle even while empty.

 

Well, lift that axle up and spin both sets of duals by hand at 60mph for ten hours. Then tell me it doesn't save any energy. Mpg savings depends on a lot of other aerodynamic factors of the truck trailer combination, tires, bearings (M/Blue) and the load itself on open deck.

 

It may very well save 1 MPG, but multiply that by the amount it's in the air and you may be lucky to see 1 or 2/10th overall. It depends on what you're doing.

Some jurisdictions may want the axle on the ground if there's a load of any size on the deck, others may be OK with it up if the weight is legal for one axle.

 

Its pretty simple. Just put the normally open valve on the ride bags and the closed one on the up bags. Hook the same electric wire to both valves. When you turn it on it will dump the ride bags and fill the up bags. Run an airline from the air tank to the normally closed valve that will go to the up bags. they can handle well over 120psi so you don't have to worry about that.

Yes it will make the ABS light come on and most likely stay on, but that is because it is detecting one axle not moving while the other is. The ABS will still work.

 

That will depend on how many channels the ABS system has. A 2 channel system will only have sensors on one axle. If you lift the axle without sensors everything will work as intended. If you lift the axle with sensors (if that's even legal) you would loose the ABS function.

When I worked in the trailer shop, the only 4 channel systems I ever saw were on tridems. Only two axles had sensors. But it's been a while since I've crawled around other people's equipment so things may have changed. My 2011 tandem MAC only has sensors on the rear axle.