Are there any " Warning signs" for A Jack knife?

It takes insanity to use a trolley valve for anything other than checking the brakes when doing a vehicle inspection.. this is one of the worst trucker myths of all time...AND its the very why a lot of fleets had them removed.

 

I have to disagree. If your entire rig happens to hit a patch of ice and you let up on the throttle and your drives slow down then those trailer tires will be going faster causing the trailer to come around. If they are traveling slower then they will just stay put in a line behind you. Sometime when everything is on ice things happen so fast you just need a Chang of underpants.

 

This is also caused by acceleration.. not the issue in the vast majority of jackknifes.. if you accelerate yourself all the way into a jackknife... Well... never mind.

 

I think the key is slow speed and smooth operating in bad weather. I can attest when I've been on ice I've never reached for the trailer lever. Only heard stories from some older guys. I usually just do what in insticual based on experience. I've also heard that trailer come areound so fast sometimes you'd have no time to do anything but ride it out. I drive on nasty roads all winter long with no break from them and I've never had one come around...but I drive as slow as needed even when getting passed. I'm making it home to my family.

 

Yeah, I tested the trolley brake in all my Swift trucks to see if any of them were different. All were as you described, but If I was really careful I could get it to grab 20 psi, which in my book is idiocy.

The last two trucks I drove were '15 KW's with no trolley brake.

 

I think if fleets set up their trolley brakes as Swift did, might as well keep drivers out of trouble. If they are set up properly, they are an excellent tool in icy conditions.

Right now I'm on a team run in my brother's '03 KW T2000. The trolley brake is under the steering wheel on the column. I can EASE into brake application starting at about 2 or 3 psi.

We ran into a fair amount of black ice on the hills getting to a rig in northern Pennsylvania two days ago (but above the blizzard). The trolley brake was very handy. Had I been in a Swift specced truck I'd never touch it. The last thing you want is to lock up your trailer tandems, or any wheels for that matter. When descending icy grades in double digit percentages I used Jakes in conjunction with the trolley brake. It kept it nicely in control.

 

Whatever driver...

 

When you can read the name of your company clearly all the way down the side of your trailer in your mirror..yeah,thats a jackknife warning sign..
Your welcome.

 

1979, I tip me hat too ya.