Slide your tandems to the rear...

I don't know, slow?

 

Awesome story, that's experience people should value!

Question, was it an old trailer and worn or can even a new trailer bounce off the slides? Than in advance!

 

trailer don't bounce off the tandems unless the pins are unlocked.

sounds to me like the moral of wooly rhinos' story is make sure the slider pins are locked. he's lucky...or should i say everyone else on the road is lucky..his trailer tandems didn't slam back and out the rear of the trailer into traffic on brake application.

 

Well check this out, about 10 years ago, I was a spotter again, for another 3 years. NOT ONCE did I have to slide the rear tandems. Last week got a road truck, at a stop, boss man says " You need to slide your tandems all the way back". I say O.K. go back out and looks under the trailer, "HEY, NO Handle to pull, I look on both sides, WTF. Stage 2, I see 2 small boxes, no help, Then is see this White button kinda hidden. I push in nada, then I Pull it, PSSST, holy cow, the pins go in. Then how to get them to lock, push button, nada. Go into tractor, pull service buttons, WHAAALAHHH. Im Old School, NEVER EVER had the joy of having this option. I DONT EVEN KNOW when they came out with this idea, but I like it. YOU HAVE NOOOO, idea how many times I have pulled the pin locks MANUALLY . I had a Pin Pull Bar, I would just reach it under and grab that handle and pull hard, sure many times cursing at it, but still did it. Air Conditioning was an upgrade back in my day. Heck, I remember the knob on the lower dash, with a red button, you turn it is would lock the gas peddle and that was my Cruise Control. Learn something every day. HA, HA, HA.

 

You were lucky. I seen so many times, container haulers forgetting to lock the chassis pins, Container rolls off in a sharp turn. Last week on the interstate, right after a toll plaza , al trailer only, dropped, nose laying on the ground and landing gears smashed back, Tractor on the side. Have no idea how long it took to slide off. Lots of DOT, and a bad day for trucker.

 

I once picked up a load where the tandem were all the way to the rear and I could not get them to move forward. Old trailer with rusty pins and a pull handle and 40000 pounds on top of everything. I used up a half of a can of WD-40 to no avail. I had to find a truck stop with a real high curb and back the trailer into the curb to get it to move. I hate shippers that make you do this.

 

I haul primarily large paper rolls and it's a requirement before loading or unloading that the tandems be slid to the rear. ESPECIALLY if it's just the trailer in the dock with no tractor attached. For safety reasons. A 4,000lb roll of paper and a 20,000lb forklift will pick up the front of the trailer if the tandems aren't back.

Because we have to do this so many times, none of our trailers have issues with sliding, even our older ones with mechanical pin pullers.

 

I always usually slide my tandems back no matter what I'm hauling, too, along with dumping my air bags. Creates a more stable platform for the forklift operator. Our older trailers have automatic dump valves, which engage when the air supply is exhausted, some of our trailers are spring ride so they are already stable, and the rest have the Hendrickson suspension with those stabilizing legs when the air supply is exhausted.

 

I used a 2 1/2" wide ratchet strap. Added a hood spring from a car (old style strong spring) and a hook on the end of the spring. I hook to the trailer and the release lever. I ratchet the strap stretching the spring about 2". I get in the truck and rock it. The lever comes loose every time. You must get out and pull the release lever into it's locked position. Remove the ratchet strap. Slide away--

 

Where I'm at currently (North Platte NE), hoping they get done before too long. Was 80 mins late due to the snow storm in ID & UT and WY shutting down both sides of I84 (mm 298 due to a semi fire). Told me to call to be worked in. Just patiently waiting as I am in a door.