Cranking up the trailer ?

You are not dealing with junk gear from drop and hook trailers by 10,000 drivers though. Some of the stuff I hook on to I have literally either had to unhook or have the mechanic come swap the gear. It is rare but happens. I do keep bolts to put back in the pipe between the two jacks, because it is not uncommon at all to shear one or twist the end out of the pipe itself. It also doesn't help if it has old junk down south grease in it and it is 50 below either. I carry a propane weedburner type of torch for that in the winter though,it helps at times.

 

OP, don't be afraid to ask hard jockeys for help either. Yes some are kind of rude and won't help you even if they clearly have time, others may really be to busy to help you right away, but I've found that most will get to you as soon as they finish their immediate task if you're polite and phrase your words in a respectable way.

They can get that landing gear positioned correctly where you need it in under 1 minute. Don't hurt yourself OP, if need be ask for help (nicely).

 

I wanted to add...
If you are offered help by a driver. Take it.
On the one I had to get under. An O/O saw me. Offered help. I thought the DC was going to help. They easily could have. They were too anal. Full of excuses. Ended up telling me to get a tow truck. This was wallyworld DC and Swift mechanics for their LTL deliveries. They were of no help whatsoever. .... I might add.... Was at another wallyworld DC. It was during the great Polar Vortex. They had Crete for LTL. The Crete mechanics were great. Trying to help everybody they could. Trucks breaking down left and right.
On the help with the drivers. A second driver saw me. Offered help. I took it. There was no way to crank this trailer up. No way. Too difficult. Was partially loaded all in the front. So....
We dropped my suspension. Was just enough to force the trailer up the end of the frame. Then cranked the landing gear down best we could. To take the pressure off. Then backed up and forced it up the fifth wheel. He helped.... also watching to make sure the forcing it went ok.

Again.... This is not the most desireable. Jostler much better set up to do this. Could have easily used a forklift to pick up the trailer. Then drop the landing gear. But no! They couldn't do that.

Might add... This happened because wallyworld DC's demand you drop the trailer at the dock. Park in front of it. Then pick it back up after they unload. Well.... When I went to pick it back up. It didn't feel right. I pulled on it a couple times. Was ok? It wasn't. It didn't seem right? I failed to check that bolt sticking out the front of the fifth wheel plate. If that isn't completely bottomed out. Your connection isn't good. The jaws can also look closed, but aren't. Always check that bolt. You can pull on the trailer and it holds. But it will let go later if that bolt isn't bottomed out good. Always check that bolt! I dropped this trailer when I stopped at a dumpster to throw trash away at the DC.

 

LOL, I have seen it fold the landing gear up.

 

I keep adding...
Moral to my story. If a driver offers help. Take it. I still feel bad about turning down the help from that O/O. He knew that DC. Knew they wouldn't help. He knew what he was doing. Knew I needed someone to watch while I forced that trailer up on the frame, then fifth wheel. I screwed up not listening to that first driver. Should have known the DC was talking out their rear ends in the first place. And forget any help from any Swift mechanic.
I'm just lucky the second driver offered help.
Drivers are great.

 

Yes it REALLY is a lot of work. It's hardest when the trailer is heavy and dropped very low. But whether the trailer is loaded, empty too high or too low it is work to crank the trailer. EVERY NEW DRIVER and EVERY OTR DRIVER drops trailers too high unless they get specific training. There are no exceptions. The drivers that THINK they are the one exception are simply the drivers that have not been threatened with a merciless beat down and shown the proper height to drop a trailer. Ideally, the greasy underside of the trailer (that sits on top of the 5th wheel), after dropping on level ground, should be LOWER than the 5th wheel but higher than the tops of the drive tires and frame of the tractor.

We found for our fleet the simplest technique that even a truck driver could understand (when dropping on level ground) is crank the feet of the landing gear all the way to the ground and then RAISE the feet 2-4 turns of the landing gear handle when the handle is in high gear (most movement for each turn of the handle). When you do this you need to pull away slowly and let the trailer slide slowly off of the tractor frame or drop your tractor suspension and wait for the suspension to drop and then pull away.

I last worked at a place where drivers where dropping and hooking 1-10 trailer per night. EVERY SINGLE driver new to the account, REGARDLESS of his experience ALWAYS dropped trailer too high. Air-ride trailers will have the trailer rear drop (which means trailer nose rise) as the air leaves the airbags. If you leave the landing gear touching the ground before you drop the trailer the nose will be higher than necessary when the next truck backs under it. Ideally you want the tractr to raise the trailer nose as you back a tractor under it. If you do it just right you can raise the landing gear with one finger.

We had NUMEROUS injuries of drivers trying to raise landing gear on high trailers. These injuries included broken thumbs, broken arms, torn ligaments, and even broken ribs when the handle of the landing gear sprung back or when it broke free and the driver fell, I forget.

If you are an experienced driver and you think "I must be doing things right because I've never heard any complaints" it is highly likely you just haven't been identified and the sorry SOB that dropped a trailer too high so nobody has pointed out what trouble you are causing for the next driver. I spent almost 20 years dealing with this almost every night at work. The company adopted my technique described above. It works. Car drivers that swerve at the last second to exit think their system of watching their smartphone while they drive works because they haven't been confronted by the people dealing with their inattention.

 

Anyone ever seen a cheater bar that slides over the handle and provides additional leverage?

To the OP.. be careful if you have a hernia. That's the biggest risk in my opinion.

 

Good grief, I have sheared the bolts twisted off the crank or the pipe in between with no cheater, I can't imagine using a cheater without breaking something.
If a guy can drop his air and get the frame under it, he can do it easy enough by himself, it just takes longer, but not hard.
As far as someone offering to tune me up for dropping one too high or low, then there is a good chance for the cheater bar to be used.
There may well be a right height to drop one with a certain fleet, but I pickup trailers from trucks with anything from lo pro 22.5's to 1200 24.5. and all different 5th wheel heights, so there is no perfect height for the next truck, period. If I am going to pick it back up myself, it is a no brainer how high to drop it, but that is rarely the case. I have 3 trucks of my own with 3 inches different in fifth wheel heights from low to high.

I used to run north a lot with an older guy, (passed on now) I always hooked up for him, as he had a hard time getting it done, especially when it was 20 below of more.

Now it is my turn, I can not hook up anymore in any where near a timely manner, so I pay a swamper to ride with me. I just ride and guide, and supervise anymore.

 

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