Landing Gear Bending during loading

Throw some wood under the landing gear. The ones we had were a caricature of what they really should be. And that dump of the airride would settle her.

My Ravens stayed on my 5th wheel with a pad pretty much the entire time we had that truck. But once in a blue moon when it's dropped somewhere for a holiday... You toss some wood under there and dump the bags.

 

Our aluminum flat bed does that too.

Air is dumped, trailer unhooked.

When loaded, the arch is pressed down under the weight bending the landing gear a bit.

Makes it difficult to retract them when hooked.

I now just leave space between the landing gear and the ground. The truck picking up the trailer releases all the stress from the landing gear.

It’s still working, no damage. Has the T style pads.

 

Yeah but it takes a minute. Yard guy drops the trailer to the ground before the suspension settles because he's in a hurry.

 

OP drop your empties LOW! Make sure you can fit the toe of your work boot under the landing gear when dropping an empty aluminum flat. When an empty aluminum flat is loaded the arch is flattened out, just as you said, and the trailer tries to creep forward. It also raises the height of the fifth wheel plate! Especially a Reitnouer (wicked arch to them!). If your dealing with an uneven yard or have different trucks in your fleet it'll be a crap shoot.
Parking dump valves vary between different trailer manufacturers. Some dump real quick, some kinda slow. Also, which axle is your leveling valve mounted on? If mounted on the rear there is going to be a lot of air in the suspension when raised up by a jockey truck.

 

Get some steel plates and place them under the landing gear foot, so the foot slides smoothly without the landing gear bending. I’ve seen these steel plates used at dealers when dropping trailers to prevent the landing gear foot from damaging or sinking into the asphalt. I have never seen someone sell these, though. You’d probably have to go to a steel shop.

I just thought of an even better idea. Replace the landing gear foot. See images.

Edit—

Dam, someone beat me to it, and even used the same image. Hahaha. What a coincidence!

 

PE Trans: I like the idea of a steel plate under the T style pads to aid in the landing gear to slide ahead a couple inches.

Our step deck has landing gear that’s close to the ground so it doesn’t travel much and has very little movement forward or backward.

It will slide the pads ahead on any surface when loaded.

 

Not sure anymore. But I used to work at the shop that fixed them. The spotters dont dump the air, plus it's a very ruff lot with pot holes. Just saying I have seen spotters drop trailers while moving.

 

If I owned trailers I wouldn't want yard guys at a customer moving my trailers. I've been places where I've seen yard guys moving trailers with the brakes still locked up, and the bags down so as soon as the brakes release the tires start rubbing on winches.

Not their trailer not their problem I guess.

 

Are your landing gear getting permanently bent or just making it hard to crank the handle until the load is resting on the tractor?