Landing Gear Bending during loading

I agree, and no one touches mine. But when it's a big fleet and they want preloaded trailers it's hard not too. I bet we fixed 3-5 a week. The shop I was at still has a yard of trailer every time I drive by waiting for repair. Think it was SMX that insisted we build heavier supports. Against my advise, we did it. Next was bet frame web.

 

Gut your shop to pit a manual dump valve on one of the trailers. When dropping the trailer dump the suspension and see if that trailers legs fair better, as long there arent any winches above the tires things should be fine to move them around loaded with deflated bags.

That damage is coming from the trailers trying to push forward 6+ inches so its not just the arch flattening out.

 

Think its time for the boss to take an undercover trip to the customer then and watch the loading process to see what’s happening to your guy’s equipment.

 

This right here. First time is an accident. Second time is a problem. After that second time I'd spend an entire day watching them load the trailers before I keep letting them destroy stuff. Doesn't take too long for it to cost more in replacement legs compared to a day sitting there.

 

Looks like the loads are pretty heavy, pressing the arch down a lot causing repetitive stress on the landing gear and fatiguing the metals.

Then eventually the stress became too much causing buckling and breakage.

Also happens more I think as the trailer gets older and flexes more.

Seems at this point the landing gear should have wheels instead of pads to allow movement (hard floor or surface) or a converter dolly placed under to support the weight while being loaded (lift the landing gear off the floor a little) then remove when ready for a truck to come.

Our aluminum deck/steel frame tandem axle trailer is not often loaded on it’s landing gear as we are usually live loading.

But sometimes it is loaded on its landing gear. It also looks like it’s being bent back as well but so far no damage yet.

Around here, a lot of Mennonite metal shops have converter dollies to move trailers and hold them up off the legs.

 

Well here is how we solved the problem.

We do not allow the trailer to be loaded unless there is a truck under it.

What is happening is obvious, there is no way to fix the problem unless there is a truck there taking the weight and that truck can move.

The issue is what has less surface area on the ground, the pads or the tires - the tires win every time so they will stay put.

It is a fact that the trailer flexes a lot when loaded heavy just like they are supposed to do and with just the pads on the dollies, not rollers there is no place for the trailer to go except the path of least resistance,

Do live loads and the problem will be solved.