An old man's career goes flat, Snackbar moves to open deck

Don't know if I am losing something in translation here, but if I understand correctly, by 'ramps' you mean sloping skids on top of the rear chassis members, then I totally agree with you. I don't remember ever having a tractor without such ramps and was told right from the outset that it was always better to have a dropped trailer ever so slightly low at the nose. Thus it was lifted up on the ramps and ensured that the trailer rested all the way up and onto the 5th wheel. This made doubly sure that, in a moment of madness, you couldn't go under one too high and have the pin drop over the front of the 5th wheel. This would leave you in all sorts of trouble and at the very least with a heavily laden trailer, some very hard work winding it up higher.

If that is not what you are talking about, just ignore me and put it down to a very old bloke ruminating from the other bank of a very wide river.

Obviously, this was back in the days before air suspension was invented.

 

They are a 40 year old freight broker based in texas, what does that have to do with tfi?

 

Sounds like you have the right idea but we need them for a different reason. A handful of our trailers have these rollers on the front of the neck, circled in red. You drop the trailer straight on the ground and take the neck off to load heavy equipment. Since this trailer does not have landing gear it rolls along the frame and fifth wheel slide track. My ramps allow an easier transition from the frame to the 2” tall slide track. Others just have to “ram” the rollers over the end of the track.

 

Like this.

 

I was in Brunswick the other day and saw a new 579 Wylie with a 12K pusher pulling a 3 axle RGN… @kylefitzy maybe there’s hope for you

 

I see what you mean, but years ago when I pulled those sort of trailers we left the neck attached to the 5th wheel and then took out 2 large bolts on heavy duty forks which were located in the front of the load deck then pushed them back in to couple up again, the neck never left the 5th wheel.
There was no such thing as air suspension in those days that I remember so we had a little donkey engine on the neck to lift and lower it. So long ago now ('70s) that I barely remember how it worked exactly. I do remember though that it was one of my first loads for the new company and they just sent me off with this trailer and left me to work it out for myself. No training, no Elfin Safety, just 'there's the lump, work it out when you get there'

 

Those are the sort or rails that I was talking about, ideally the front of the trailer striker plate was dropped so that it met those ramps on the lower, curved part then, as the tractor was pushed under it the striker plate moved up it till the pin was secured in the jaws. By this time the legs would have been off the ground so much easier to wind up.

 

Yep, many different ways to accomplish the same thing. There are even several different versions here in the states.

 

There’s a better chance I end up in a four axle truck under tfi then there was under Daseke. At least I think.