Does sliding the trailer tandem to the rear (for dock purposes) damage it?

They aren’t bars that stretch from side to side first off. Those are called cross members. They get screwed up bad enough by idiots that seem to be blind to yellow poles in lots and run over the top of them tearing up several to as many as the majority of them. You can’t pull a load legally with any welds that are cracked where the cross member meets the wall all of a trailer. Cross members can also be damaged when a driver runs the side of the trailer into an object much stronger then the aluminum the trailer has down along the bottom of the siding, the sides of the flooring. Always inspect a trailer that you may get on a preloaded trailer if you see a ripple down the bottom side. If there’s any broken welds and the trailer is loaded DOT will shut your butt done FAF. They will require another trailer brought to the weigh station and then the load had to be transferred over right there. DOT will flag the OOS trailer and in a documented latter and in the computer system can be moved and just where to and no place other then papers state until repairs are completed. As far as tandems to the rear while loading it will lower the ### end of the trailer closet to the height to the dock. Those loaders drive there forklifts like it’s a time trial for the Indy 500. Hitting that plate with a heavy pallet and the weight of the FL will damage and possible blow the airbags. There will be less bounce per once entering and exiting. It’s all for the protection of the suspension of the trailer. Sone trailers have an auto air dump just for that reason and if you’re hauling one of those then sliding to the rear really isn’t needed at all. Everything will be just as it would be if the tandems were slid. There are those that don’t care, too lazy and they just use the #### not pay for it when it’s purchased or repaired. 47 years ago when I began it was gospel that the equipment you had you treated it as if it were your own. Had pride in your ride and proud of it. Now nobody give two ####s and change about the equipment. It can be dirty AF and bungee cord and duct tapped together and 4 weeks of garbage on the interior floor. Those are the I don’t give a ####s and not drivers..just collecting a check and I don’t care if bay the unit looks like that rolled through that gate. Times have sure changed since I started back in ‘76 to be able to even have one more day line it was. It’s sucks now and glad I’m not at it full time anymore. Just a load here and there to get away for a week or so then back to the good life of the outdoors. Good fishing and cold beer.

 

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And, they can still damage you doors at insided open facilities regardless of tandem slide.

Move my tandems back at every facility out of habit & for all reasons you mentioned.

Can say that I have had friend have bent frame rails due to heavy weight & heavy handed loading in the past.

Just relating friends experience, not mine.

Always safe & hopefully never sorry on my end.

Peace ✌

 

This is where spring ride is superior to air ride trailers. Spring ride trailers don't walk at all. No need to slide them all the way to the back either. They're maybe a little heavier but there's less maintenance.

 

Got to give you one there on that. All true on that. Definaly damage done on brand new air ride bought, after taken to open door facility within first 3mos....

Go ####in figure........

 

It’s better on your trailer to have the tandems to the rear.
Only way I could see it damage the trailer is you see drivers all the time release the tandems and then take off forward, allowing the tandems to slam at the rear of the trailer.