Dropping and hooking trailer do's and dont's.

I always always get out and visually inspect my pin connection. I make sure with a flashlight that my jaws are closed, it's around the right part of the pin, and there is no gap between trailer and plate. I have seen dropped trailers and it's no fun. Otherwise I seem to be kinda backwards of some of you, as far as sequence. I do leave s small air gap between the ground and feet when dropping. But I do feet first, then pin, then plugs when disconnecting. I do pin check, feet, plugs, inspect when connecting.
And yeah, some trucks are just higher than others. Never seen a yard guy extend the legs, but I'll be watching for it now. Thatd be just rude, lol.

 

I was originally taught P(pin)A(air)L(landing gear), L(landing gear) A(air)P(pin). Pal, Lap, it’s always stuck with me. Watch those yard guys, there as miserable about life as forklift drivers.

 

wait till amazon starts accepting flat beds. Asking you to slide the tandems when Truck and trailer isn’t straight and not on even ground, then yell at you for saying No.

 

The same way my morning started, but I’m off tomorrow !!!

 

Lol, I did it years ago. Don’t do it !!! You won’t be happy anymore. ( I really don’t know, I was 20 young & dumb then)

 

Hooking at an angle can be done safely if enough time is taken to ensure everything is lined up properly.
As in exactly. The steer tires should be straight for that last couple feet, and that can take some time to get right. There is a lot of 'get out and look at the alignment'.
And the actual bump to hook the pin has to be done very gently, which can be even more difficult with an auto trans or in very cold conditions.

 

You can save yourself a lot of work if you charge the trailer before cranking. It takes a min or so but easier than trying to crank the handle.
Some drivers believe that putting weight on the dolly pushes them up so that makes it easier to crank.