I'm a flatbedder!

I'll see if I can find one to take a pic of.

On the air ride van trailers I have pulled, each axle had a set of little arms that came down and rested on a support welded to the axle when the bags were deflated. It stopped the truck from rolling and also from the bags getting pinched while being loaded.

 

I think Hendrickson makes those only on tandem sets.

 

SHC,if you have a correctly adjusted airbag system,the bags should deflated without getting pinched.

And inside the airbag there should be rubber blocks on which the trailer rests when bags are deflated.

So no need for extra arms and supports.

 

Don't think the supports are made to prevent the airbags from getting damaged but I'm pretty sure lots of vans have those supports or arms. The trailer will remain on a steady height when driving into it with a lifttruck. The supports come down when you pull the red supply button...

 

All of our new trailers have the auto dump feature when you dump the air, I dump the trailer only wait for it to push the tractor ahead and the bags to mty, then put the air back to the trailer and back up to the dock again, the brakes release right away but it takes a minute or so for the bags to refill so you can get it back to the rubber bumpers quickly then dump all air, a definite PITA, but its what you have to do. Cant count the number of times it creeped ahead and shippers/receivers would come out and ask if I would back up, thinking I hadnt bumped the dock properly.

 

Those arms are to keep the trailer from "walking" when being loaded and unloaded.

 

The best way not to be disturbed when getting unloaded or loaded is un hook from that trailer. It is worth it just not to get jarred. Smile

 

Oscar,can you explain what you mean by "walking"?

 

The trailer is bouncing and creeps forward or backward or to a side slowly. The arms apply a counter force.

 

Thanks for explaining.

It does raise another question.
Don't the airbag in the US have rubber stopblocks inside?
Basicly,when you let the air out off the airbags we have,the trailer is sitting directly on the axles.
If you dropp our airbags,you feel movement but the trailer will not move from it's place.