Is there a certain way to drop a trailer?

Not if you drop it with the landing gear 3 inches off the ground.

 

The same way you do.

I ran in a mixed fleet and the Peterbilt trucks 5th wheel was 3" higher than the FL trucks. Swaping trailers with some of them the drivers would jump out and crank down the gear untill it got hard and them pull out... now it's like 4" too high. but... it's better than 4" too low. Way easier to crank a trailer down than up. it gets worse

Places with dirt lots are the worst. they could drop it on a flat part and the spotter will drop it in a hole, now it's too low.

One of the perks of driving.

 

You try that with a trailer loaded with 65,000 lbs of steel on ice. Last winter I had a driver with 22's drop a pneumatic loaded with 50,000 lbs of product too low, and I've got 24's. It was so low if I didn't GOAL, I would have caught the rear frame plate on the kingpin.

It took over an hour and lots of sand and salt to get under it. Consideration for the next driver is VERY important.

 

Fast forward to 7:45 for an explanation how to properly drop a trailer--

 

Close but not quite.......
When backing to a dock I add an extra thing in there. figuring the trailer air ride suspension that drops when air supply is removed......

After setting the trailer brakes...... let the trailer suspension drop ( may have to get out and drop the suspension with a button). then push against the trailer while releasing the trailer brakes. when you touch again set the trailer brakes again. Now set the tractor brakes.

If you do not let the trailer settle and the bags deflate the trailer will settle and the nose will raise.

 

It's nice and easy to drop those air bags and slide right under it

 

Nose isn’t going to “raise” because the trailer rear has already settled before you cranked the gear down, and the trailer has assumed it’s “new angle” already.

[I can’t visualize anybody initiating a dolly down sequence before ever pulling the red button] but maybe my thought process is flawed but I don’t think so. I suppose you can make that argument for trailers that don’t dump but have a leaking bag system

 

Do it all the time.

 

Yep and when i do drop and hook im constantly having to raise a trailer 3 inches cause the guy that dropped it was to lazy to lower the gear all the way to the ground.

Assuming the inconsiderate idiot before you didn't leave the pads 3 inches off the ground Before pulling out from under it in his truck with low pro 22.5s and your truck has 11r24.5s.

 

I guess that makes me an inconsiderate idiot because I just noticed my tire size is low pro 22.5s.