Method for tandem sliding?

I have never had any problem sliding the tandems,LOL.My last company I dreaded weighing loads because I knew i'd have trouble.When I did by chance get a good trl and the tandems slide easy I thought how'd that happen with a surprise look,lol.If wheel chocks and adjusting your brks don't work,find a curb and back up against it or find a TA or a shop and they'll charge ya $20.00 or $25.00 to move the tandems.Also spray the tandems with wd 40 or buy whatever the shop uses to slide the tandems.Most the time I would just ask a driver to help me.

 

When u pick up a trl from your yd or terminal,check to make sure those tandems slide before leaving and if you're fighting them then take it to the shop there before even leaving.Sure our job isn't hard but drivers should'nt have to fight with the tandems.Many of the cust I went to wanted the tandems slide back and I acted like I forgot and just left it.Can't remember any cust ever saying anything.

 

Good post and response guys. As an inexperience trucker we all need the knowledge of the experienced. I'm still confused about the mathmatical breakdowns but logically I gained what I need to know if I encounter this situation in the future. I didn't know that the scale gave you a breakdown of where you needed adjusting, with that its a no brainer. To much up front move the taden forward to much on the tail move em back or or adjust the fifth wheel if she does.

 

Water and copious amounts of liquid dish soap, makes for a cheap lubrication

 

Spray wd40 along the rail. And for wedging the wheels I found a curve or sidewalk works best, a lot of time the trailer run over the chock when I use the chock.

 

My first company I ever drove for had some old trashed trailers..(CRST)..I don't ever remember one trailer that didn't off track ever..We'd sit there and jocky those trailers trying to get the pins to pop (they didn't have the springloaded pins on em either..hard connected) and then end up beatin the pins out of the holes with a sledge..frame twisted to where no matter what you would eather end up dragging the wheels or not budging..

We'd end up having to get rolling and slamming the charlie brake to get em to move..

Nope..not good to do to a trailer but CRST wouldn't do crap to get em fixed..we'd write em up and sooner or later we'd get the same trailer...it would never get fixed.

Worst comes to worst you gotta do what you gotta do..and even though I did it it is definitely not something I would recommend doing unless you have no choice at all. I never regretted getting away from CRST and those rust heap trailers

Petey

 

Overweight on the tandems? If they are all the way forward that is the reason. More weight is on the rear (hanging over the back tires)

Split loads can be the death sentence to getting a balanced trailer. Sometimes a majority of the weight goes to only one receiver. If that is your first stop, then all that weight will be on the back! You slide the tandems back and back, trying to shift weight forward to the drives. All while hoping you don't have to pull through states with short wheel base requirements (bridge law) like Illinois and worse California!

Yes. mostly when loaded heavy.

Sorry, I have to ask... Are the pins fully retracted before trying to slide the tandems? On our trailers sometimes we have to keep the tandem brakes on and rock forward and back to get the pins to snap in.

We have many shippers/receivers that will not allow a truck to pass the guard shack without the tandems slid all the way back.

Mikeeee

 

I have found, with less than a year on the road, that I can tell if a load is balanced by the bounce. Any more than a thousand pound difference from drives to tandems and I can feel a "kick" from the back of the seat when going over a bump. It gives sort of a whiplash type kick.

Mikeeee

 

Dang oc83baker ya beat me to the punch. WD40 usually works. I would also double check the railing and pins. Some drivers will leave a trlr thats broke for the next driver to deal with. It isn't professional and I hate it when I have to take the time to get it fixed,especially if its a tight run.

 

Thank you Modrendrifter. I learn that from SNI. Krooser not all of us pull doubles. I'll give it your suggestion a try next time I p/u a trlr at night.