Quick question on axle weights and how to fix it?

Yer fine, run it. Easy peasy.

Don't worry about that steer. It will just have to take care of itself, even at 13000 pounds.

 

IIRC, you allowed 20,000 on the steers, only if you have a single axle drives.

 

Hold your horses, you can find the weight limits on the steering axle by state on the Rand McNally atlas. The image is from the 2019 version.

I agree that your axle and tires need to be rated for the weight you plan on carrying. For new drivers, this info is on the tire sidewall and on the labels of the driver door and frame.

 

Find the sweet spot on your 5th wheel and leave it there. I keep mine right in the middle. If your tanks are full and you're at no more than 34,000 on your drives, you know that your steer weight will always be good.

 

Wonderful, now get goin',,,if it's any consolation, the next load, you'll have to start all over. Ain't truckin' fun?

 

been out here for over 30+ yrs and never move the 5th wheel. once set up on a heavy load,with the steers heavy, I leave it

 

I never adjust my 5th wheel. set just a little behind the center of the drives, and I never move it. The easy rule on your trailer is slide toward the weight. So if your drives are heavy slide forward to move it to the tandems. Aprox 500 lbs per hole.

 

While some things apply in general, there are sometimes things in particular you need to check.
When you move the fifth wheel, you are changing the clearance between the back of your tractor and the trailer under frame (usually the landing gear). You need to keep a certain amount of clearance for when you turn.
Have you ever noticed the landing gear having those triangle pieces in front that have dents in them? Someone, somewhere, at some time, moved their fifth wheel too far forward.

 

I am going to guess fleet trucks have been designed in a way so if the 5th wheel is all the way forward, it won’t hit their fleet trailers. I have never had that problem, and I am one of those drivers who slides his 5th wheel forward when deadheading for fuel efficiency purposes.

I think it also depends on the type of trailer being hauled and whether the truck was spec’d for the trailer being hauled.

I also suspect the damages to the landing gear plate could have been caused by drivers forgetting to raise the landing gear.