Remember to check your kingpin!

Last night in Chattanooga I had just gotten onto 24 west from 75 and a truck had lost it's trailer in the right lane at about the 183 mm in the construction zone. Luckily it was the middle of the night and traffic was light nobody got hurt.

 

Always check it. I just got a brand new volvo. Thing has a light on the 5th wheel so you dont even need a flashlight!

 

It's necessary, not optional, to look at the closed jaws **AND** do a HARD tug test. Neither one of them replaces the other one. Of the 2 tests, a visual inspection is the least reliable. I can make your 5th wheel look EXACTLY in every way like it is road ready and it will drop a trailer. A visual inspection is not the gold standard, better than a tug test. The tug test is not the gold standard, better than the visual. BOTH tests must be done or you will eventually drop a trailer from the tractor. BOTH TESTS

 

Yup. Personally i say check the pin, do your tug, then check your pin again to see if it moved. One tip i can give is mine has a line of neon orange reflective paint from a paint pin on each side of the jaws when its correctly locked. Makes it a lot easier to tell in low light conditions if the jaws closed or not.

Basically just next time you clean your 5th wheel. Put grease on and back under and when your sure your connected make a mark with said pin on the jaws when they are closed correctly and then a white mark on the 5th wheel. If they dont line up correctly drop and rehook.

Also a good idea to once a quarter clean up the 5th wheel and inspect the pins for play and yearly have a tech take a long hard look at.it.

 

We use New Holland F35 almost exclusively. When coupling, it is vitally important, and always the driver’s responsibility, to ensure the trailer will never uncouple unintentionally. You must be observant of these three conditions, and correct, if necessary, before continuing your pre-trip.

1. Jaws must be closed around the Kingpin on the trailer. The Kingpin can be outside of the closed jaws, the fifth wheel may have closed before coupling, a loaded trailer can create enough friction that a simple tug test will not be enough to ensure that the fifth wheel is locked, especially in icy conditions.

2. Locking fork adjustment nut must be flush with the face of the fifth wheel. Simply checking that the jaws are closed is not enough. If the trailer and the fifth wheel engage correctly, the jaws will always close around the Kingpin. If the adjustment nut is not flush with the face of the fifth wheel, they are not locked, and your trailer will uncouple eventually. Cold weather can make grease stiff and can prevent the locking fork from seating. Ice or frost buildup can also prevent the locking fork from seating correctly. You must correct this condition.

3. There must be no air space between the trailer’s Kingpin Apron and the Fifth Wheel. If the trailer has been dollied off high, it is possible that the king pin has not been engaged correctly and is in fact on top of the jaws.

After all has been checked visually, you must do a slow speed, spike / hand brake only tug test.

 

I do 3 tugs then a visual check. Had one come loose on me years ago but luckily caught with my tires.