replace trailer king pin

usually six bolts

 

Hmmm, that looks like a KINGPIN (in America even) gauge to me.
Makes checking the PIN a lot easier and more accurate.

Martin

 

Really EU and US trucks share fifth wheels and kingpin size is the same of 2.5''. really there are smaller and bigger kingpins but generally bigger on fat trucks, rare thing!

there is one notisable difference of EU fifth wheel setup. They put unlock handle on pass. side, in the USA on driver's side. Europeans think that roads are narrow in Europe and it is better for driver to drop trailer be on safe side of truck.

fifth wheel height, trailer height are the same. But Europeans generally use 45' trailers. 48' and longer are of limited use. The longest trucks in EU are in Sweeden 29 m and 60 t (133 000 lbs)

 

I've had several trailers that someone put the landing gear crank on the passenger side, that's very annoying. A trailer will be unhooked thousands of times (or more) in it's lifetime. It will probably never be dropped on the side of the road, so making the driver walk around the truck for the extremely rare occasion he may do it in traffic seems a bit drastic.

 

The difference between EU and US trailer kingpins is that in EU kingpings are bolted to upper plates so replacing one overthere is really simple task. Here they are welded to upper plates so the job got to be done in a shop and it takes much longer to do it.

 

I saw both setup on EU and US trailers so I'd say welded kingpins are on older trailers.

Ouh, it's easy to post a shot here...

 

I used to drive for a company that purposely ordered there trailers with reffer tanks and landing gear cranks on passenger side, to force lazy ### drivers to have to walk around the truck! Not a bad idea!

 

In Europe landing gear handle and fifth wheel handle are on pass side. UK trailers may have handles on any side.

 

It's an old thread but i had today to raise the plate under 5th wheel 15 cm or 6" in a freightliner so it can be even to EU trailer .