Slamming the tandem stop when sliding trailer

I did a drop and hook. My 2nd or 3rd since no longer haveing a codriver. I was all about those miles.
Fifth wheel locked in place. All lights good. Box is clean. Breaks not locked up.
But neither where the pins. First red light I watched my life dissapear and reappear in seconds.
I pulled over to annalize the situation. Took me a couple of months to actually figure it out.

 

Just because your landing gear touches the ground before you pull away doesn't necessarily mean it's too high man lol. It's all the over-crank of the landing gear that makes too high. Those drivers you speak of just kept cranking and cranking after the initial hissing. You can look at a trailer and tell which ones did that nonsense.

 

Life’s experiences.

since I pull power only now I always


Check the height of trailer before sliding under it
Check the pins on the tandem to make sure their locked before moving.
Always tug test before setting off.
release brakes on trailer to make sure no air leaks.

One thing I don’t understand about wheel holders. If the truck brakes down dont they lose money?

I mean why won’t they take care of the truck that makes their pay checks? Why set yourself up for down time?

 

If the load weighs less than 35k and the landing gear is touching the ground, odds are the next driver will have to lower it.

 

I hate my tractor when backing under a trailer. I call this truck "Galloping Gurdy". It's an automatic. Has creep mode that doesn't "creep" I'm constantly riding the brake when hooking up to a trailer or backing into the dock. I used to work feathering the clutch on my 10 speed. Could back in just perfect. No slams, whacks, thunks or anything. It took me a month to get used to this auto transmission to the point I wasn't slamming anything. It's so bad at some points, when I'm in reverse with foot on the brake, I take my foot off and that thing literally LURCHES into motion. Most annoying. I know, if I'm having that problem, others are too...lol

 

Simple fix for airsprings deflated on trailers making them to high for hook up.
Install airlines to glad hands and air up trailer tandems and then re-set trailer brakes before backing in.

This is how it was done before spring brakes anyhow.

 

I just had a crazy thought. Why not get out and adjust the height for your truck, be it up, or down.
Trucks are not all the same height either, drivers typically have arms. Arms can crank gear, either way.

 

If he was taught right then of course he doesn't. You're supposed to drop the trailer airbags, then crank the landing gear down until the sand shoes are about an inch off the ground, and then drop the tractor airbags.

 

When the gear sinks in a foot in the mud

 

Oh yeah? Who here is old enough to remember when trailers didn't have parking brakes and those little wheels on the dolly's, I saw more than one driver "chase their trailer" around the parking lot,,,