Sliding the fifth wheel tips and tricks. Truck is riding funny.

Your weights are near perfect for winter driving,60% on the drives and 40% on the trailer tandems.

Might check your air pressures in all the tires,drop it 5 or 10 lbs if you can to get a better ride.

 

Don't stop asking questions.

 

Sound advice

 

In addition to @gentleroger's advice, I often found that after lowering the trailer landing gear, dropping the tractor suspension by dumping the air bags helped.
Roll your window down and turn off all music/podcasts/etc and listen for the 5th wheel pins to slide out CLUNK. It may require gentle cycles of pulling slightly forward and then backward after you have flipped the switch for the 5th wheel slider. Also, make sure you and the trailer are going exactly straight when you set your brakes.

 

I never did that. Penetrating fluid/oil is so thin it may wash away the intended heavy grease from the mechanism. I found that between cranking the landing gear to the ground plus a few extra turns and dumping the tractor airbags the 5th wheel usually slid PRETTY easily. Almost every time I had a hard time I was parked on uneven ground (either tractor was pointed left or right of trailer nose, or tractor and trailer was twisted because of the differing slope of the ground for tractor and trailer. Imagine trailer leaning to the left and tractor leaning to the right). I have used my 3 foot wrecking bar to try and "persuade" the pins to retract. It's unlikely my trying to beat on the pins did anything good.

 

Years ago, we'd "stretch 'er out", and I believe getting weight off the steer made a better ride, but probably over on the drives, but that's what the CB radio was for. My long Pete 359, rode great but I bet I never had more than 10Gs on the steer. I wouldn't be messing with the 5th wheel placement on every load, and maybe the way it's loaded makes a ride difference too, even though axle weights are good. If it's a 53, you probably already have to single a couple pallets out, and that takes practice. Hate to say it, but as an old timer, I don't think you know what a "rough ride " is. Reefers are typically going to over on the drives, because of the reefer unit itself, and you have plenty of room on the trailer, I'd mess with that and leave the 5th wheel alone.You'll be fine.
Oh, one more thing( Columbo), Roger says, push the button,,got a chuckle out of that, we had to get right in there and get greasy pulling those pins manually. I drove a Mack R model, that you removed the pins and we didn't slide those very much. Ah, the good old days,,,

 

Way back in the days, I drove a COE with a Hendrickson suspension, that particular suspension drove best stretched out. Today with the truck I have, I only stretch it out when a have a 60’ load. Otherwise it sits in the middle or a few notches towards the front.

 

The old style that just had one big pin on either side could be a pain. The ones with two smaller pins tend to slide pretty easy, provided you don't go 500k in-between slides. Which most of us do.

The idea is to set your 5th wheel as far forward as possible so with full tanks you're just under max steer weight. That gives you better handling, a smoother ride, and makes it easier to scale out. In the "semi"-old days, no one was specing a steer axle over 12k. It wasn't needed for general freight. The trucks were lighter and the fuel tanks further forward. You'd run normally so with full tanks you'd be at 12k. On very heavy loads you'd run half tanks and slide forward to make weight on the drives. Annoying as heck to stop every 300 miles to add 30 gallons, but you do what you gotta do.

The only time I'd do something different is if I had to get flipped around in tight spots frequently. Then having a little more space between the fairings and the trailer can be useful. But I general I try and avoid going more than 45 truck to trailer and only go past 75 degrees if absolutely necessary- but if that's the case I'll be #####ing about my poor life choices the entire time.