So I helped out a Swifty...

i understand what you're saying, but not all trailers have the same type of pin release.. Knight trailers have that type, where you pull the handle and it releases a bar from behind the pin allowing the pin to retract it's self once there is no longer any tension on it from the slide rails. some times i can't get the release handle to stay in the locked position so i use vise grips. but alot of guys/girls i see having trouble unlocking their tandems usually have the system where you pull the handle to retract the pins, and in that situation if the pins are stuck you can't pull the handle at all (they're attached) and if you can't pull the handle you have no use for vise grips at that moment..

and like hammer said, unless the person is a complete idiot i dont see how you can get run over. the NORMAL rocking procedure is in reverse, ease off clutch to attempt to remove tension from pins, if no luck step on clutch and allow spring motion of trailer to push truck forward and repeat. if the trailer rolls backwards i'm in front so i just let go and turn around and look back at the truck with my "Really" face. but then again, Skit happens so anything is possible, just always be ready i guess. the husband and wife i can understand.. the trainer and trainee i dont. i could imagine my wife running me over by accident because i became complacent in her presence. but a trainee, i'd be nervous around them at all times. i'd second guess everything.

 

duck walking infront of the tandems while doing a foward shake?really? i tell, humans never seem to amaze me.. better yet, mammals never seem to amaze me (my wife's cat does some seriously crazy stuff at times).

 

On the type of trailer with the handle that pulls straight out and then seats in a notch to "lock" it out (98% of Swift trailers) you can still use the ViseGrips. Even if you can only pull the handle ½ inch, you can still put tension on the mechanism.

Pull the handle out as far as you possibly can and clamp the ViseGrip to the pull bar to hold it. Look to see which side the pins are resting against. If they are against the front of the hole, nudge the tractor forward to center the pins. Go back and pull the handle as far as it will go and move the ViseGrip up the bar. Repeat this until the pins are pulled.

The other type of pin release mechanism is a flat bar that you raise and seat sideways into a notch in the frame. These are almost exclusively on MS Carrier and older "T" trailers. Use a bungee cord as tight as possible putting tension on the bar in an upward direction. Then go "shake" the trailer.

A four pound hammer can help in both of these situations if the pins just won't go that last ¼ inch to free the slide rail.

I'm hearing we might have a few air actuated pin release trailers. Only on new trailers. On these, the trailer air supply knob must be pulled out or you will never get those pins free. After your trailer brake is set, where the tandem handle should be, you will see either a little box or an aluminum knob that might have a rubber protector over it. If it's a little box, the knob will be inside the box. You will be able to pull the knob out with your hand. If you can't, go back to your tractor and pull the RED knob. If the pins won't release, all you have to do is nudge the trailer backward and then forward. No violent shaking or four pound hammer required.

I have pulled POS Swift trailers for three of the five years I've been out here and never had anyone hold the handle out while I jerk the tractor back and forth.

 

As an alternative I have used a ratchet strap to put some serious pulling power on the handle compared to one's arm/shoulder strength. Same concept as the vice grips trick, just allows more leverage to begin with for those most stubborn tandem slides.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoSzNYtXkfo&list=UUBYGB7ww88lnDP9Fkv0m2GA&index=12&feature=plcp[/ame]

 

Yep ... look at the pins, if the handle can't be pulled out it's because the rail is locked against the pin, either front or back. Nudge the trailer in the direction needed to center the pin. Check all 4 pins, if the box is skewed, the pins on one side or the other will still lock against the rail - that's when you use the hammer. Knock that pin in and go and pull the handle all the way out.

Also on the trailers where the pins are spring loaded, I've come across trailers where the rod to the spring broke. You can knock the pin in with a hammer, but the spring will push it back out on the next hole ... knock the pin in,then while the spring is compressed, lock the sping in place with vice grips.

 

I know the old hands know this, but this is for the new drivers who need an idea.

When I was pulling Swift's 3 axle reefers, those pins always got stuck. My trick was to pull straight forward at 2-3 mph and pull the trailer brake (jonson bar in my case). Truck and trailer need to be in a straight line!! That slight rocking almost always centered the pins. After that it was hammer and vicegrips for stubborn ones. Never needed a hand to do it, but showed the trick to many new drivers.

 

An oldtimer showed me this trick years ago and it works nearly everytime. Disconnect the blue line from the trailer and do some slow wide figure 8s. This should center the pins so that the handle pulls easily. Just remember to reconnect that service brake line before hitting the road.

 

The bungee cords work most of the time but the problem is that the pins get notches worn in them and that is usually why they wont release. If the bungee cord trick dont work then get another trailer and tell them that that one needs repair. Dont hurt your back trying to make junk work. These companies dont care about us. We are easily replaceable by the new cheap beginners. You twist wrong or hit and the hummer back lashes and you could easily be out with back injuries. You have final sayso as to if the equipment is in working order. After almost 30 yrs of fighting this stuff I said no more to trying to work with junk.