That 5th Wheel

When I was in training, on my 3rd day, me and my trainer were doing a drop and hook. I uncoupled the first trailer and pulled under the hook trailer. He stayed in the passenger seat as I pulled under it. Usually he would get out if I was backing as a guide. It was raining that day so he stayed in the truck. I got the 2 rear drives under the trailer and stopped. He said to go, the gap between the tires and the trailer bottom looked good. So I backed under. Felt a good pop and gave it a tug. Seemed good. I got out to raise the landing gear and hook up the elec and air. The kingpin was sitting on TOP of the 5th wheel. The pop I felt was the kingpin popping out of the groove in the 5th wheel. The trailer was heavy, so it didn't move when I gave it a little tug. It was about 4" from dropping off the backside of the fifth wheel. I lowered the airbags, pulled out and had to lower the trailer a several inches so it would be the right height. Disaster averited....
but now, I ALWAYS get out and make sure the trailer and truck are at the right height before I back under. I ALWAYS get out and bring the flashlight and make sure the jaws are fully closed around the kingpin after I back under. I ALWAYS do a tug test....And I visually check the release arm every time I get into the truck. Habit now. I figure I'm a rookie and may piss off some ol hand driving and not even realize it. lol so at a fuel stop, a rest area, a reciever or shipper, Walmart or wherever.... I always check.....

 

Usually it's when it's snowy, rainy, cold, etc that Ol' Murphy seems to visit the coupling process.

 

This is typically what happens to the drivers that are taught to crank the landing gear all the way down till they hear airbags relax. This is one one the worst things schools like teaching incorrectly.

New Drivers leave your landing gear feet about an inch off the ground, dump your suspension if you can and pull out slowly. When you back under a trailer the tractor should pick up the weight as the 5th wheel plate goes under. Pick up the weigh, and stop before it locks in. Get out hook up the airline so you now have brake control (from the days before there spring brakes required on trailer, they used to roll sometime.) Walk the trailer before you actually hook up, then back in and pick up the gear. Last thing is crawly under and check the lock in, make sure its hooked correctly not high hooked.

Hooking and dropping should be a routine that you do not allowed anyone to bother you while you are doing this, it will save you somewhere.

 

this is exactly how they taught us in the school I went to. My trainer taught me differently. I kinda have a hybrid of the two

 

Teaching trainees to dolly down till they hear air come out the airbags, is going to get some one hurt.

 

Murph likes to play with other things in cold wet weather as well. Little things, such as your windshield wiper flying off the arm and landing on the other side of the median divider.

And I have yet to see anybody have to chain up on the interstate in bright sunny weather! (Off road in the mud, yes, on pavement, no.)

 

Years back I hauled short wood from a wood-yard to a three different paper-mills at times, and I would hook and unhook about 3 to 4 times daily, and sometimes on Saturday. And that will wear a filth wheel out. One weekday afternoon late I was picking up a load for the next morning to pull to my house, fifth wheel would not lock.

I messed with it for about an hour, gave up and called boss, told him we needed it repaired, and or a new one. He told me to leave it at the shop we used, he would call him to get a new one, and the shop would call to let me know when it was ready. Next morning at 6:30 AM they called and told me it was ready to go.

I was just happy that it messed up on the yard and not on the road. And during that time fortunately I never dropped a trailer with all that hooking and unhooking.

Once out at Phoenix at an old truck stop, I believe it was a Midwestern Truck, they had lots of trucks leased to drivers who would lose completely out. He was pulling out and there was a bit of a dip I believe, when he went over it, he was going rather slow, his trailer came unhooked, it hit on his drive wheels and stopped the truck. I had just got back into my truck fixing to pull out when this happened

When this happened he got out looking at things, and an old truck driver walked up who was walking back to his truck. I had my window rolled down and could hear them. The Midwestern driver was asking, "What do I do now?" The old truck driver asked him, "You mean you don't know what to do." He replied, "No! This is my first trip, I'm scared to call them, they might take my leased truck away from me."

The old truck driver told him, if you will roll your landing gears down and get your trailer to raise up a bit, them you can pull your truck up just a bit, get straight, them back under it, but first I would suggest if you've got much of a load to to find you some large blocks to put under the landing gears being as this is asphalt."

I have no idea how it turned out I had to get on the road going to Yuma to get a load of cantaloupes. Yet I think about him setting there and the trailer setting on his drive wheels and it being over 100 degrees in the shade.