Trlr missing piece of landing gear. Told me to drop it before fix

A lot of us actully. Throw down a 2x4 and drive onto it with one wheel and you can swap an outer wheel pretty easily. Also useful for leveling a trailer as some of those funky yards, beating something into shape without it being on concrete, as a wedge, as a spacer for load securment and a million and one other things lol.

Lot of drivers i know carry a few chunks of scrap 2x4 wood with them just for those kinds of things. Most home improvment places will happily sell you wood scraps for pennys on the dollar.

 

Most drivers have no idea how to drop the air bags.

 

I'd ask your terminal manager or the safety man first - in writing - that way it's their butt instead of yours if something happens.

 

Remember when they were two little wheels instead of the flat plate. Sink in an asphalt parking lot on a hot day.

 

Exactly, probably more than 3/4 of the drivers with a cdl have no idea.

 

Lol i remimber when i was brand new to driving. The eyes of my trainer bugged out when i dropped the airbags while unhooking and rehooking and entirely sidestepped his lesson on hooking up to a too low/high trailer.....turns out he didnt know about that either....even though he was training new drivers and supposidly had been driving for 20 years.

<insert face palm gif here>

 

Shoot, you were light years ahead! I think when you own your own equipment, it may force you to be a better driver.

 

Air suspension dump valves are a relatively new thing. Before the 2000’s 99% of air ride trucks did not come with them. They were optional spec. I’d argue that until the 2000’s 90% of company trucks were still spring ride. Air was always a costly o/o large car spec. Same with trailers. Don’t know when the leaving the shoes an inch or two high when dropping became a thing. We always put them on the ground. Less stress on the fifthwheel plate and pivot pins. Less stress on the clutch and driveline to overcome the lift and friction of moving a fixed object. Slide under nice and smooth with a gentle “click” on the pin. Not a “slam” you can hear for miles. Also was much gentler on the bolster plate. Look how just about every trailer in a drop and hook operation is arched up in the front and the bolster plate is domed shape and from that nonsense.

 

Less lightyears ahead as that im a 5th generation driver. You would be suprised what you pick up or can find out when you have 4 generations of family behind you and grew up around this equipment besides. Still someone who had been driving for 20 years should have known something so simple.

 

HA! That certainly dates you, my friend. Back then, trailers didn't have parking brakes, and if you didn't chock the tires, you'd be chasing your wagon all over the yard with the boss looking on.