Tug test failure

Your putting flat spot in the tires by dragging the trailer, you just have to tug on it at least twice

 

Instead of dragging I turn the handle in low gear quarter turn at a time, (can't make a full turn becase trailers are too close) then back under it the air bags will lift it a few inches so I can pull out the raise the legs all the way

 

doubt a three foot drag is putting a flat spot on a tire, 80% of the time it's just sliding on sand cardboard and pretty much everything else that's left in these drop yards (cept wood, i move wood, hate tires that leak down). and if a three foot drag put a flat spot on a tire then that means the quarter mile the yard jockeys be dragging these trailers must burn them down to the steel belts.

in the end, tugging and looking does nothing, if there's an issue with the fifthwheel that's internal then there's nothing you can do other then be ready to catch that load on your frame. it's already been stated that you can tug and it'll hold, and that you can look and the jaws will be shut, but make to turns and all of a sudden it's on your frame. heck i already know that so i do what makes me feel comfortable and somewhat conforms to the guidelines given to me.

 

i dont have an issue with the trailers been close to each other, i'm a small guy so i can usually get in there. but when the trailer i'm hooking to is 5',6', or 7' further back then the trailers next to it, i can't get behind my cab to hook up air lines or pig tail. and so much for air bags, i think i got the base model proStar, i have no way of dumping air so unless the other driver dropped his load "low" (which most never do) that means either i'ma need to crank the trailer down, or it's just going to sit on the fifthwheel and still have some weight on the landing gear.

i love drop n' hooks, but for me in this proStar it's not as simple as it was when i was in the Volvo.

 

i tug twice.one when back under.when hooking up lines checking jaws to see if around king pin with flaslight.two when pulling out.

 

Good thing they do not drive for Schneider. Drop the trailer to the ground and it is or was an automatic dismissal.
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Three checks you can do are:
.1 - Check that the trailer apron [that is the underside of the trailer at the kingpin area] is flush against the 5th wheel. Absolutely no air gap should be visible.
.2 - Insure the 5th wheel release handle is all the way into the 5th wheel.
.3 - Go under the trailer and visually inspect the connection. Insure that the jaws of the 5th wheel are completely around the shank of the kingpin.
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Just as an additional note, when you park the rig set the trailer brake and lightly -- I said lightly -- pull against the trailer and set your tractor brake. With tension on the kingpin, it is virtually impossible for someone to pull the 5th wheel release handle.

 

i drag about 6 inches.

 

I eyeball the 5th wheel once it's partially under the trailer apron to ensure there's good contact, back until I hear the jaws close, tug twice, get out and look at the jaws, then retract the gear, make my hookups and do my walkaround... Then I pull against the trailer brakes, release them and roll about 2-3 mph and stop the rig with the johnson bar... That makes 4 tugs and 2 visuals... That ought to satisfy any "Safety Sally" in existence!

 

It took them 3 days? It only takes about 15-20 minutes to change a fifth wheel. Thats insane.

 

My first rule of thumb. I watch the center between the drive tires and the nose of the trailer. If the nose goes any futher and I don't feel the truck squat to pick it up, I stop and get out. If its an empty trailer you have to be even more cautious because unlike a dryvan or reefer, a full aluminum flat that is empty you won't even feel at all. I always check even after being stopped for the night because there are some pin pullers out there that get their rocks off on doing so. One good way to help prevent it is to park, set the trailer brakes then tug on the trailer putting the fifth wheel in a bind and setting the tractor brake before taking it out of gear. This makes it almost impossible.

As for the OP, it does in fact to me sound like driver error. You must always ALWAYS check your height and then check underneath to make a visual on the kingpin and the plunger is popped out behind the jaw that locks it. I love the Holland simplex fifth wheels because of the red safety catch that drops behind the handle. May be a pain for uncoupling but worth it for the extra sense of security when the trailer is coupled correctly.