When loading/unloading should trailer air bags be dumped?

I have never pulled a trailer that auto dumped though I have seen them. I have always owned spread axle trailers be it van refeer or flatbed. My van and refeer I never dumped the bags even though I was setup to but on my flatbeds I always dump the bags. there is a big difference though in a few thousand lbs driving off the back verse 30k lbs coming off in a matter of a few seconds. I have seen so many company flatbed trucks blow their bags or side stack a axle on the bags because they didn't use their dump vavles or didn't have them....

 

i could see 30k pounds in one shot. but all other frieght generally don't have a reason to. generally.

 

I can't see how it could. It's just rubber. You load and unload a wagon millions of times. Air bags wear out, you change them.

 

Not on my van trailer, or any other van or reefer I've seen lately. When you exhaust the trailer air, the bags deflate.

 

I dump the trailer air every time I unload. But then I pull a tanker and to unload I need the back of the trailer lower to let the product flow to the discharge valve

 

+1 All my company vans dump the bags when the parking brake is set.

 

I was at a dock recently where they had a sign telling drivers to deflate trailer airbags. It makes the trailer less bouncy for the fork lift driver.

 

'bouncy' is only a problem for the reckless speedsters on fork lifts.

 

The only times I have to dump the bags is when the dock is at too high of an angle. The freight I haul is on rolling containers most of the time and it's driver load/unload at every stop, so if you don't dump the bags, the freight will chase you out of the trailer when you un-do the strap.

 

And if it's real high I'll leave my axles forward and dump the tractor air. That'll cantilever the back of the trailer up another couple inches.