Hi guys,been offered a job on a wagon and drag,ive never even sat in a rigid never mind drive one…the obviouse comes to mind “they bend further back” but what else…rear swing etc etc any experts out there■■?
shyfx003, if you have a licence for artics then you will be able to drive a
wagon and drag,although i would say you will require time to be able this
type of vehicle as the turning circle is different to a artic, also reversing.a
3-axled trailer is easyer than a 2 axle trailer to reverse but with practise
you will become profeicent, i personally think that to be a good driver it
takes time when i did drive one by a employer here in germany i was still learning and improveing even after 6months but when you have been driveing a wagon&drag you will not wish to drive a artic as the ride and
comfort much better by far, when you do it just take it easy and no rush
why-BECAUSE ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN ONE DAY;;
What type of Wag & drag is it ?. If it’s an A frame trailer then they are very different to reverse, I have driven them forward for many miles, but I try not to reverse them as I’m zb at it, despite practise.
But I’ve never had a problem with reversing the rigid drags.
Relly depends what sort of wag & drag, “A” frame trailer or drawbar, they are very different.
As you say a regular wag & drag just bends further back, but the turning circle is much bigger than an artic and often you will need more space to manouvre, but in theory as the trailer is shorter you can actually reverse in a tighter space with lots of forward and reverse stuff.
The “A” frame trailer is completely different, that combination bends in 2 places and can be a nightmare trying to reverse, getting it “S” shaped where the wagon tries to go down the side of the trailer can be hilarious!!!
Whatever combination it is give it a go, its all good experience, but try and spend some time on open ground with a few cones to reverse between first.
Thanks for the input guys,im sure he said its a draw bar i will know on friday when i go and meet the guy,it would be good to get experience on something else,i had plenty of practice on the A frames when i was in farming and boy did some of them have a mind of there own…i will keep you posted 
I thought ‘A’ frames were uncommon in this country?
In the Norwich area I can think of several different companies that use them.
Anglian Windows has a very large fleet on Demountables & a company that does stands at shows etc uses several, there is also a company that uses at least one on farm animal movement & thats without thinkling about it…
They have several advantages, being free standing they can be loaded & unloaded as a stand alone unit. they are very easy & quick to couple & uncouple, they track brilliantly, if the towing units fits through so will the trailer, plus they take very little steering from the towing unit to steer the trailer in reverse & this can be done using the front or back of the towing vehicle.
I got talking to a guy when I was weekended in Aosta and to pass the time we swapped trucks. We agreed to each do simple manouveres in each others motors.
He handled mine like he drove an artic all the time but I could not reverse his wagon & drag in a straight line to save my life!!
I am a coward when it comes to handling a wagon & drag and it takes a certain kind of driver to handle one.
All I can suggest is to get a lot of practice in before you attempt to drive one.
Good luck!!
Thanks for the advice smudger!! I used to buy ■■■■ from a tobacco shop in courmayeur,managed to get some great photo’s from both sides of the blan,if anyones interested i will try and put them up.Amazing what a £4.99 camera can do!!
■■■■ keyboard!! 
for those who spotted the typo blanc not blan
A Frame drags = work of the devil! 
That weekend happened to be when a balloon race was taking place. There must have been 40-50 balloons from all over the world. Each balloon had it’s own countries flag and to see them coming over Mont Blanc was quite awe inspiring.
a few years ago i did some work on those that stobbies have and they were easy just the same as a normal artic. 
if its an a-frame give the job a miss.
I am assured by the guy’s who drive A frame trailers properly that all us normal class 1 drivers do is over steer them & having got it right once or twice I think they may be right.
To try and get it right I drove it forward so that the whole thing was dead straight. When I tried to reverse I kept the steering wheel where it was thinking It would be ok but it didn’t quite work out that way. It does look easy when you see it being done but I don’t think it’s for me. 
Thanks daxi,i will know for sure in the morning what trailer its got with it,im quite looking forward to getting back out on the road…on monday…
We had KM Bedfords with A frame drawbars at United Carriers, the trick to reversing them is very small movements of the wheel, the trailer axle mimics the steering axle on the truck. they were easier to reverse in the dark using just the corner marker light, when you lost sight of one steer gently so you can see it again.
It was quite difficult to reverse the trailer under 2 demountables as you had no reference points to watch
I saw 2 Tuffnells big green parcel machines pass me this morning with A frames.