Bit of a 2 part question here sorry guys and gals
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I try and keep the leads and airlines as tangle free as possible however the lat 2 shifts i was picking up/ dropping multiple trailers every single one had a different conection layout for want of a better phrase so no mater what i did the lines ended up in a tangled mass and i ended up plastered in grease trying to untangle them. (ruined two pairs of gloves in a weekend) am i missing a trick here?
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When i was shadowing in regards to the abs lead i was told if there were 2 different locations for it (one euopean and 1 uk??) to alwaays use the top one because if i tried to use the european one i would blow the electrics. This theory has pretty much always worked out for me if there are 2 connections use the top one. However, again last weekend i picked up a trailor and there were two abs connections but this time they were all in a row. However, luckily when i looked the plug would only fit in one of them so had to use that. will that always be the case■■? if not how do i tell which one to use.
Don’t worry about the ABS lead, you simply cannot connect it to the wrong plug, like your two electrical suzies it simply won’t fit into the wrong connector.
Tangled and greasy lines; if it’s your allocated unit you could purchase a kind of stocking (don’t know the correct name) which fits over the suzie and prevents it getting tangled. Even better if you can get your boss to pay for them! If you don’t have an allocated unit then I’m afraid there ain’t a great deal you can do save untangling them regularly. It does pay to see which is the longest (most stretched) line and make sure that that one is under the other lines and closer to the catwalk if that makes sense?
Look at the trailer you are about to pick up, has it got umpteen lbs of grease rammed up the front of the rubbing plate all the way along? yes? then its been picked up probably several times previously by bods that haven’t a clue about lorry driving and never will have.
If you’ve got your own allocated tractor and your own catwalk and suzies are clean and you want to keep them that way then the first thing you have to do is wipe all that grease off the front of the trailer rubbing plate.
Another handy tip is if the connection points on the trailer are mounted to one side, try and perform any tight turns that side, ie connectors on the ns of the trailer try and U turn anti clockwise whenever possible because less chance of stretched lines going under the front of the trailer…which is where the above gripe about grease up the front of the rubbing plate comes in.
Try not to perform tight turns if you can possibly help it, practice and perfect your blind sides, not only is this better for your air lines it cuts down massively on tyre and suspension qwear and, yes, its professional.
Couple of weeks ago i drove another truck and trailer for a few days, lines caked in grease and filth as was the catwalk, sure enough trailer (2 months old) had wobs of grease hanging off the front edge of the rubbing plate 
, i rest my case 
…no i didn’t clean it off because the outfit stayed together all week, but as anyone would guess had to clean the windows inside and out in order to see out before i could drive the bloody thing, another one who can’t drive either hence tyre ripping U turns so tight the trailer’s backing up and the lines go under the rubbing plate.
As others have said, we pro’s are at the mercy of the
Useless ■■■■■ that call themselves drivers
You can’t really do much about dirty/tangled lines when you have to share units / trailer with lazy gits.
Unless you know you will really need to screw the trailer round hard then don’t bother to untangle them too much.
I shudder in RDCs when the shunting God comes out from under a trailer with a loud bang of the 5th wheel coming up and trailer nose dropping
My Scania like Mercs and DAFs you can lower the suspension with out the hand set as there’s a button on the dash , only takes a few seconds but is far more professional
blue estate:
I shudder in RDCs when the shunting God comes out from under a trailer with a loud bang of the 5th wheel coming up and trailer nose dropping
My Scania like Mercs and DAFs you can lower the suspension with out the hand set as there’s a button on the dash , only takes a few seconds but is far more professional
do you happen to know what the button looks like on a merc please. save me scrambling for the remote
cooper1203:
blue estate:
I shudder in RDCs when the shunting God comes out from under a trailer with a loud bang of the 5th wheel coming up and trailer nose dropping
My Scania like Mercs and DAFs you can lower the suspension with out the hand set as there’s a button on the dash , only takes a few seconds but is far more professional
do you happen to know what the button looks like on a merc please. save me scrambling for the remote
It’s on your steering wheel controls.
Pogo sticks save all that grief. The base is spring mounted.
gptruckproducts.com.au/product/ … tec-clamp/
Sidevalve:
cooper1203:
blue estate:
I shudder in RDCs when the shunting God comes out from under a trailer with a loud bang of the 5th wheel coming up and trailer nose dropping
My Scania like Mercs and DAFs you can lower the suspension with out the hand set as there’s a button on the dash , only takes a few seconds but is far more professional
do you happen to know what the button looks like on a merc please. save me scrambling for the remote
It’s on your steering wheel controls.
I really don’t think it is.
Unless you mean left hand side controlling the sat nav screen in switches■■?
stu675:
Sidevalve:
cooper1203:
blue estate:
I shudder in RDCs when the shunting God comes out from under a trailer with a loud bang of the 5th wheel coming up and trailer nose dropping
My Scania like Mercs and DAFs you can lower the suspension with out the hand set as there’s a button on the dash , only takes a few seconds but is far more professional
do you happen to know what the button looks like on a merc please. save me scrambling for the remote
It’s on your steering wheel controls.
I really don’t think it is.
Unless you mean left hand side controlling the sat nav screen in switches■■?
Mine ain’t that modern; 2018 Actros. Doesn’t have a built in satnav.
If yours is same as mine, watch this; all will be explained.
youtube.com/watch?v=G0KWuCT … nsInAction
As an alternative; RTFM.
If there ain’t one in the truck, ask the boss for one. You won’t lose any face for wanting to know how to use the vehicle properly. Far better than guessing and screwing something up. Every day is a school day in this job.
I thought the French ones were the same as ours. 