This is my set up.
My dad used to work nights in a Tufnells warehouse, and one night a driver came in and spent a very long time trying to get onto the bay with an A frame. It became a spectacle and a crowd gathered to watch 
. According to my dad there were loud cheers and claps when he finally got it on. Poor sod, lol.
I drove this one for about a year or so. It was an absolute nightmare to begin with
after driving arctics for years, but became quite competent in time.
th2013:
Steevo:
Clunk:
Saw a foreigner pull up with one of these once. The 2nd and third axle were quite spread on it. When he went to reverse, the front axle of the trailer lifted and the drawbar locked.. ■■? So how did it turn?
I THINK that on some of the A frames there was a switch in the cab to lock the A effectively turning it into a wag and drag for reversing. I wasn’t a driver when I thought I saw this in action so could have got this wrong.
But I can’t fathom the front axle on trailer lifting, as the effect on weight distribution would be most interesting!
Yeah, the A frame locked and somehow the axle on the a-frame, lifted off the ground. the only way I can think of was some kind of ram pushing down on the aframe using it to lift the axle clear. With the spread on the 2nd and 3rd axles, some air could of been dropped from axle three to help.
It’s one of those things you see then have to take a double take on. I wasn’t in a position to hang about and ask questions, believe me, if I was I would of.
newmercman:
As someone mentioned earlier it is like riding a bike, you never forget.Last year I had to take a super b out and with two pivot points the fundamentals are exactly the same as an A frame.
I could back it up in a straight line or make it go around a corner, I even blindsided it into a hole at a truckstop (with a few shunts) which wasn’t that easy with a normal (53ft) trailer.0
Is the nicest setup I have seen a pic of 
ROG:
I reversed one ONCE
A bit of useful info was - pretend you are reversing a rigid
the best info for reversing an A frame is
rigid/rigid/little more rigid/bit more/ b*llocks/ artic/artic/artic
ive got my tshirt on them 
Wheel Nut:
Tobyjug:
Many moons ago when these vehicles required a trailer mate the driver always unhitched, turned the towing vehicle around to face the trailer, re-coupled and then pushed the trailer facing it. Piece of cake.Yes. we were supposed to do that at UCL, but it was more fun to persevere. I did 6 months in the depot as a night shunter. I had a head start when I went down the road.
I would love to try one again now though.
Tried that once with a long Daf prime mover and 12 pallet curtainsided trailer with the axles at each end. Arrived at a Superdrug DC and allocated a bay between two occupied bays. Struggled to reverse in the tight yard and remembered someone saying they were easier to push. So with about ten artic drivers watching I duly dropped the trailer, turned the prime mover around and hitched up again. Connected the air line and got back in the cab, feeling pretty confident. Problem - now all I could see was the front of the trailer and naff all else! Had to lean out of the cab window to see where I was going. Thought I was going to get a lot of stick from other drivers but one said ‘well done mate, I think that’s what I would have done. Drove one once - never again thanks!’
All the continental rigs about at the time had short prime movers and long trailers (similar to some car transporters now) and they were a lot easier to reverse as very little manoeuvring of the ‘unit’ was required.
Have driven close coupled since with centre axles - a lot easier I assure you! 
Would love to drive close coupled again now if anyone knows of a job going in south east (S London/ Kent/ Surrey/Sussex)
Hey can anyone help me with this choice? I’m currently an artic driver but I’ve been thinking about drawbar driving? Which is better?
GaryBrown:
Hey can anyone help me with this choice? I’m currently an artic driver but I’ve been thinking about drawbar driving? Which is better?
What kind of a question is that? 
Harry Monk:
GaryBrown:
Hey can anyone help me with this choice? I’m currently an artic driver but I’ve been thinking about drawbar driving? Which is better?What kind of a question is that?
I think somebody is testing the water. 
Well to answer the question artic driving by far.
GaryBrown:
Hey can anyone help me with this choice? I’m currently an artic driver but I’ve been thinking about drawbar driving? Which is better?
Which is better for what?? What type of draw bar? Fixed caravan type? A-Frame? Going forwards or going backwards?
It takes a long time to learn, and boy did i learn the hard way…my first go of one was driving up to felixtowe to catch a ferry to holland ( was off to the middle east ) driving to felixtowe was a piece of cake…but when they called for me to reverse on the ferry i nearly died…after many shunts…a ferry worker asked if he can do it for me…i said to him…I didnt think you would ask but i felt like a naughty little boy as he did it…but you do learn very fast…and was just getting used to it…when i was put onto artics ojn my return…ha ha
muckles:
Harry Monk:
GaryBrown:
Hey can anyone help me with this choice? I’m currently an artic driver but I’ve been thinking about drawbar driving? Which is better?What kind of a question is that?
I think somebody is testing the water.
First there’s Joe resurrecting old threads, and now this joker.
GaryBrown:
Hey can anyone help me with this choice? I’m currently an artic driver but I’ve been thinking about drawbar driving? Which is better?
If you really are then you would already know the answer !!
I had an assessment in one yesterday funny enough.
First wagon i’ve driven in 3 and a half years and first time for me in an A frame.
Just waiting to hear now.
If■■? I get it, reversing is going to be a learning curve :0
Postby sharky the shredder » Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:30 am
A Frames…Love `em…NOT 
1st Job after leaving the RAF was pulling an MG Rover version of one of these with a 7 1/2 ton Iveco 
Lovely going forwards, but the DEVILS SPAWN to reverse 
Image
( link sorted ) jd.
it would go backwards better with wheels if im not wrong, less friction
ROG:
I reversed one ONCE
A bit of useful info was - pretend you are reversing a rigid
Rog not being funny but if you only reversed one once I doubt you would know much about it and having driven and reversed them for a 5 year period I cannot for the life of me understand how pretending you are driving a rigid would help■■? Reversing a rigid is just the same theory as a car. Reversing an A frame is nothing like that and takes far more skill and understanding.
They can be reversed but as some have said it takes a lot of practice and to be honest I have seen a few who never seem to master going backwards. Bit like some artic drivers I suppose!
Had these, on the first farm I ever worked on, for straw cart, old Nuffield tractor, and an Aframe flat trailer, easy to drive round a field, and back to the farm, then it’s “back it into the barn” ended up, pushing it in with the tractor, so much easier, never ever reversed one after that, just pull the pin, turn tractor round and rehitch then push it in… Job done.