Sabretooth:
Sorry, I don’t quite understand, Why are you getting pressure when you connect the Suzzie? Yes there is always a little back pressure but if you pump the brake a couple of times prior to disconnect the pressure is released.
All the trailers I ever used had a handle at the base of the connectors in order to close the air lines. cutting off the air for disconnecting and reconnecting. Trailer braking systems have a one way valve system so the air is only coming from the unit air tank !! And once the handle is turned the air is closed off, so there should be no pressure building up or stored in the lines.
Plus allowing the air to flow while attempting to connect or disconnect is dangerous ?
Taps on airline suzies are banned by the UK Construction and Use Regulations. We don’t use palm couplings either. We use C couplings with non return valves and operating sleeves, either as an integral unit or assembled from the constituent components as shown.
Sabretooth:
Sorry, I don’t quite understand, Why are you getting pressure when you connect the Suzzie? Yes there is always a little back pressure but if you pump the brake a couple of times prior to disconnect the pressure is released.
All the trailers I ever used had a handle at the base of the connectors in order to close the air lines. cutting off the air for disconnecting and reconnecting. Trailer braking systems have a one way valve system so the air is only coming from the unit air tank !! And once the handle is turned the air is closed off, so there should be no pressure building up or stored in the lines.
Plus allowing the air to flow while attempting to connect or disconnect is dangerous ?
Taps on airline suzies are banned by the UK Construction and Use Regulations. We don’t use palm couplings either. We use C couplings with non return valves and operating sleeves, either as an integral unit or assembled from the constituent components as shown.
Sabretooth:
Sorry, I don’t quite understand, Why are you getting pressure when you connect the Suzzie? Yes there is always a little back pressure but if you pump the brake a couple of times prior to disconnect the pressure is released.
All the trailers I ever used had a handle at the base of the connectors in order to close the air lines. cutting off the air for disconnecting and reconnecting. Trailer braking systems have a one way valve system so the air is only coming from the unit air tank !! And once the handle is turned the air is closed off, so there should be no pressure building up or stored in the lines.
Plus allowing the air to flow while attempting to connect or disconnect is dangerous ?
Taps on airline suzies are banned by the UK Construction and Use Regulations. We don’t use palm couplings either. We use C couplings with non return valves and operating sleeves, either as an integral unit or assembled from the constituent components as shown.
Quite right Cav551.
Some of us remember the taps on air lines but as you say they were done away with decades ago.
When did SabreTooth last drive an artic? The same time as CarryFast?
Taps were banned long before I went out of the job.
Palm couplings are the solution they also contain the valve still no need for taps but no need to struggle like silly C couplings.
Ironically we had Palm couplings on all our vehicles for a while and were even more advantageous on drawbars no need to struggle at ground level and immune from road dirt and salt.Then they reverted to bleedin C couplings.
the maoster:
^^^^ I just quickly dunk them into the fuel tank. Cheaper ya see
But…
What if you’re like really low on diesel and there’s like a slight angle so the little fuel you have left has like all gone to one side of the tank like?
Carryfast:
Palm couplings are the solution they also contain the valve still no need for taps but no need to struggle like silly C couplings.
Ironically we had Palm couplings on all our vehicles for a while and were even more advantageous on drawbars no need to struggle at ground level and immune from road dirt and salt.Then they reverted to bleedin C couplings.
Badly maintained C couplings will seize up and be difficult to detach or fit on. True.
Badly maintained palm couplings will leak, and may detach too easily.
Properly fitted and maintained, both work, but the C coupling seems more of a fail-safe option to me.
the maoster:
^^^^ I just quickly dunk them into the fuel tank. Cheaper ya see
But…
What if you’re like really low on diesel and there’s like a slight angle so the little fuel you have left has like all gone to one side of the tank like?
Plenty of water, some WD 40 and a drop of engine oil and a rag.Especially for drawbar C couplings in the winter.
As opposed to some spit and back of a glove to wipe it for Palm couplings.
Sabretooth:
Sorry, I don’t quite understand, Why are you getting pressure when you connect the Suzzie? Yes there is always a little back pressure but if you pump the brake a couple of times prior to disconnect the pressure is released.
All the trailers I ever used had a handle at the base of the connectors in order to close the air lines. cutting off the air for disconnecting and reconnecting. Trailer braking systems have a one way valve system so the air is only coming from the unit air tank !! And once the handle is turned the air is closed off, so there should be no pressure building up or stored in the lines.
Plus allowing the air to flow while attempting to connect or disconnect is dangerous ?
As soon as you start a unit the air pressure on the unit builds up. If its too low to operate the handbrake or gearbox?? the unit wont move so inevatibly there will be some pressure on the airline at all times. The reason it doesnt drop is the airlines have valves on so they dont release the air untill the fittings counter part is connected. However as You pish the fittings together the valve is partialy opened hence back pressure that trys to push the fitting apart.
Carryfast:
Palm couplings are the solution they also contain the valve still no need for taps but no need to struggle like silly C couplings.
Ironically we had Palm couplings on all our vehicles for a while and were even more advantageous on drawbars no need to struggle at ground level and immune from road dirt and salt.Then they reverted to bleedin C couplings.
Badly maintained C couplings will seize up and be difficult to detach or fit on. True.
Badly maintained palm couplings will leak, and may detach too easily.
Properly fitted and maintained, both work, but the C coupling seems more of a fail-safe option to me.
At best with C couplings you have to manually force it into position against the air pressure.
Palm couplings just twist and the tapered tabs do all the work of pulling the coupling together.
Thanks guys I appreciate all the responses, just shows your never too old to learn !
Re Palm Couplings they have been around for donkey’s years, back in the day they were standard in Europe which meant if you did trailer swaps with anything from and in the continent you had to have a Palm coupling adapter. And the seals on a palm were always perished and unreliable.
Looking at the link for the C and Ca’s they don’t look too different than the old ones, I guess someone thought of a way to make a lot of money very quickly …
As to the question of when did I last drive an Artic ? In the UK and EU over 30 years ago as an Independent Owner Operator, but in those days you had a clutch and it needed to be doubled !!
Sabretooth:
Thanks guys I appreciate all the responses, just shows your never too old to learn !
Re Palm Couplings they have been around for donkey’s years, back in the day they were standard in Europe which meant if you did trailer swaps with anything from and in the continent you had to have a Palm coupling adapter. And the seals on a palm were always perished and unreliable.
Looking at the link for the C and Ca’s they don’t look too different than the old ones, I guess someone thought of a way to make a lot of money very quickly …
As to the question of when did I last drive an Artic ? In the UK and EU over 30 years ago as an Independent Owner Operator, but in those days you had a clutch and it needed to be doubled !!
But the advantages of palms v C couplings easily outweigh any downsides after taps were banned for the reasons shown by the OP.
Also think they are used the same now on the continent as ever.
the maoster:
A quick tip to get the red airline back onto a close coupled fridge with no Mavis rail is to simply push the shunt button on the trailer (assuming it hasn’t been disabled) , drive clear of the bay and any other trucks and put a hard right or left in until the unit is at 90 degrees to the trailer and hey presto it can be pushed on from the floor.
Disclaimer; be careful where you do this and be careful of who you do it around, lots of companies are really ■■■■ about moving on the shunt button and plenty of yards are full of women trapped in mens bodies who’d quickly go running to teacher if they saw it.
Some such examples will be along shortly………
Some won’t even let you split couple. I had a H&S jobsworth at a certain major contracting company in Slough tell me it was unsafe, despite it being the only way to get the suzies done up given the lack of space.
I understand the reluctance to allow split un/coupling given the potential for injury or worse. However to balance that I’d say that the only way to hurt yourself is by being stupid and not doing your job correctly in the first place.
Which then leads to the question is removing stupid from the gene pool really such a terrible thing?
Sabretooth:
Sorry, I don’t quite understand, Why are you getting pressure when you connect the Suzzie? Yes there is always a little back pressure but if you pump the brake a couple of times prior to disconnect the pressure is released.
All the trailers I ever used had a handle at the base of the connectors in order to close the air lines. cutting off the air for disconnecting and reconnecting. Trailer braking systems have a one way valve system so the air is only coming from the unit air tank !! And once the handle is turned the air is closed off, so there should be no pressure building up or stored in the lines.
Plus allowing the air to flow while attempting to connect or disconnect is dangerous ?
As soon as you start a unit the air pressure on the unit builds up. If its too low to operate the handbrake or gearbox?? the unit wont move so inevatibly there will be some pressure on the airline at all times. The reason it doesnt drop is the airlines have valves on so they dont release the air untill the fittings counter part is connected. However as You pish the fittings together the valve is partialy opened hence back pressure that trys to push the fitting apart.
I fully understand how an air brake system works and the purpose of one way valves. I did not know the tap had been abolished hence the question.
And rightly said, when you start the truck, the compressor will start to allow air through the system to the air tanks, causing pressure to build and kick back with the possible injury waiting in the wings !!!
Now as you have shown you also understand how the system works and the dangers involved !! What I fail to understand is why take the risk, if after positioning the unit if needed, why not turn the Vehicle off ? And pump the brake pedal to disperse the pressure in the line/s. by doing so there will be no back pressure and the task will be safe/r. But hey, that’s how an oldie would do it, and as has been said many times. times change, However SAFETY DOES NOT UNLESS IT IS MODIFIED TO MAKE IT BETTER.
Sabretooth:
Sorry, I don’t quite understand, Why are you getting pressure when you connect the Suzzie? Yes there is always a little back pressure but if you pump the brake a couple of times prior to disconnect the pressure is released.
All the trailers I ever used had a handle at the base of the connectors in order to close the air lines. cutting off the air for disconnecting and reconnecting. Trailer braking systems have a one way valve system so the air is only coming from the unit air tank !! And once the handle is turned the air is closed off, so there should be no pressure building up or stored in the lines.
Plus allowing the air to flow while attempting to connect or disconnect is dangerous ?
As soon as you start a unit the air pressure on the unit builds up. If its too low to operate the handbrake or gearbox?? the unit wont move so inevatibly there will be some pressure on the airline at all times. The reason it doesnt drop is the airlines have valves on so they dont release the air untill the fittings counter part is connected. However as You pish the fittings together the valve is partialy opened hence back pressure that trys to push the fitting apart.
I fully understand how an air brake system works and the purpose of one way valves. I did not know the tap had been abolished hence the question.
And rightly said, when you start the truck, the compressor will start to allow air through the system to the air tanks, causing pressure to build and kick back with the possible injury waiting in the wings !!!
Now as you have shown you also understand how the system works and the dangers involved !! What I fail to understand is why take the risk, if after positioning the unit if needed, why not turn the Vehicle off ? And pump the brake pedal to disperse the pressure in the line/s. by doing so there will be no back pressure and the task will be safe/r. But hey, that’s how an oldie would do it, and as has been said many times. times change, However SAFETY DOES NOT UNLESS IT IS MODIFIED TO MAKE IT BETTER.
beause i wasnt coupeling upto the trailer i was already coupled i had to remove the red airline whilst on bay due to site rules.Yes as i said in my origonal post i shouldof pressed the brake pedala few times and lesseoned the presure butdidnt think of that one whilst i wazs struggeling. the other option was to put te legs down and pullthe pin.
cooper1203:
. the other option was to put te legs down and pullthe pin.
Does that mean you normally split couple?
no mavis rail = split couple. I have had managers and shunters watching me and nothing has ever been said to me. However if there is a mavis rail i couple/uncouple as i was shown for my 3a
cooper1203:
. the other option was to put te legs down and pullthe pin.
Does that mean you normally split couple?
no mavis rail = split couple. I have had managers and shunters watching me and nothing has ever been said to me. However if there is a mavis rail i couple/uncouple as i was shown for my 3a
I’m just interested, because I’ve never used a fridge on an artic, so never struggled for space. Do you have the option of moving the fifth wheel back permanently to make it easier?
cooper1203:
. the other option was to put te legs down and pullthe pin.
Does that mean you normally split couple?
no mavis rail = split couple. I have had managers and shunters watching me and nothing has ever been said to me. However if there is a mavis rail i couple/uncouple as i was shown for my 3a
I’m just interested, because I’ve never used a fridge on an artic, so never struggled for space. Do you have the option of moving the fifth wheel back permanently to make it easier?
im an agency bod and drive the agency trucks that they have at various sites. Our trucks do have sliding 5th wheels however i have been told never to touch them as they are set correctly for the axel weights and apparently takes to people a morning to get them right if they have been moved.
cooper1203:
[
no mavis rail = split couple. I have had managers and shunters watching me and nothing has ever been said to me. However if there is a mavis rail i couple/uncouple as i was shown for my 3a
I’m just interested, because I’ve never used a fridge on an artic, so never struggled for space. Do you have the option of moving the fifth wheel back permanently to make it easier?
im an agency bod and drive the agency trucks that they have at various sites. Our trucks do have sliding 5th wheels however i have been told never to touch them as they are set correctly for the axel weights and apparently takes to people a morning to get them right if they have been moved.
They hadn’t the sense to mark the sliders at the preferred position? they are however quite right about correct position for weight distribution, especially important with small wheel mid lifts which are surprisngly easy to overload at full weight if the fifth wheel is too far back.
As for the suggestions about pumping the air out, you can visualise the glee with which jobsworth will come mincing over in his shiny hiviz plus clipboard, ‘‘you’re wasting fuel with all that running’’ …minces off to report the miscreant to school leaver depot manager.
Juddian:
As for the suggestions about pumping the air out, you can visualise the glee with which jobsworth will come mincing over in his shiny hiviz plus clipboard, ‘‘you’re wasting fuel with all that running’’ …minces off to report the miscreant to school leaver depot manager.
Pumping the air out and building it up again will probably also count as driving time during each trailer swap.
As opposed to some Palm couplings job done.
