Hi I wondered if anyone can give me any information regarding wag and drags with demountable boxes,as I’m going to apply for a job at Argos,Faverdale,Darlington.Are wagon and drags just as easy to hook up and drive (reverse) as a normal artic,and how much of a pain are these 7.5 tonne demount boxes to put on and take off,bearing in mind that you have to demount two ,then pick two up,and hook up as well.How long would that all take? Some drivers in my current job are trying to put me off,by saying what a pain they are and how much hard work it is.An average day you see would be two Darlington to Carlisle’s and back,as well as dropping and picking up two boxes each time.Thanks for any info from anyone who has done this job.All the best.
They turn in much quicker than an artic when reversing, much like a single axle trailer with a normal sized 4 wheel unit.
They’re easy enough to hook up and put your boxes on. Takes me about 15 mins if I havn’t been near one for a bit (with the assistance of the shunter), but can be a right cow to line the twistlocks on the drag up with the holes on the back box. The boxes are generally sat in a row and you back under them. Otherwise, it means a bit of judicious shunting around as I find it to be a swine of a job to get the drag under a box when you can’t actually see it (the drag) because the box on the front’s obscuring it.
It’s just what your used to, one of the chaps who does our stepframe trailers took one look at my old one and went :“Ooohoo, it’s big that, I wouldn’t want to drive that.” It’s actually smaller than an artic with step trailer attached. Having said that, I managed to get one stuck in a yard the week before last, as I havn’t driven one for about six months and suddenly got "can you do us a Bodmin/Oakhampton as we’re in the [zb]. That’ll teach 'em 
. Funnily enough, I havn’t seen one since .
Hi glenn
i have worked at faverdale for about 12 weeks now and i can say that the boxes are a pain in the arse to change over.
also reversing those trucks can be a bit tricky at some of the sites (very small yards and tight turns).
but this aside it is a good job.
Mick
I spent a few years on Demount Wagon & Drags and found them pretty much easy as long as you had everything lined up.
Reverse under both boxes and pick up the drag box first, its not essential to be exactly lined up with the twistlocks as the pin is guided into the hole give or take 2 or 3 inches either side, once the back box is on pull forward if necessary and pick up front box on wagon, if the shunters good though, you’ll have them in perfect line and at the right distance between the wagon and drag.
To swap over the drag onto the wagon simply drop the box on the drag and front unit and pull the trailer through to the front box, then drop trailer and pick up the box for the front solo, if you’ve worked your drops out properly you will leave the trailer there and start doing your next drop without the trailer, but then again, its easy enough to hitch up the trailer which only takes around 6 or 7 minutes including the check of lights etc.
Some say drawbars are harder than Artics personally I would class then about the same for manouvering but admittedly you can put drawbars in places where artics would struggle.
After a week or so you’ll be a dab hand at changing boxes so its nothing to worry about 
Hi Glen,
I am sat here on the computer at this unearthly hour as I was up at 0600 to be at Argos for an assessment drive. It was cancelled at 0630 as they have no vehicles to do the assessment in. Although I am with an agency it seems that if all the vehicles are out do they really need any drivers. I have heard that the boxes can be a pain. Are you still at Safeway/morrison? I have heard that there is a meeting tomorrow to discuss a better shift pattern.
Regards
Westie
yeah i guess boxes are a pain compared to picking up an artic trailer but they’re much easier than hand balling all the gear off.
they’re a doddle with the rigids, i’ve not used a drag but seeing the other guys do it at work it’s just a question of going under it straight and thats it. Under our boxes there is a pyramid section in the floor in each corner, then a roller on the chassis, this guides the box into position when you lift it so you basically get like 5" in either direction to play with.
I did them for a while a few years ago. Put it this way, after a few dodgy starts, and a few more occassions where I gave up and nosed the drag box under with the front of the unit (they usually have a shunt pin on), even I sussed it and could do it. And I can’t back to save my life. 
Spent about 7 months doing argos demounts a couple of years ago, not really that hard once you get the hang of them - and there are shortcuts that save time and effort - but you need to get the hang of it first!!! Can be a pain in the dark on a wet night as the visibility is not great when boxing up. I have also dropped one on it’s knees at a depot in Enfield, very easy to do and I was not the first, and very much doubt if I was the last
Only thing I found was that it gave me a bad hip for a few weeks, doing 2 runs a day with box swaps at each end meant jumping in and out of the cab 96 times 
if you were doing it by the book - this could be reduced if you knew the shortcuts. Basically it is in and out 11-12 times per box demount or mount. We used to be able to do a complete change in about 7 minutes if you were in a hurry.
Lucy:
I gave up and nosed the drag box under with the front of the unit (they usually have a shunt pin on), :
Oooooh Noooooo!! Amateur Alert!!!
Don’t tell 'em that. So much easier to learn to reverse a drag. Nosing the thing leaves you blind as to where you’re going, reversing you can see down both sides with your mirrors.
Davey’s right. If you are swopping boxes from drag to wagon and vice versa, the easiest way is lift both up, pull gently forwards and drop the front box on the drag. Then continue clear, drop the drag, and return for the other box, finally coupling up and away.
If you’re picking up 2 dropped in line and it doesn’t matter which is which, back the drag under the first one and pick that up, moving it out of the way before going back for the other on the wagon.
If it does matter, you just have to get good at reversing under the whole lot as Lib says!
Salut, David.
Glenn,
I used to work for Exel / Argos Direct at Marsh Leys, Bedford.
Yes the boxing and de-boxing is a a pain in the arse.
Yes the outbases you are trunking to are often little more than a field with big craters and no lighting.
I very much doubt I’d go back there.
Having said that, this type of work does appeal to some people, and some of the agency guys from Optimum Recruitment were toplining £1K / week. However this was before the WTD.
If you are interested and would really like to know more about the typical hours worked, quality of management, state of vehicles, health and safety considerations and other more sensitive stuff, please PM me and I’ll tell you.
Back in the early nineties, I used to do demounts for a mate of mine up to Magnets the other side of Bradford (was it Keighley?). It was a night trunk from Edmonton down on the North Circular. Edmonton to Keighley, drop and change two boxes and then back to Edmonton and it was some going every night, I’ll tell you and of course. it was always pitch black when we got there.
As I recall, we used to go in, raise the 2 boxes and pull out from under them. Then came all the short cuts as the boxes had to go on in the right order.
Drop the trailer, pick up the trailer box on the wagon, pick up the trailer, straighten whole outfit up, then drop the box and pull the drag thro under the box. Then drop trailer again and pick the other box up. With two of us doing this, we would have both lots of boxes in 30 minutes. Button it all up and orf we jolly well went.
The big difference is we were using A-frame drags which you don’t see many of in this country now.
Oooooh Noooooo!! Amateur Alert!!!
100%, caught red-handed guilty!!!
I did crack it end the end though, so there’s hope for anyone…
Saying about front couplings…
…our Scania doesnt have one (that i can find anyway)
the Man has one behind the numberplate, but thats about 4ft up in the air! (only for recovery i guess)
and the Actros doesn’t seem to have one BUT… it does have a flap in the front bumper with some kind of air coupling under it, then in the cab we had this adaptor thing which obviously goes into here and splits to a red and yellow line, but doesnt have normal push fit connectors. What’s that all about?
ok little bit off topic!
lucy wrote And I can’t back to save my life.
99.9%of woman can’t back cars so some hope of getting trailers/demounts in the right place 
only joking, they(demounts) are a pain.
Thanks for the replies guys.Westie,are you ok mate? Yeah,I’m still on for Safeway/Morrisons at Stockton and you’re right,we are going through shift change rosta negotiations.It will be better for the newer drivers then with more week-end days off.The job itself is great.After what other drivers have told me,I am going to give Argos a big miss.It sounds bad.Apparently,its four days on,3 off,but if you haven’t made your hours up by the end of the week,then you are asked to come in on your rest days to get your 50 or whatever hours in per week.What with all the box changes,two Carlises or Fleetwoods a day sounds a bit much.Imagine the M55 in summer with all the caravans!
I drove a demountable wagon and drag with an A frame for United Carriers. The only problem with them was if someone dropped both boxes together without leaving a small gap.
You had to reverse the drag under 2 boxes and be ■■■■ on but you couldnt see the back legs.