Automatic coupling- WHEN?

Your not wrong there! :wink: :laughing:

Sounds like some sort of dating site for Truckers? :laughing:

Santa:
The number plate could be an LED unit that auto scans the tractor when coupling up. Costly to start with, but think how many replacement plates have to be paid for in the life of an average tractor unit.

Solved.

Even cheaper would be give the trailers their own registration number and have the number plate properly bolted on. Works in Europe.

mazz:

peterm:
I think someone (preferably a nice bit of crumpet) should come round and give you a gentle wake up call and a nice bit of breakfast, start the engine and let it warm up so the heater / air con’ is all ready for you, clean the screen and the mirrors and generally make sure that you get off to a good start for the day. After that you need someone to be waiting at every place where you might have to drop / hook up a trailer, open doors or curtains, or heaven forbid, undo straps or those ghastly ropes and sheets. What happens when you have to fill up with diesel… it smells so horrible and if you do it yourself, you might get a spot or two on your gucci shirt. I s’pose checking the engine oil’s outa the question.

FFS, you’re supposed to be a lorry driver, what the [zb] is wrong with changing trailers ? I’ve done about fifteen squillion (alright, a slight exaggeration) changes and never managed to find something to whinge about. Keep some gloves and hand cleaner… I did, and they don’t take up a lot of room. And don’t start going on about ‘times have changed’ cos it’s people that have changed. Too many that want everything done for them / automated.

I know I’ve had a bit of a go, but FFS you’ll automate yourself out of a job !

BTW, Scammell couplings weren’t that safe, I’ve seen 'em roll the trailers right off the unit on uneven ground.

Why don’t we go back to roping and sheeting then & crash boxes 180BHP no power steering ! FFS It was just an observation that the coupling method hasn’t changed for 50 odd years yet the vehicles & trailers have! You just prove that most drivers are as thick as [zb]!!

Yeah I’ve met my fair share of thick drivers, but that doesn’t mean they have to be lazy ■■■■■ !

del949:
Doh!

They didnt stick…

should have seen that coming :smiley:

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: We got teflons. And greaseless susies.

We had the automatic coupling at a firm i worked for many years ago and they didn’t malfunction once. Some of the drivers dropped them fairly hard sometimes but they never folded up, no matter how fast you pulled out from under the trailer the legs allways came down.
The trailer brakes were not that good though, they were operated by rods from the coupling system because there were no air hoses to connect to it.
The release button was on the floor where it was hard to get to covered with a metal cover you had to lift up.

I have an air operated kingpin release on my tractor, for it to work the tractor parking brake must be on so i’m sure they could design a system that would save any embarassing moments out on the road. :blush:

when I worked for NCL the legs used to collapse on a regular basis, also trailers became detached frequently .
This only seemed to happen with the scarab/bantam/townsman 3 tonners, the Bedford and Ford 12 tonners didn’t have this problem so it was probably down to age and wear.

FarnboroughBoy11:
If every truck driver in the country dropped and hooked up to a trailer properly there shouldn’t be grease all over the lip or anywhere else. :stuck_out_tongue:

Was that statement tongue in cheek, or was it serious?

I ask because if it was serious I must ask if you’ve ever actually driven an artic?

How do you think the grease gets on the suzies? Do you think that careless/inconsiderate drivers actually drape them over the 5th wheel for fun? If you DO drive artics have you never had to screw one around in a tight spot, and if you have have you never noticed (especially with a deep pin trailer) that the suzies actually go under the lip of the trailer and rub across the trailer plate (don’t know if there’s a correct name for it). This is how the grease gets on them. It’s not carelessness, it’s normal daily usage.

On the subject of teflon rubbing plates: when I was on tankers I kept the same trailer and it had a teflon “disc” fitted to the trailer rubbing plate. It saved all the blobs of grease on the chassis and a whole load of hassle. Mind you, educating the fitters not to grease the 5th wheel during service took some doing. :imp:

the maoster:

FarnboroughBoy11:
If every truck driver in the country dropped and hooked up to a trailer properly there shouldn’t be grease all over the lip or anywhere else. :stuck_out_tongue:

Was that statement tongue in cheek, or was it serious?

I ask because if it was serious I must ask if you’ve ever actually driven an artic?

How do you think the grease gets on the suzies? Do you think that careless/inconsiderate drivers actually drape them over the 5th wheel for fun? If you DO drive artics have you never had to screw one around in a tight spot, and if you have have you never noticed (especially with a deep pin trailer) that the suzies actually go under the lip of the trailer and rub across the trailer plate (don’t know if there’s a correct name for it). This is how the grease gets on them. It’s not carelessness, it’s normal daily usage.

On the subject of teflon rubbing plates: when I was on tankers I kept the same trailer and it had a teflon “disc” fitted to the trailer rubbing plate. It saved all the blobs of grease on the chassis and a whole load of hassle. Mind you, educating the fitters not to grease the 5th wheel during service took some doing. :imp:

Well there isn’t a smiley with a tounge in it’s cheek so I used the next best one which is with it’s tounge out.
But in all serious now, I still maintain that droppin and raising the bags when unhooking/hooking up does reduce the amount of grease that gets every where though.
I find that a couple of bungees hooked round the air lines and onto the bracket of the wind deflector stops them going so far under the trailer when skewing it round in a tight spot.

It’s skew not screw :wink:

I don’t know if its common on the continent but when Nellen and Quack used to run in from Monchengladbach, their airlines etc were under the trailer just behind the units rear axle. No grease on them and no need to climb onto catwalk 'tween trailer and cab.

FarnboroughBoy11:
It’s skew not screw :wink:

Are you sure? I mean are you really sure?

BTW, it’s,tongue, not tounge. :wink:

the maoster:

FarnboroughBoy11:
If every truck driver in the country dropped and hooked up to a trailer properly there shouldn’t be grease all over the lip or anywhere else. :stuck_out_tongue:

Was that statement tongue in cheek, or was it serious?

I ask because if it was serious I must ask if you’ve ever actually driven an artic?

How do you think the grease gets on the suzies? Do you think that careless/inconsiderate drivers actually drape them over the 5th wheel for fun? If you DO drive artics have you never had to screw one around in a tight spot, and if you have have you never noticed (especially with a deep pin trailer) that the suzies actually go under the lip of the trailer and rub across the trailer plate (don’t know if there’s a correct name for it). This is how the grease gets on them. It’s not carelessness, it’s normal daily usage.

On the subject of teflon rubbing plates: when I was on tankers I kept the same trailer and it had a teflon “disc” fitted to the trailer rubbing plate. It saved all the blobs of grease on the chassis and a whole load of hassle. Mind you, educating the fitters not to grease the 5th wheel during service took some doing. :imp:

jeezo get a grip. I screw my trailer round, I drop and catch, yet my suzies are still clean. yes occasionally they get a bit of grease on them, but a quick wipe over and they are clean again. I definitely think we shouk have a flunky to do all our manual work for us, because this driving job is just so hard. :unamused:

the maoster:

FarnboroughBoy11:
It’s skew not screw :wink:

Are you sure? I mean are you really sure?
BTW, it’s,tongue, not tounge. :wink:

Ahhhh touché :grimacing: it’s defiantly skew, look up the definition of screw and the definition of skew and see what one best describes pivoting a trailer round in a tight spot.

why use either when “pivoting” is accurate?
Although when pivoting a trailer very tightly is does tend to screw itself into the tarmac!

DaiDap:

del949:
Doh!

They didnt stick…

should have seen that coming :smiley:

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: We got teflons. And greaseless susies.

Great idea, until you have to shift a competitors trailer to get tipped :laughing:

del949:
I don’t know if its common on the continent but when Nellen and Quack used to run in from Monchengladbach, their airlines etc were under the trailer just behind the units rear axle. No grease on them and no need to climb onto catwalk 'tween trailer and cab.

Murfitts had that on some outfits. If I was still an OD I would probably do the same, watch them bloody sleepy Turks and Romanians try to pull them off with 6 super singles following me at close quarter :laughing:

One problem is this time of year when snow is clagged onto the landing legs and every flat surface.

FarnboroughBoy11:
But in all serious now, I still maintain that droppin and raising the bags when unhooking/hooking up does reduce the amount of grease that gets every where though.
I find that a couple of bungees hooked round the air lines and onto the bracket of the wind deflector stops them going so far under the trailer when screwing it round in a tight spot.

^^^^^ Same Same
It’s screw not skew :stuck_out_tongue:

I would suggest skew goes along with whiff. Chesterfield Cathederal is Skew Whiff. Screwing around is what wives do, but screw round with a trailer, and it costs you money in tyres, knackers the yard surface and if you worked for Norman Lewis it would cost you your job :stuck_out_tongue: