Was reading a post in pro forum about winds this week and refered to wether to have axle up or down in winds which has got me thinking I drive 26 tonner box fridge no curtains ! Now have axle down when loaded but drive back most times empty do I need to raise axle for trip back would it make drive back better and for high winds obviously slow down but would it make difference if up or down bearing in mind cannot pull any curtains back to help ?
Jx
A few years ago I was bringing an empty reefer back from Glasgow through an almighty gale. Coming over Shap was one of the most frightning experience of my life. It is a miracle that I wasn’t blown over, but there were loads of other trucks over on the verges. I think it was down to the fact that I was pulling a fridge rather than a curtainsider as they tend to act like a sail in a strong wind whereas a fridge with it’s solid sides doesn’t act in quite the same way. Don’t get me wrong, if the wind is strong enough then a reefer will go over regardless.
And yes I would have the lift axle down as it gives you a little more stability.
Trade off - axle down gives more rubber on the road surface but axle up gives more weight pressure to those axles left on the road surface
what the mathematical formula is between those two I have no idea
You would be very unlucky to be blown over in a fridge, whether rigid or articulated.
They are heavy and not normally more than 4.2 metres high, much less, as a rule, if a rigid truck.
Often, the driver feels more vulnerable to the wind because the cab is being blown over on its suspension,
rather than the vehicle itself being rocked.
I drove across Spain in winds at the edge of a storm which devastated the east coast of France, hurricane force over land, apparently.
I was loaded but at times, the cab of my XF DAF was blown so far over that I could see the fridge unit in my mirrors. 
The most vulnerable high sided trailers or rigids are empty, high and light.
I would have thought that you should be lifting the axle as soon as you are empty in any case,
not much point in having it otherwise.
If the weather is really bad, it will offer a little more grip on the road and an extra set of brakes,too.
That said, if the roads are slippery, you would be better with it up, leaving more weight on the drive axle.
Regards,
Nick
Jennie:
Was reading a post in pro forum about winds this week and refered to wether to have axle up or down in winds which has got me thinking I drive 26 tonner box fridge no curtains ! Now have axle down when loaded but drive back most times empty do I need to raise axle for trip back would it make drive back better and for high winds obviously slow down but would it make difference if up or down bearing in mind cannot pull any curtains back to help ?
Jx
Running empty in normal conditions I would usually lift the axle.
In very windy conditions I would usually drop the axle to make the vehicle more stable and keep the centre of gravity as low as possible, the exception to this would be if the road is wet and slippery (as in the other thread) in which case keep the axle up for improved traction.
To be honest it really doesn’t make any difference whether the vehicle is a curtain-sider or not, although the wind will have more effect on a curtain-sider the principle is the same.
Thanks guys the thread I saw just made me think as the first time I drove this the gaffer said don’t worry about lifting the axle when on way back and just wondered if should be when empty as its able to lift for a reason so when should I be lifting it
Cheers
Jenx
The axle on mine doesn’t lift but when ever i do drive one that does always have it up if theres less than 3t on. All of ours have rear steer so when up you really notice a difference, steering is lighter, its abit more lively and steers different. I think its best to have them up if possible, saves on wear.
I always keep mine lifted unless it decided otherwise. My drive axle limit is 11.5t and when the tag is lifted and I’m empty the load on the axle is 7.5t unfortunately once the load gets to about 9.5t it drops the tag and wont let you lift it.
With the axle up I’m saving wear and tear to 4 tyres, saving the drag of those 4 tyres improving manouevrability with the only down point being increased tail swing. It’s 14’ from centre of my drive axle to the rear of the vehicle, that’s enough to clear a pavement whenn turning tight if you’re not careful.
8wheels:
the only down point being increased tail swing. It’s 14’ from centre of my drive axle to the rear of the vehicle, that’s enough to clear a pavement whenn turning tight if you’re not careful.
I bent a bumper couple of weeks ago from the tail swing hitting a wood gate post.
Defo axle down as mine is a fridge trailer and in the recent winds up north did one empty run with axle up which made the thing bounce around and on the other occasion it was axle down which made it very stable indeed.
But like it was mentiond if the wind is strong enough then it will go regardless hence im not looking forward to monday with this tail end of the hurricane hitting the uk shores late tonight 
its gonna be fun 
Have recently done 2 jobs with a curtain sider and boy what a difference in handling on the wagon had a renault 6x2 but went to scunthorpe and on the flats with the wind at a steady blow you knew you had a trailer behind, had one experience on the return run from there one gust out of no where took me by surprise on the hard shoulder 
If in doubt in wind pull over & park up dont risk it as you want be a hero & you no good dead
In normall conditions I have the lift axel up when running light even with a curtain sider if loaded then down
You could just try both see how you feel with it