Contraflow:
Dafman is just a bit ■■■■■■ off because someone posted his picture on the forum and said his name is Bob.Question to everybody on here: Do you go under the trailer and have a look up the arse end of the fifth wheel during your coupling procedure?
Yes,always have done,always will do.
FarnboroughBoy11:
Immigrant:
FarnboroughBoy11:
stobarttrucker:
i allways found in ten years of shunting if the fifth wheel pin safety catch would go on it was on right.or i was luckyJust because the dog clip goes in it doesn’t mean the jaws are coupled correctly.
Why not?
Because the pin could be sitting on top of the jaws instead of around it so the first bump you go over the pin jumps out.
Ahh,Yes 
I remember that from one who went under the Kingpin. 
Was actually me who dropped too high,in my first Year,well,…you know. But i sah it before anything happened,but Driver didn’t. Had Legs already winded up
Amazing the amount of blokes who still don’t back under the unit a bit, raise the air suspension on the unit so the legs are off the ground and all the weight is on the fifth wheel and then engage the pin.
They just sail straight under in reverse and slam the pin, no wonder they wear out the pin and legs get bent and trailers get dropped etc…
Immigrant:
FarnboroughBoy11:
Immigrant:
FarnboroughBoy11:
stobarttrucker:
i allways found in ten years of shunting if the fifth wheel pin safety catch would go on it was on right.or i was luckyJust because the dog clip goes in it doesn’t mean the jaws are coupled correctly.
Why not?
Because the pin could be sitting on top of the jaws instead of around it so the first bump you go over the pin jumps out.
Ahh,Yes
I remember that from one who went under the Kingpin.
Was actually me who dropped too high,in my first Year,well,…you know. But i sah it before anything happened,but Driver didn’t. Had Legs already winded up
Even still no portion of blame should be held on you for that, yes it’s bad etiquette and awkward and needless hassle for the driver picking it up but when you drop it that’s where your responsibility ends and his begins.
Question to everybody on here: Do you go under the trailer and have a look up the arse end of the fifth wheel during your coupling procedure?
[/quote]
no,never,until today…ill be learning from some other poor buggers mistake.
Contraflow:
Dafman is just a bit ■■■■■■ off because someone posted his picture on the forum and said his name is Bob.Question to everybody on here: Do you go under the trailer and have a look up the arse end of the fifth wheel during your coupling procedure?
Always.
And I shine my little led torch up there as well to double check… 
Never lost a trailer yet…
But once I found it hadn’t properly ‘got’ the pin…it looked fine from the side…
That day proved that having a look to check is always worth it.
Yes I always check it, two seconds with a torch and jobs done, I remember picking a trailer up in the daytime in our yard and got out and checked with my torch when another driver came over and asked why I had looked under because “even I heard the click from over there” to which I simply replied “yeah I heard my ex wife promise to honour and obey me in front of the vicar, but that didn’t stop her shaggin the milkman did it?” 
I don’t usually visually check as I know my prep work is good, e.g. raising the suspension up before engaging although sometimes I do depending on how paranoid i’m feeling that day.
I’ve never got under with a torch to check the jaws. I’m not saying that I’m a truck driving God, but I’d like to think that over the years I’ve been dropping and picking up trailers that I’ve developed a “feel” for the process. Very rarely when coupling up it doesn’t quite “feel” right, and so I merely pull the pin, draw forward and have another go. It’s worked fine for me.
the maoster:
I’ve never got under with a torch to check the jaws. I’m not saying that I’m a truck driving God, but I’d like to think that over the years I’ve been dropping and picking up trailers that I’ve developed a “feel” for the process. Very rarely when coupling up it doesn’t quite “feel” right, and so I merely pull the pin, draw forward and have another go. It’s worked fine for me.
the same as me
i’ve only ever known 1 driver always check under and he worked at the last place i worked before i stopped driving, i worked there about 5 / 6 months out of about 10 years driving.
however, if / when i go back driving i will be adding a check into my routine!
I have always checked the bar is locked across in the jaws with a torch, this is the only way to be absolutely certain as you can be. However, from a TM point of view I never thought it was a good idea to stipulate all drivers do this as I think, in the risk assessment environment you have to operate in, the potential of banging heads of getting run over if the parking brake isn’t set is too great.
I have seen a lot of unit and trailer separations and I have never yet seen one where either the jaw components or the pin had actually suffered mechanical failure.
