There’s no telling how chuffed you feel when you can reverse an A frame!
Geezah:
I want to ask this question as i will be moved onto drawbars for a few weeks as of this Tuesday to help with the hay season. I have driven artics 99% of my driving career with only the odd day on close coupled and no days on a-frame. Since our hay trucks have both CC and A-frame trailers i would like peoples opinions on which is better to drag/reverse/load (spread of weight) etc.Thanks in advance.
Andy
don’t take shortcoupled for that Job.
If you have loaded and turn in the Field around is it possible that Truckcorner hits Trailer during turning and destroyes in that Aerea of Contact your Load.
Hard work to put it back on to Lorry
bestbooties:
There’s no telling how chuffed you feel when you can reverse an A frame!
True!
And if you get really stuck, drop it off, turn around and push it
bestbooties:
There’s no telling how chuffed you feel when you can reverse an A frame!
i’ll let you know in the unlikely event anyone gets me in one again, ever 
Had an A-Frame for a few years and can only repeat whats already been posted…they are a pig to reverse at first then suddenly it clicks in and then, like riding a bike, you never forget how to do it. The more you do the more your confidence builds. I loved it after I had got the hang of it
I had one on furniture removals around europe in the 80`s and had to get in some really tight places with it, the companys yard was down a cul-de-sac off a main drag, you either drove it down then backed out or visa versa.
I was 21 when I did my first trip abroad with it ,I came in at Ramsgate, through the water guard and then went to park up. Everybody used to back onto the perimeter wall in front of the frieght sheds, them walk in to sort out the customs…this first trip it took me 10 minutes to get it backed in in a straight line onto the wall, I could have parked it sideways in the amount if space available!!! 
I remember attracting the attention of most of the other drivers, TAFT international in particular, hunched over their steering wheels laughing their heads off…
Sat in the cab for 10 minutes after I had got in straight, I was to embarrassed to walk into the customs, then this dutch guy came up and knocked on the door, “first time?” he says, “how did you guess?” I replied, “dont worry, everyone has to have a first time, it will come eventually, you did ok” After that I felt a bit better, went in to sort out the paper work and a few of the lads who had been watching started to talk to me, I was expecting some well ment leg pulling but most were saying “rather you than me mate”…“looks like a right handful”
So dont be worried about an A-frame, they just take abit of getting used to then you wonder what all the fuss was about!!
A frame any day of the week! I drove them for about 20 years in Germany and they are a lot more manoeuvrable than artics or the CC wagon and drag that I now drive in this country. A turning circle of a CC is larger than an artic, I can’t turn mine around on full lock without an audible alarm going off warning me of an impending scraping of bits/ squashed air lines, etc. And if you can’t get round in one forget about reversing with a bit of opposite lock…
An A frame drag will follow the wagon like a faithful dog, no more clipped curbs and you can take a tighter line on corners and roundabouts so you don’t have to worry so much about cars coming past you on your offside as you will generally be able to stay in lane without venturing over the white line.
It takes a bit of practice, but once you’ve mastered the knack of reversing an A frame it’s a piece of cake from then on. Just take your time and practice where you have plenty of room.
Also, if you get into a tight spot you have more recovery options than with a CC.
There is the option of taking the drag in the nose. Never a big fan of this myself but did use it to good effect a couple of times.
Also, depending on the clearance between the wagon and the drag, it is possible to jack knife it so far round so that you have a tight V formation. You can use this to turn round where space is limited. Only to be done when the drag is empty or it can be embarrassing when it tips over! The trick is to keep the A frame STRAIGHT behind the wagon so that it cannot come into contact along its length with the wagon chassis when reversing or there is a risk of buckling the A frame. This also takes a lot of practice but can come in really useful in very tight spots.
I did have another couple of tricks for getting out of tight spots but this was in Germany and a million miles away from this country’s Health and Safety Mafia, so I’d better not go there! 
Hi Guys,
Just incase you have been wanting to know how i got on. I chose the A-Frame (AF). I will explain why i chose that over the CC. As i got into the yard this morning i looked at the worksheet and saw i was working with another driver. I was working with Dave ‘‘Zimmer’’ Clarke. He has been useing Drawbars all his career. A mix between CC and AF. I told him i had never pulled a AF before, but was happy to give it a go. He said ''right ‘ol boy. I will ‘ave CC and you take the AF. If you get in trubble give us a shout and we will swap wagons’’ So great, i had a go. And i must say it was not as bad as i thought. I had a go at reversing empty in the field and made a [zb] up of it, but was happy to have a go. I am with ‘‘Zimmer’’ again tomorrow so it will be AF again i think.
Thanks for all your comments.
Andy.
Where I used to work apparently they once had an A frame drawbar that was used once in a blue moon to pick up timber from the docks and the driver used to get them to phone up and make sure the docks had enough room to turn right round before he set off…he also insisted on somebody going with him, in case he got scared I think! He had a class one but he’d only driven an artic on his test and after that just drove this firms prime mover as a rigid day in day out.
I’ve been having a go with my DIY remote control A Frame this evening…lets just say forwards is ok…
bestbooties:
There’s no telling how chuffed you feel when you can reverse an A frame!
yes very true…I was brought up on a caravan site moving caravans with a tractor and moving straw in the summer with a A frame trailer…so am ok with both…but still prefer CC
Of course if you really want a challenge, try hooking an A frame up to a fork lift and then shoving it under a demount body. Great fun!
Inselaffe:
Of course if you really want a challenge, try hooking an A frame up to a fork lift and then shoving it under a demount body. Great fun!
or you can back a prime mover and A-frame under two demounts like we used to at halfords 
maverick72:
Inselaffe:
Of course if you really want a challenge, try hooking an A frame up to a fork lift and then shoving it under a demount body. Great fun!or you can back a prime mover and A-frame under two demounts like we used to at halfords
or do it with a blindfold on, at night. on a camber, on a bend, in the driving rain and with one arm tied behind your bike like we …
Oh sorry I thought this was another patented JJ72 who can ■■■■ highest game again
Never was a fan of the ‘drop it, turn round and push’ persuasion. I reckon it’s harder, unless of course you’ve got a flat trailer that you can see right over the top of. In most cases you’re working blind, you can’t see down both sides of the trailer unless you’ve got a very unusual mirror arrangement. 
In the case I sited above at Toray, I later found out that the trunker at the other firm who’d taken John for week to train him up, never reversed. But then the only manoeuvreing he did was to push an unladen chassis under the next demount body. Whereas the bloke who went with Paul to a changeover at Tebay always insisted on reversing and what’s more, while waiting for the Scotsman to arrive, gave Paul plenty of practice and instruction.
The difference showed.