Frankydobo:
Loaded trailers were rarely dropped without putting timber under the jockey feet/wheels to spread the weight and avoid the legs sinking into the ground. With steel suspension it was usually a case of giving it a little power to pick up your trailer, I’ve seen a unit spat out on more than one occasion when not enough oomph had been given. Franky.
I sort of miss that crackling sound as the trailer settles on the wood, and every proper hauliers yard was covered in puddles and splinters!
I’II admit I leave the unit at normal ride height and carry on (low ratio) winding down legs on heavy trailers until it gets hard work and they then settle a lot less.
I prefer this to raising the unit and over-estimating how much the trailer would settle. I hate going under trailers then finding with the unit fully raised there’s not fresh-air between the legs and the ground.
Wind the landing legs down fully.
If the trailer is loaded use low ratio for a further 10-15 turns (push
winding handle in for low ratio — pull out for high ratio)
This will ensure you can release from under the trailer easily once the
air suspension has been lowered
Report any damaged landing legs.
culled from a major PLC working practice book
Total twaddle …
Find safe and firm ground, wind down legs to ground, disconect air lines and electrical suzies, pull pin, lower suspension if possible and pull out from under trailer.
Thats the official way to do it and if you don’t give that order when asked on a LGV test you will fail.
Winding the legs down further on a loaded trailer is a pain in the ■■■ especially when the next poor sod who has to work his guts out picking it up. Just lower till the legs touch and lower the suspension.
I’m with you Pat, come and get a job at my place please, most of our drivers are using Hitch’s method, they wind the legs down on low ratio until the plate clears the 5th wheel, then pull out. The dumbasses haven’t worked out that lowering the unit suspension has the same effect
PITA when it’s -40c and the grease has gone solid making it even harder to wind the legs up, also a PITA when it’s summer and you’re being eaten alive by mozzies
Wind the landing legs down fully.
If the trailer is loaded use low ratio for a further 10-15 turns (push
winding handle in for low ratio — pull out for high ratio)
This will ensure you can release from under the trailer easily once the
air suspension has been lowered
Report any damaged landing legs.
culled from a major PLC working practice book
Total twaddle …
Find safe and firm ground, wind down legs to ground, disconect air lines and electrical suzies, pull pin, lower suspension if possible and pull out from under trailer.
Thats the official way to do it and if you don’t give that order when asked on a LGV test you will fail.
Winding the legs down further on a loaded trailer is a pain in the ■■■ especially when the next poor sod who has to work his guts out picking it up. Just lower till the legs touch and lower the suspension.
I’m with you Pat, come and get a job at my place please, most of our drivers are using Hitch’s method, they wind the legs down on low ratio until the plate clears the 5th wheel, then pull out. The dumbasses haven’t worked out that lowering the unit suspension has the same effect
PITA when it’s -40c and the grease has gone solid making it even harder to wind the legs up, also a PITA when it’s summer and you’re being eaten alive by mozzies
I assumed they were talking before pulling the pin
I would say that unit air suspension has to be lowered when you drop a trailer, empty or laoded. My reason behind this, is because when the weight of a trailer comes off the tractor, it causes the air bags to raise or inflate very quickly, making it more likely that you will burst a bag. Weather its right or wrong, I’ve never burst one yet, so I’ll keep doing it that way.
damoq:
I would say that unit air suspension has to be lowered when you drop a trailer, empty or laoded. My reason behind this, is because when the weight of a trailer comes off the tractor, it causes the air bags to raise or inflate very quickly, making it more likely that you will burst a bag. Weather its right or wrong, I’ve never burst one yet, so I’ll keep doing it that way.
it’s wrong
when the air bags extend raising the unit when the weight comes off, the pressure inside them drops. you won’t burst a air bag by pulling out from under a trailer.
damoq:
I would say that unit air suspension has to be lowered when you drop a trailer, empty or laoded. My reason behind this, is because when the weight of a trailer comes off the tractor, it causes the air bags to raise or inflate very quickly, making it more likely that you will burst a bag. Weather its right or wrong, I’ve never burst one yet, so I’ll keep doing it that way.
it’s wrong
when the air bags extend raising the unit when the weight comes off, the pressure inside them drops. you won’t burst a air bag by pulling out from under a trailer.
No but it does have an effect on the shock absorbers, don’t quite know what it is, but whatever, there’s a function there to make it a less severe shock to the vehicle, therefore it should be used
damoq:
I would say that unit air suspension has to be lowered when you drop a trailer, empty or laoded. My reason behind this, is because when the weight of a trailer comes off the tractor, it causes the air bags to raise or inflate very quickly, making it more likely that you will burst a bag. Weather its right or wrong, I’ve never burst one yet, so I’ll keep doing it that way.
it’s wrong
when the air bags extend raising the unit when the weight comes off, the pressure inside them drops. you won’t burst a air bag by pulling out from under a trailer.
No but it does have an effect on the shock absorbers, don’t quite know what it is, but whatever, there’s a function there to make it a less severe shock to the vehicle, therefore it should be used
quite agree that’s the correct way to do it, that’s what i always did, but i was just pointing out that the pressure drops, not increases when they extend when the weight comes off.
forcing oil through the rebound circuit of the shocker, can’t really see why it would cause an issue
Agree about the airbags, only repeating info about the shocks, could’ve been given to me by a ■■■■■■■■■ but like you say, there’s a right way and a wrong way, we do it the right way, so pats on the back for us eh?
newmercman:
Agree about the airbags, only repeating info about the shocks, could’ve been given to me by a [zb], but like you say, there’s a right way and a wrong way, we do it the right way, so pats on the back for us eh?
Can I get a pat on the back too for doing it the right way, but for the wrong reasons■■?
For an empty/light trailer I wind the legs down till the feet or wheels just touch the floor. There’s a bit of slack there that will be taken up when I lower the unit suspension and when suspension is fully down I’ll pull out. No bumps, no bangs and the next fella who goes under that trailer should get the slightest of lifts so jumping the pin shouldn’t happen nor should he scrape all his grease onto the rubbing plate!
For a heavy trailer the legs go right down and then I knock it the winding handle into low gear and give it a couple of dozen turns or so. Drop the unit suspension and pull out. No bumps, no bangs, no bent legs and the next fella going under…see above!
44 Tonne Ton:
Unit suspension at normal ride height.
For an empty/light trailer I wind the legs down till the feet or wheels just touch the floor. There’s a bit of slack there that will be taken up when I lower the unit suspension and when suspension is fully down I’ll pull out. No bumps, no bangs and the next fella who goes under that trailer should get the slightest of lifts so jumping the pin shouldn’t happen nor should he scrape all his grease onto the rubbing plate!
For a heavy trailer the legs go right down and then I knock it the winding handle into low gear and give it a couple of dozen turns or so. Drop the unit suspension and pull out. No bumps, no bangs, no bent legs and the next fella going under…see above!
so the up button is broke or you like exercise i like exercise, just not in the form of winding trailers up!!
newmercman:
Agree about the airbags, only repeating info about the shocks, could’ve been given to me by a [zb], but like you say, there’s a right way and a wrong way, we do it the right way, so pats on the back for us eh?
Can I get a pat on the back too for doing it the right way, but for the wrong reasons■■?
Consider yourself duly patted sir, welcome to our little gang
44 Tonne Ton:
Unit suspension at normal ride height.
For an empty/light trailer I wind the legs down till the feet or wheels just touch the floor. There’s a bit of slack there that will be taken up when I lower the unit suspension and when suspension is fully down I’ll pull out. No bumps, no bangs and the next fella who goes under that trailer should get the slightest of lifts so jumping the pin shouldn’t happen nor should he scrape all his grease onto the rubbing plate!
For a heavy trailer the legs go right down and then I knock it the winding handle into low gear and give it a couple of dozen turns or so. Drop the unit suspension and pull out. No bumps, no bangs, no bent legs and the next fella going under…see above!
This is exactly the way I do it but doesn’t seem popular.
44 Tonne Ton:
Unit suspension at normal ride height.
For an empty/light trailer I wind the legs down till the feet or wheels just touch the floor. There’s a bit of slack there that will be taken up when I lower the unit suspension and when suspension is fully down I’ll pull out. No bumps, no bangs and the next fella who goes under that trailer should get the slightest of lifts so jumping the pin shouldn’t happen nor should he scrape all his grease onto the rubbing plate!
For a heavy trailer the legs go right down and then I knock it the winding handle into low gear and give it a couple of dozen turns or so. Drop the unit suspension and pull out. No bumps, no bangs, no bent legs and the next fella going under…see above!
This is exactly the way I do it but doesn’t seem popular.
newmercman:
Agree about the airbags, only repeating info about the shocks, could’ve been given to me by a [zb], but like you say, there’s a right way and a wrong way, we do it the right way, so pats on the back for us eh?
Have had to re-torque mounting nuts on shocks quite a few times wouldn’t be surprised if drivers were the more aggressive couplers.
