With air suspension I don’t see any need to leave the legs clear of the ground at all, this practice harks back to the days of leaf springs, helpers and run up ramps when it was easy to break a spring in cold weather.
However if everyone in the yard is doing the same thing, then there wont be a problem, this comes when you are doing ferry trailers when the Cloggies drop them off with a low ride unit and we use these things with an RSJ between the chassis and fifth wheel
We run a fleet split between Mercs and MANs, the 5th wheel of the Mercs is quite a bit higher than that of the MANs, consequently when I had a MAN it drove me to distraction when picking up a trailer dropped by a Merc! No matter how high I raised the suspension I’d spend ages winding the legs down until the rubbing plate and 5th wheel met. 
Now that I drive a Merc I leave a couple of inches clearence, pull the pin, move forward a foot, lower the suspension and then pull out.
As far as I’m concerned it’s all about making it easier for the next guy, but as I’m the one always filling the empty kettle after use for the next guy apparently it is only me.
waynedl:
Lower to the ground, drop unit air when pulling out - if done right the 5th wheel plate usually stays horizontally flat - ish.When lifting, I always go in low until the plate is under the trailer, then raise it to the sky and then onto the pin - legs should be off the deck for me then they shouldn’t get damaged / bent and should be easier to wind.
Sorry, need to get my fifth wheel tilted back because i’m driving one of them new FH’s with a tag axle and no ramps… i’ve had fun picking up low dropped trailers… so much fun that i managed to bend the rearmost two fifth wheel mounting bolts with the front of a trailer…
JIMBO47:
NMM did you have air suspension on the unit that went higher than running height? ,just that i havent come across that over here.just normal & dump or have i read your post wrong
jimmy
This is the UK forum Jimmy, so not much point talking about the prehistoric mechanisms we have here 
to drop, lower legs to the ground draw forward to disengage the pin then lower unit suspension before pulling out. I do brakes, legs, number plate, fifth wheel, suzies as it takes me round the trailer
To hook up, lower suspension, back under trailer raise suspension back into engage pin wind up legs, reset suspension and off you go. Again my routine takes me round the trailer nearside to off with a visual check that the locking bar is in place and do my checks at the same time.
mike68:
A 2 inch gap when empty all the way when loaded, come off the pin then lower the suspension.
+1 (4’’ if I have a 6x2 Scania), was taught that In driving school, did it on my test & do it to this day…
Trukkertone:
waynedl:
Lower to the ground, drop unit air when pulling out - if done right the 5th wheel plate usually stays horizontally flat - ish.When lifting, I always go in low until the plate is under the trailer, then raise it to the sky and then onto the pin - legs should be off the deck for me then they shouldn’t get damaged / bent and should be easier to wind.
Sorry, need to get my fifth wheel tilted back because i’m driving one of them new FH’s with a tag axle and no ramps… i’ve had fun picking up low dropped trailers… so much fun that i managed to bend the rearmost two fifth wheel mounting bolts with the front of a trailer…
If you drop your unit suspension until your 5th wheel is under the trailer, then raise it up before continuing back onto the pin, there’s no problem with it being flat 
I’ve not taken my trailer off for 4 weeks.
When I do it’s pretty much as Wayne said
