More old school - at one firm when we still ran 40’ trailers the shunter insisted on legs 2" gap if loaded
and 6" if empty. This was of course so he didn’t have to climb off his tug when he was shunting.
If you ignored his request he would deliberately leave your next trailer as high as possible and
looking like a rocket launcher. 
So to go back to the original question…
Just yes or no.
It’s an old school habit and there’s no reason to do it with modern units etc?
Rowley010:
mike68:
Rowley010:
I was at a place the other day where the shunter showed me a space where to put my trailer. After id parked he walked over and started helping me uncouple. Even though he’d done the brake and legs I still walked round the trailer anyway to double check as I’m still responsible for it at that point.I noticed he hadn’t wound the legs all the way down. They were about an inch or 2 off the floor. So I Wound them all the way down.
He seemed experienced and pretty old school, but what would the reason be for this? He must of intended to do it.
Unless the trailer is going to have a heavy load you should always leave the legs just short of the ground if you’re not sure wind them down then come up 2 full turns of the handle.
As you come off the trailer you should move forward until you hear the jaws disengage, stop lower the drive axle then move away, winding the legs all the way down on some trailers will cause the front to be to high and thats when you get club plant pot doing what they do best and missing the pin.
This is basic stuff yet and alarmingly high percentage of drivers get it wrong.[/quot
You would be surprised the amount of drivers who make no adjustment to the height of the unit keep going and stove the back of the cab in
But when you go under isn’t that the point in then raising the unit up so that you don’t miss the pin? The shunter also asked why I did that when I coupled up. He said he only sees the younger ones do it. It’s just what I’ve been taught to do.
You would be surprised the amount of drivers who make no adjustment to the height of the unit keep going and stove the back of the cab in, hence the reason for not lowering the legs fully.
OVLOV JAY:
What a load of ■■■■■■■■. Old school was ok with old kit. Wreck the back of the unit to save turning the legs all the way down ffs. Air out, rubbing plate under, lift the air and back under. The equipment has moved on so use it correctly
You and I both know the amount of “drivers” who can use the equipment in a competent manner are definitely in the minority, hence the reason we are asked where I work to leave the legs short of the ground.
Rowley010:
So to go back to the original question…Just yes or no.
It’s an old school habit and there’s no reason to do it with modern units etc?
For Me its partly old school, started on artics in 89, with steel springs you all ways leave a gap when dropping an empty trailer, if you don’t once its got 25ton on, then you’ll spend the next 10 minutes winding against the weight of that 25 ton till the steel springs take the weight, and its bloody hard work. Now I do it as the Scania has a high 5th wheel, and out Volvo pilots cant get out and check the pin height, just prefer to rearrange the back of the cab 
stevieboy308:
I really can’t get my head round how people don’t get this !I started in 2000 and have driven god knows how many different trucks due to a lot of time on agency, I can only ever remember driving one truck on a steel back end, a Seddon aki for a couple of days.
If you have a heavy trailer they can bow at the front that even with the legs on the ground you can’t lower the unit enough to take all the trailer weight off it.
In the days of steel springs every unit had proper heavy wearing lead up ramps, and sometimes you would have to give it some welly to get a trailer onto the 5th wheel. Anyone who says different didn’t have the misfortune to have to wind a loaded trailer up on the winding handle 
Radar19:
Picked up a Mega last night, whoever dropped it was part of the Plant Pot Brigade because the driver couldn’t of been bothered to wind the legs all the way down, hell its a freaking Mega trailer, they have short stubby little legs anyway! Went under, unit all the way down the mudflaps are on the deck and it still rode up the mudguards a little!
When I was on for FM I had an FH with a low mounted 5th wheel(1050mm) on 22.5" low profile tyres, sort of hybride between mega trailer 5th wheel height and standard 5th wheel height, we didn’t have lead up ramps, so if the trailer and been dropped to low, it either was flag down a passing tug driver or wind the thing up, as there was no way of riding up the mud wings
You never heard of air suspension?
jesus.
axletramp:
More old school - at one firm when we still ran 40’ trailers the shunter insisted on legs 2" gap if loaded
and 6" if empty. This was of course so he didn’t have to climb off his tug when he was shunting.
If you ignored his request he would deliberately leave your next trailer as high as possible and
looking like a rocket launcher.
The “shunter insisted” WTF.
Tell the shunter to stick it where the sun dont shine
eddie snax:
Rowley010:
So to go back to the original question…Just yes or no.
It’s an old school habit and there’s no reason to do it with modern units etc?
For Me its partly old school, started on artics in 89, with steel springs you all ways leave a gap when dropping an empty trailer, if you don’t once its got 25ton on, then you’ll spend the next 10 minutes winding against the weight of that 25 ton till the steel springs take the weight, and its bloody hard work. Now I do it as the Scania has a high 5th wheel, and out Volvo pilots cant get out and check the pin height, just prefer to rearrange the back of the cab
stevieboy308:
I really can’t get my head round how people don’t get this !I started in 2000 and have driven god knows how many different trucks due to a lot of time on agency, I can only ever remember driving one truck on a steel back end, a Seddon aki for a couple of days.
If you have a heavy trailer they can bow at the front that even with the legs on the ground you can’t lower the unit enough to take all the trailer weight off it.
In the days of steel springs every unit had proper heavy wearing lead up ramps, and sometimes you would have to give it some welly to get a trailer onto the 5th wheel. Anyone who says different didn’t have the misfortune to have to wind a loaded trailer up on the winding handle
Radar19:
Picked up a Mega last night, whoever dropped it was part of the Plant Pot Brigade because the driver couldn’t of been bothered to wind the legs all the way down, hell its a freaking Mega trailer, they have short stubby little legs anyway! Went under, unit all the way down the mudflaps are on the deck and it still rode up the mudguards a little!When I was on for FM I had an FH with a low mounted 5th wheel(1050mm) on 22.5" low profile tyres, sort of hybride between mega trailer 5th wheel height and standard 5th wheel height, we didn’t have lead up ramps, so if the trailer and been dropped to low, it either was flag down a passing tug driver or wind the thing up, as there was no way of riding up the mud wings
I spent enough time with my dad as a kid to know how brutal it used to be! And did a bit on the slow wind too! He had a big break from artics and when he started again recently, couldn’t believe the difference to when you make use of the modern equipment!
The same shunter watched me couple up to the trailer I was collecting and couldn’t understand why I raised the suspension and lifted the legs off the ground before slamming into it. He told me he can’t understand why we all do that now. I just said its what I’ve always done and what I’ve been told to do so that’s why I do it whether it’s right or wrong.
stevieboy308:
eddie snax:
Rowley010:
So to go back to the original question…Just yes or no.
It’s an old school habit and there’s no reason to do it with modern units etc?
For Me its partly old school, started on artics in 89, with steel springs you all ways leave a gap when dropping an empty trailer, if you don’t once its got 25ton on, then you’ll spend the next 10 minutes winding against the weight of that 25 ton till the steel springs take the weight, and its bloody hard work. Now I do it as the Scania has a high 5th wheel, and out Volvo pilots cant get out and check the pin height, just prefer to rearrange the back of the cab
stevieboy308:
I really can’t get my head round how people don’t get this !I started in 2000 and have driven god knows how many different trucks due to a lot of time on agency, I can only ever remember driving one truck on a steel back end, a Seddon aki for a couple of days.
If you have a heavy trailer they can bow at the front that even with the legs on the ground you can’t lower the unit enough to take all the trailer weight off it.
In the days of steel springs every unit had proper heavy wearing lead up ramps, and sometimes you would have to give it some welly to get a trailer onto the 5th wheel. Anyone who says different didn’t have the misfortune to have to wind a loaded trailer up on the winding handle
:
I spent enough time with my dad as a kid to know how brutal it used to be! And did a bit on the slow wind too! He had a big break from artics and when he started again recently, couldn’t believe the difference to when you make use of the modern equipment!
Reading that back it looks like I was having a pop at you, I do apologies. What you were saying about the modern deep pin trailer with lightweight chassis and landing legs set well back, was something that was not such a problem with an old 40’ trailer. The 45’ tilts I used to pull weighed 8 ton empty, some of these tuatliners are only 6 ton any wonder the necks bow. Then the lead up ramps are paper thin too, so its all bit of a shambles when you have to be a brutal to get it off the floor.
Rowley010:
The same shunter watched me couple up to the trailer I was collecting and couldn’t understand why I raised the suspension and lifted the legs off the ground before slamming into it. He told me he can’t understand why we all do that now. I just said its what I’ve always done and what I’ve been told to do so that’s why I do it whether it’s right or wrong.
That’s true, all though I still leave a gap when dropping an empty, I then use the air to drop it down as I uncouple, and do the opposite to recouple 
I’m not a dinosaur
mike68:
wind them down then come up 2 full turns of the handle.
This is what I was taught when I did my training/test back 14 years ago
[/quote]
The “shunter insisted” WTF.
Tell the shunter to stick it where the sun dont shine
[/quote]
Brave words Sir…
dave docwra:
The “shunter insisted” WTF.
Tell the shunter to stick it where the sun dont shine
[/quote]
Brave words Sir…
[/quote]
Indeed, but I find that for the first time ever, I’m agreeing with him.
Here’s what I do, since I drive a Scania trailers are always dropped with the mid lift down and at road level. Arrive to drop trailer, legs just a shade off the ground. Disconnect lines and pin etc. As soon as I hear the pin disengage the jaws I stop and drop the air right out so I use the air bags to gently place the trailer on the ground.
Same with hooking up. Arrive at trailer, drop mid lift and sink the back end. Drive under till I see the drive axles mudguards disappear under the trailer then I stop and raise the back end. Continue back till the pin locks. No dragging the legs across the ground.
Bking:
axletramp:
More old school - at one firm when we still ran 40’ trailers the shunter insisted on legs 2" gap if loaded
and 6" if empty. This was of course so he didn’t have to climb off his tug when he was shunting.
If you ignored his request he would deliberately leave your next trailer as high as possible and
looking like a rocket launcher.The “shunter insisted” WTF.
Tell the shunter to stick it where the sun dont shine
Right thats it ,you asked for it
The next trailer you go to pick up will be at maximum height with legs fully down , It will be so high even with your air suspension on the unit at its highest it will wont be high enough to catch the pin as you reverse under it.
tommymanc:
mike68:
wind them down then come up 2 full turns of the handle.This is what I was taught when I did my training/test back 14 years ago
That’s because you’ll have been taught by an old school driver, possibly in a unit on steel, and he’ll have never used air suspension. That’s the experience I had when I passed my test. Then I started out driving for Sainsbury’s, with steel fodens. But I got the bollocking of my life when I started on continental express and used the steel method. My boss Sammy looked like a rabid dog
Radar19:
Here’s what I do, since I drive a Scania trailers are always dropped with the mid lift down and at road level. Arrive to drop trailer, legs just a shade off the ground. Disconnect lines and pin etc. As soon as I hear the pin disengage the jaws I stop and drop the air right out so I use the air bags to gently place the trailer on the ground.Same with hooking up. Arrive at trailer, drop mid lift and sink the back end. Drive under till I see the drive axles mudguards disappear under the trailer then I stop and raise the back end. Continue back till the pin locks. No dragging the legs across the ground.
I drive a Scania too, but I don’t worry about dropping the mid lift, the axle stays where it was travelling, but I make the allowance(when dropping an empty) by not dropping the legs all the way down, Then as with you, and many others draw away from the pin, then dump the air before drawing away. Leads to the same result, neither is wrong. The blokes who are wrong, are those that don’t check the pin height when coupling and ride the pin. Most of our fleet are Volvo and Daf, both of which run lower 5th wheels than the Scania, yet its the Scania drivers who’ve been asked to do actually what you do, lower the mid lift, I wont do this, but do what I have allways done to the same result. When handed the memo, I handed it back, saying “the Volvo drivers need to do their job properly” meaning check the pin height
The shunter probably wanted the legs left like that so that the trailer floor would be level. Roll cages do exactly that which makes keeping three in place on a backward sloping floor while attempting to strap them in place a trifle awkward. Raising the trailer suspension has the same effect, but the air leaks out. One of the Tesco RDC I worked out of had this policy.
Old school was ok when we had proper springs,
Now almost every truck is on air there is no need to leave the gap .
nick2008:
Old school was ok when we had proper springs,
Now almost every truck is on air there is no need to leave the gap .
Unless you drive a mid lift Scania, and others on the fleet have Volvo’s, or practicaly any other make of truck, then in that case its just easier to either drop the mid lift, or leave a gap, just saves a shed load of grief later