biggriffin:
Isn’t hooking a trailer up part of the hgv Test?.
Just asking for a friend.
Yes, but is that real world?
Like in the real world do we all do little sideshift reverses into boxes? No but that’s in the test…
Indeed, the test centre I went through had banned people from using the air suspension when performing the uncouple/couple exercise (apparently people spent ages faffing around with the level) so I’d never actually operated the air suspension until during an assessment with a company
Those saying they never use the run up ramps have clearly never dropped a trailer on it’s legs without winding them down.
I did it.
I was frantically trying to wind the legs up and was beyond exhausted hoping not to get caught out. My arms felt like they were going to fall off. Then I realised I didn’t need to get it all the way up. I could do it a fair chunk of the ways and then use the ramps to get the trailer back up in the air!
I’m sure some will claim they have never dropped a trailer and never tried to hide a ■■■■ up. I got away with it and nothing was damaged. So I consider that a win. I won’t be doing it again mind you.
R420:
Most drivers over about the age of 55 won’t ever use the air because they still think they’re in the 70s and 80s when everything was on springs.
That’s a very sweeping statement…
I’m over 55 and I can assure you I know exactly how to use the air suspension (ECAS). I frequently have use it to drop/raise the unit because some putz half my age was clueless when dropping the trailer I’m attempting to get under.
R420:
Most drivers over about the age of 55 won’t ever use the air because they still think they’re in the 70s and 80s when everything was on springs.
That’s a very sweeping statement…
I’m over 55 and I can assure you I know exactly how to use the air suspension (ECAS). I frequently have use it to drop/raise the unit because some putz half my age was clueless when dropping the trailer I’m attempting to get under.
+1. Big bugbear of mine, people not utilising the equipment correctly ie air suspension. Apparently there are some free roaming lunatics on here who’ll tell you that air suspension has no place and we’re doing it wrong!
sammym:
Those saying they never use the run up ramps have clearly never dropped a trailer on it’s legs without winding them down.
I did it.
I was frantically trying to wind the legs up and was beyond exhausted hoping not to get caught out. My arms felt like they were going to fall off.
It’s easier if you put the legs in low gear first.
Then I realised I didn’t need to get it all the way up. I could do it a fair chunk of the ways and then use the ramps to get the trailer back up in the air!
I’m sure some will claim they have never dropped a trailer and never tried to hide a ■■■■ up. I got away with it and nothing was damaged. So I consider that a win. I won’t be doing it again mind you.
I’ve never forgotten to lower the legs, but I have forgotten to wind them up on a few occasions . Luckily they’ve always grazed the ground on something before leaving the yard and not done any damage. I have made guitar strings out of the air lines on a handful of occasions too . They never curl up the same again and just get in the way and covered in grease so you end up having to replace them even though they still work fine.
sammym:
Those saying they never use the run up ramps have clearly never dropped a trailer on it’s legs without winding them down.
I did it.
I was frantically trying to wind the legs up and was beyond exhausted hoping not to get caught out. My arms felt like they were going to fall off.
It’s easier if you put the legs in low gear first.
Then I realised I didn’t need to get it all the way up. I could do it a fair chunk of the ways and then use the ramps to get the trailer back up in the air!
I’m sure some will claim they have never dropped a trailer and never tried to hide a ■■■■ up. I got away with it and nothing was damaged. So I consider that a win. I won’t be doing it again mind you.
I’ve never forgotten to lower the legs, but I have forgotten to wind them up on a few occasions . Luckily they’ve always grazed the ground on something before leaving the yard and not done any damage. I have made guitar strings out of the air lines on a handful of occasions too . They never curl up the same again and just get in the way and covered in grease so you end up having to replace them even though they still work fine.
That last point on lines, yip I’m proper beyond GUILTY of that [emoji20]
Embarrassing, as you know you dont stretch them, but I was more worried about getting outta other folks way whilst aiming for that lone bay in the middle of an empty stadium, whilst the mid steer did its best to plant me back outside it.
Deffo one noise I won’t forget, it’s literally to me like your plucking strings, I’m praying over time I’ll get a job an earn redemption… [emoji20][emoji38]
R420:
Most drivers over about the age of 55 won’t ever use the air because they still think they’re in the 70s and 80s when everything was on springs
A driver aged 55 would be aged 20 in 1985 so I’m not sure they would have seen much action in the 70’s. Probably not in the 80s either
I’m 55, just passed my class one last year, so all my training/education is brand new. bit of a sweeping statement there youngster lol. fyi I’ve had my class 2 for about 30 years so not exactly a newbie, but every day is a school day!
I was winding some trailer legs up the other night and got to thinking, “why isn’t this motorized in any way? it’s like the nineteenth century for goodness sake”
it’s no bother but sometimes the legs are kinked and it can be hard work to get them all the way up.
also why can we not release the 5th wheel from the cab? (like a shunter) I may of seen something on youtube, in a road going truck in the states, hold a switch down for 3 secs after lifting cover etc
trekxor:
also why can we not release the 5th wheel from the cab?
One simple reason; the monkey holding the steering wheel! Could you imagine the carnage?
If that ever became a fitment on Trucks, Tncsi would be working overtime, every other thread would be ,“whoops dropped it here,” or “look were he left it”.
As a side note, electric operated landing legs are available…
ETS:
When coupling trailer, lower truck first then drive in/engage, then raise then tug test or am I wrong?
Lower your suspension, reverse partly under the trailer, raise up your suspension so the legs are off the floor (if possible) then reverse back and engage the pin. Now you can do your tug test. This doesn’t need to be done in first so you’re wheels are spinning for 5-6 seconds. Seen that a few times recently.
I passed my class one within the last two years, with a known outift who’ve received plenty of positive reviews on this forum in years gone by, so I’ve had no reason to doubt their methods
Their training was a lot more simplified than the general concensus of info in this thread: just line up with trailer, get out and do a visual check that the 5th wheel was about the right height, then back in and reverse under the trailer till it clicks, then do tug test, then switch off and get out to wind up legs etc. They didn’t recommend raising/lowering the suspension, and the one time I tried it, just to see how it worked, it resulted in an amber warning light on the dash about trailer/suspension height - no one had ever seen that before and it caused a right old kerfuffle!
Admittedly, I haven’t done any class 1 work in the intervening time, all due to the “must have held licence for 2 years” rule, which is crazy as I’m now less familiar with the process than I was immediately after my test…
ETS:
When coupling trailer, lower truck first then drive in/engage, then raise then tug test or am I wrong?
Lower your suspension, reverse partly under the trailer, raise up your suspension so the legs are off the floor (if possible) then reverse back and engage the pin. Now you can do your tug test. This doesn’t need to be done in first so you’re wheels are spinning for 5-6 seconds. Seen that a few times recently.
I passed my class one within the last two years, with a known outift who’ve received plenty of positive reviews on this forum in years gone by, so I’ve had no reason to doubt their methods
Their training was a lot more simplified than the general concensus of info in this thread: just line up with trailer, get out and do a visual check that the 5th wheel was about the right height, then back in and reverse under the trailer till it clicks, then do tug test, then switch off and get out to wind up legs etc. They didn’t recommend raising/lowering the suspension, and the one time I tried it, just to see how it worked, it resulted in an amber warning light on the dash about trailer/suspension height - no one had ever seen that before and it caused a right old kerfuffle!
Admittedly, I haven’t done any class 1 work in the intervening time, all due to the “must have held licence for 2 years” rule, which is crazy as I’m now less familiar with the process than I was immediately after my test…
If you’re dropping and picking up trailers all dropped by similar units, with conscientious drivers, you’ll be ok.
If you’re dropping/ picking up with different units, Dockers tugs, or lazy gits, etc, then the ability to raise or lower suspension will become apparent.
I was winding some trailer legs up the other night and got to thinking, “why isn’t this motorized in any way? it’s like the nineteenth century for goodness sake”
it’s no bother but sometimes the legs are kinked and it can be hard work to get them all the way up.
also why can we not release the 5th wheel from the cab? (like a shunter) I may of seen something on youtube, in a road going truck in the states, hold a switch down for 3 secs after lifting cover etc
They did used to be motorised for a while, but they were hugely expensive to repair when they got bent by the same trumpets not taking the weight off while coupling up, so they got ditched and went back to the manual version.
. Put it another way : any driver who started out on springs is usually the type not to bother with the air suspension.
. Luckily they’ve always grazed the ground on something before leaving the yard and not done any damage. I have made guitar strings out of the air lines on a handful of occasions too 
. They never curl up the same again and just get in the way and covered in grease so you end up having to replace them even though they still work fine.