Been offered some work doing Ro/Ro.
Any tips, do’s and don’ts?
On a typical wagon are the controls in the cab or at the side?
When I did it the controls were in the truck easy enough to use just remember that if your tipping that after you have pushed the skip back abit to put the locks back on or as you start to tip it will come loose and can cause a lot of damage 
before anyone asks nope it wasn’t me. Worst thing I did was pick a loaded skip up but hook hadn’t caught on properly so got half way up and the skip dropped, ripping my lights and mud guards off the machine lads couldn’t stop laughing at me
Make sure the hooks on properly, youll know if it aint lol,
Make sure the bin your picking up goes on properly, eg when your lifting release the handbrake and let the bin pull the truck in while lining it up and using the footbrake to slow it down, same with dropping it get the back of the bin onto the ground then let the handbrake off and the bin to push you forward.
When dropping dont put the binall the way onto the ground leave it up a little and push it back into desired position then drop it properly.
Many years since i’ve done it (Hooklift type Rolonoff), some had controls outside the cab so you’d operate them out the window, later stuff (Multilift Hooklift) had controls inside and you’d look through the rear window directly at the hook whilst operating, you can be very precise with these, but the old school Rolonoffs were tough as hell and lasted years.
Multilft excellent, individually controlled body locks so you could secure the skip in fore or after position…useful sometimes for putting more weight on the driven wheels in bad conditions.
I enjoyed the work, a few weeks and you’ll be amazed the things you can do with them, like shoving the hook through car windows and shifting them.
10’6" bridge?, no problem, drop the skip drag it through and put it back on.
Just remember to drop your rear stabiliser wheel when loading/unloading a heavy skip or you’ll end up going up in the world, which can be fun and makes front wheel changing a doddle…
Double and triple check you have secured the skip rear door(s), a mate of mine didn’t and after leaving the tip the 8’ x 8’ solid steel rear door swung round and turned an oncoming van into a cabriolet…i bet the van driver still has nightmares… 
Done it for years mate easy enough job all of the above is good info. Depending on the condition of the bins ie busted wheels on bins and the ground ie concrete of but muddy sites no you can’t always roll the bins off and on its a case of gettin the back of the bin in place and letting the truck move or a bit of brut force moving it.
When driving take it easy on the bends as they have a high centre of gravity. And bins often not evenly loaded.
I’d guess the firm will give you training before you go solo anyway.
I did Ro-Ro’s for 14 years,brilliant job. The first,second and third things you NEED to do,as Juddian says,is Check The Back Door Is Shut.
On any modern Hooklift the controls for the gear will be inside the cab,the controls for the easysheet will probably be outside.
Ive done hooklifts for about 5 years and loved it when I got an auto sheet. Before that I had to climb on top of 50 cubic yard bins carrying a heavy sheet, and I’m rubbish at heights.
Just to emphasise checking the back door, when I was on bin wagons in Rugby, I had just finished tipping my load and had lowered the back into place. I noticed a roro having just tipped driving towards the back of my truck with its door swinging unsecured. Needless to say, despite my feeble attempts to bring attention to the driver from inside my cab, the door clouted the back of the bin wagon and put it off the road for a fortnight.
Always make sure that the door is SECURED either open or shut before driving, and keep a constant check on it after tipping.
Thanks guys, any clues on the cab controls?
stagedriver:
Thanks guys, any clues on the cab controls?
It depends on the make of the hooklift equiptment,Multilift have a kind of joystick with a switch on top,switchs on the base of the joystick. The switches on the base work the body-locks and bogie blockers(these shove a hydraulic cylinder onto the rear springs of the truck so you can lift more). On the joystick the top button shoves the arm back and forth,the joystick goes back and forth(if the body locks are in it will tip like a tipper-out and the skip goes off to the ground).
Different makes vary slightly but all work on a similar principal there’s the type been mentioned or one with separate levers or buttons. One to control body locks they usually have an safety system so the locks have to be open to push the bin back. One for body jacks either a big roller on the back but most new stuff is rams that push on rear springs make sure they are raised before driving one to pull and push the bin on the chasis and the hook for lifting the bin on which will tip if you have the body locks in.
When you’ve got the back on the ground where you want it, let your foot off the footbrake and drop it to the floor. The truck will slowly move forward and the bin will stay in place. Once you get to the point where the front of the bin is past the back of the truck you can pop the brake on.
When picking up, do it with the brakes off. You’ll keep slowly rolling backwards until the back starts to lift off the ground. As soon as it does put the brakes on.
As said, cab controls can be all different. The ones I’ve used have had separate levers behind the center console.
Oh, and don’t forget to put the body locks on when you’ve a bin on the back 
Check above where you are tipping for electric / telephone wires. Once you get to grips with them you will be pulling them on and off without even thinking.
just before tipping release locks and push the bin back a few feet then lock it again protects lights,camera,ect especially when tipping rubble,and as said before check hook is fully engaged on bin lift bar or embarassment will occur on busy building sites and possible banning from said site,and check rear door before lifting, if not locked the door will end up the same shape as a crisp and the contents of the bin will be on the floor,iv been doing this for years and its a sound job especially if all your bins are in good condition with doors you can open without a crowbar and shut without the help of a machine,thats why i keep a good selection of bars/hammers ect in the side basket oh and a short rachet strap is handy aswell,to put around doors as a secondry lock 
stagedriver:
Thanks guys, any clues on the cab controls?
Hi stagedriver, i did hooklifts/roll on roll off for 5 years on artics and our controls were down near the driver seat controls and we went on a number system, we had small levers on air, for safety our levers to work the clamps were on the trailer, so after you released the trailer clamps manually it was, as you look down to your right from front to back. 1, sent bin back 2, operated the Hook 3, jockey wheel or jack 4, sliding rollers (which not all rigids have).
