Just in my second week of driving and having a few problems hooking up a trailer. I can hook it up no problem but some times the landing gear is very hard to come up. I tried to raise up the suspension but didn’t make any difference as it was a loaded trailer. Any advice on this? I eventually got it up after some hard work of winding the legs but has to be an easier way of taking the pressure off the legs.
Also when connecting the air lines, I fiend it very hard to push them in. Is there any way of releasing the air pressure so it makes it easy to push them in.
Just in my second week of driving and having a few problems hooking up a trailer. I can hook it up no problem but some times the landing gear is very hard to come up. I tried to raise up the suspension but didn’t make any difference as it was a loaded trailer. Any advice on this? I eventually got it up after some hard work of winding the legs but has to be an easier way of taking the pressure off the legs.
Make sure the unit suspension comes up all the way. if it’s heavy, it’ll come up slower, but it should still come up.
If the legs are still on the ground, push the suspension valve in on the trailer and turn it to the right to raise the trailer too.
keithb988:
Also when connecting the air lines, I fiend it very hard to push them in. Is there any way of releasing the air pressure so it makes it easy to push them in.
Many thanks in advance
No. Not unless you have air taps on the unit, which is quite unlikely.
Do you know the winding arm has 2 gear settings? Stick it in the higher gear until it’s free of the ground. You change gear by pushing the bar connected to the winding arm in or out.
Sometimes trailers are just dropped by units which have higher fifth wheels than yours. Apart from raising the suspension on the tractor unit and the trailer there’s not a lot you can do.
Airlines, no, all you can do is make sure the connectors are well lubricated.
Use the low gear on the winding handle. Push the handle in towards the trailer to engage the low gear. It is very slow so will seem as though the legs are not lifting but keep winding and then once the pressure is off the legs pull the handle back towards you to re-engage the high gear.
jay0:
Use the low gear on the winding handle. Push the handle in towards the trailer to engage the low gear. It is very slow so will seem as though the legs are not lifting but keep winding and then once the pressure is off the legs pull the handle back towards you to re-engage the high gear.
Old school In the days before air suspension, low gear was the only way to go…
As has been said, Once under the trailer lift it with the air suspension, to get the weight off the legs.
But of course you may have had a trailer with damaged legs, so that won’t work. Also have 2 gears on a landing legs, so you could could put them in a lower gear, by pushing in or pulling out the winding handle. Beware though there is neutral in the middle which is far easier to operate, but will take forever to lift the legs,
As for air lines, just got to get used to the pressure and push them.
It was just the yellow line that was a pain on the one I learned on so I did that one first so I wasn’t wrestling with all of them getting covered in grease. I was told that if the trailer parking brake was on the red line should just go in easily and it did for me (Merc unit) .Is that not always the case then?
jay0:
Use the low gear on the winding handle. Push the handle in towards the trailer to engage the low gear. It is very slow so will seem as though the legs are not lifting but keep winding and then once the pressure is off the legs pull the handle back towards you to re-engage the high gear.
Old school In the days before air suspension, low gear was the only way to go…
I’m not long in the job myself but on some of our trailers the legs are very stiff and after breaking a handle off I started using the low gear to wind them up the last little bit also, it’s also good exercise
If you’ve got a close-coupled outfit, try putting the airlines on before you’re fully under the trailer. The extra space will give
you more room to get some leverage onto them. Just remember to ensure the trailer park-brake is on first though, or you’ll
probably have the trailer rolling away, or even crushing you against the back of the cab.
jay0:
Use the low gear on the winding handle. Push the handle in towards the trailer to engage the low gear. It is very slow so will seem as though the legs are not lifting but keep winding and then once the pressure is off the legs pull the handle back towards you to re-engage the high gear.
Old school In the days before air suspension, low gear was the only way to go…
I used to lay a couple of 8ft timbers on the floor and try and land the drive axle on them as the pin clicked in, usually gave you just enough lift to get the legs a couple of inches off the ground so the easy wind wasnt needed
OP very good for asking the question! ALWAYS make sure the trailer brake is ON! that will save your LIFE! split coupling is/ can be very dangerous! Avoid at all costs, but if you have a reefer/ close coupled trailer you’ve no choice! IF IN DOUBT ASK ABOUT! Old sweats should help you out and remember " the dumbest question? Is the one you never ASK? " enjoy pal
I also find the air line hard to go in.Some trailers it goes in with no effort but some are a struggle.
With that,i get my whole body weight behind it to push it in.
The grease gets everywhere.And appears by magic.
If you are in a small yard and need to turn around,release all the lines on the rear of the cab.
By doing this,it prevents pulling out the lines when doing a sharp turn.
Press the shunt button too.
At the front of trailers tuck away the handles that lock the bottom of the poles.
When they stick out,it catches the lines while turning.
Some bungey cords are ideal to keep the lines from getting tangled up.Halfords sell them or camping shops.
In the days before air suspension, low gear was the only way to go…
