Idiot question: I’m assuming that you’re turning off the engine before you try to link up the air lines?
If the tractor won’t lift the trailer enough to clear the legs its because a half wit has dropped the thing too high, which is now the norm.
Typically a tag axle or mid lift Scania jockey (attendants of other make’s steering wheels can be equally as much use as a chocolate teapot) are the worse offenders, and will leave the tag up and then wind the legs on an empty right down to the ground, do they ever wonder what happens when that trailer gets loaded either in situ or shunted by tug and the legs left as they are far too high, no don’t be silly they don’t have any trouble and that all that matters.
Win-Stone:
Idiot question: I’m assuming that you’re turning off the engine before you try to link up the air lines?
That’s it take a pop at a new guy for asking a question for something he wasn’t taught on his lessons. Big man eh. Least he has the balls to ask instead of fumbling his way through
taffytrucker:
Win-Stone:
Idiot question: I’m assuming that you’re turning off the engine before you try to link up the air lines?
That’s it take a pop at a new guy for asking a question for something he wasn’t taught on his lessons. Big man eh. Least he has the balls to ask instead of fumbling his way through
I don’t think he was taking a pop, just trying to clarify something. Your aggression seems a bit over the top to me.
jay0:
low gear was the only way to go…
A 1000 turns in low should just about do it 
If you’re struggling with the yellow line then release the handbrake in the cab and it will simply slot in without any resistance at all. But for God’s sake MAKE SURE YOUR TRAILER PARKING BRAKE IS ON FIRST otherwise your truck will roll away if it is on any type of incline.
This only works for the yellow line.
Some tractor units can be worse than others for getting the airlines on we had some MAN units on hire and they where hard to get the lines on with pressure from the yellow,Just empty the air supply by pumping the brake pedal until its empty then put the lines on,should go on with ease.
If the units suspension is slow to rise up there’s a couple of things:
Are you doing it with the engine on or off? If off then you could be draining the air tanks before it gets enough pressure to lift the trailer.
Try switching the engine on but make sure if standing at the side of the cab your put the handbrake on!
If the engine is on and it’s still slow to rise up, try giving the throttle a little gas to help the compressor do it’s thing. You don’t need full throttle as some idiots seem to think.
It may also take a few minutes to gather enough air in the tanks to raise the suspension, I find sometimes it’ll only lift the trailer if there’s enough air pressure in the reservoir.
What I do is back under, get out to check where the pin is and then raise the suspension (assuming you’ve secured the trailer first).
keithb988:
Hi guysJust 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.
Many thanks in advance
Use your knee against your elbow to push the air lines on with your foot braced against something for force.
The unit suspension will raise slowly if loaded, just keep pressing it for a few minutes obviously with the engine on so you have air.
Funnily enough I thought you’d be better off dropping the trailer suspension so as the front rises rather than raising it?
As had been said, use low gear on the legs if there’s still no joy.
If you want to be clever, you could just get your run up ramps under then lift him and wind the legs down a bit then get the fifth wheel under.
Amazed at the professional men especially Harry monk advising to raise the trailer suspension!! What’s that all about? If he dumps the trailer suspension with the unit full up he may find it a bit easier. It can take 2-3 ton of the landing legs.
OMG, How did we cope before air suspension 
Hodgy67:
OMG, How did we cope before air suspension
I seem to remember we didn’t screw the trailer landing legs down into the ground -
plus a few extra turns for luck. 
We left them up a bit - about enough to get your toe cap under.
axletramp:
Hodgy67:
OMG, How did we cope before air suspensionI seem to remember we didn’t screw the trailer landing legs down into the ground -
plus a few extra turns for luck.
We left them up a bit - about enough to get your toe cap under.
And then pull out at warp speed to see if you could bury the legs in the mud whistles innocently
I passed my test last year and raising and lowering the suspension was never a part of either the training or the test all though the former was just down to the trainer i had as i know a different guy at the same bit does teach it. The only time it came close was observing the height of 5th wheel in relation to kingpin.
IMO its a important part to be overlooked and certainly should be part of the test.
Last resort if struggling with air lines, apply parking brake once coupled then with engine off keep depressing footbrake until all air has drained from unit. Air lines will now be a doddle to connect.
Just a word of warning on landing legs if it’s a trailer used by many when doing the tug test many don’t jack the unit suspension up and tug so eventually the legs banana and are a c u next Tuesday to wind up if it’s your trailer ie one you have week in week out jack the unit up on its suspension before you tug test to stop this
truckster5:
I passed my test last year and raising and lowering the suspension was never a part of either the training or the test all though the former was just down to the trainer i had as i know a different guy at the same bit does teach it. The only time it came close was observing the height of 5th wheel in relation to kingpin.IMO its a important part to be overlooked and certainly should be part of the test.
I agree, I passed last year and it wasn’t in the test. Only when I started for my current employer did I adopt the raising of the unit suspension.
Which one is the suzy?
Graft:
Which one is the suzy?
can refer to any/all of them
Silver_Surfer:
Funnily enough I thought you’d be better off dropping the trailer suspension so as the front rises rather than raising it?.
bigtruck:
Amazed at the professional men especially Harry monk advising to raise the trailer suspension!! What’s that all about? If he dumps the trailer suspension with the unit full up he may find it a bit easier. It can take 2-3 ton of the landing legs.
Where is the pivot point? ITS THE LEGS. Dropping the trailer suspension will increase the load pressure on the legs, lifting it will lighten the load.