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.
Try it and see, next time a trailer you go to lift is dropped so low you can’t get under it even with your suspension down, go and drop the air out of the trailer till you see how much it lifts.
bigtruck:
Try it and see, next time a trailer you go to lift is dropped so low you can’t get under it even with your suspension down, go and drop the air out of the trailer till you see how much it lifts.
My reading of the OP was he was struggling winding up the legs not getting under the trailer. If the problem was getting the 5th wheel under the rubbing plate the your suggestion is a tried and tested option, as is warp a factor 7 approach and winding the legs in low gear for a while to raise the front.
bigtruck:
So now your contradicting your previous post!!!
No. If you want to raise the front lip of the trailer to get the 5th wheel under the rubbing plate then dropping the trailer suspension, with the pivot around the legs, will do that. However if, as was my reading of the OP, you want to lift the legs then raising the trailer suspension will do that as the pivot point is moved from the legs to the 5th wheel/rubbing plate/king pin. It’s all a bit Pythagoras and his theory.
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.
The thing is that in the test you have just dropped the trailer with the same unit so you would be doing a completely pointless drop and raise of the unit suspension.
To my trainers credit, he DID explain / demonstrate / let us play with the air suspension and tell us that in the real world this is the best way to couple.
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.
The thing is that in the test you have just dropped the trailer with the same unit so you would be doing a completely pointless drop and raise of the unit suspension.
To my trainers credit, he DID explain / demonstrate / let us play with the air suspension and tell us that in the real world this is the best way to couple.
This is where so much official training practical/theory/DCPC falls down as the people doing the training are typically not actually doing the job any longer (if they ever did it at all in the first place) and they very quickly become out of touch with current working practices and training vehicles are typically elderly.
on the yellow line simply depress the small plastic valve sticking out of the end of the male fitting and this will release some of the pressure making the fittings much easier to join
gb1:
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.
He’s only in his 2nd week of driving artics. I know you’re only trying to help but this will be information overload for the poor chap and he’s at high risk of crushing himself to death if he doesn’t do the split couple in exactly the correct procedure. Imo it’s not a good idea to put the split coupling method to him at this early stage in his driving career as it could well cause more harm than good. Even the old hands that have been driving for donkeys years often get split coupling wrong so he doesn’t stand a chance.
Had to pick up an empty with an MAN yesterday, dropped by a half wit with a mid lift Scania, even with the suspension at full height i couldn’t actually take any weight off the legs, the landing legs looked like stilts.
europleb:
on the yellow line simply depress the small plastic valve sticking out of the end of the male fitting and this will release some of the pressure making the fittings much easier to join
That’s ok if the line does in fact have the plastic valve fitted. Not all units do. Oh, and its not that easy to press, remember why it was hard to couple in the first place, that’s it, the pressure.
keithb988:
I tried to raise up the suspension but didn’t make any difference as it was a loaded trailer.
That shouldn’t make any difference. Assuming there’s enough air in the unit in the first place. Make sure it’s fully charged and keep the engine running until it’s raised the legs well off the floor.
gb1:
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.
He’s only in his 2nd week of driving artics. I know you’re only trying to help but this will be information overload for the poor chap and he’s at high risk of crushing himself to death if he doesn’t do the split couple in exactly the correct procedure. Imo it’s not a good idea to put the split coupling method to him at this early stage in his driving career as it could well cause more harm than good. Even the old hands that have been driving for donkeys years often get split coupling wrong so he doesn’t stand a chance.
The artic I just passed test on was close coupled and needed split coupling. I reckon I was lucky to get taught how to do this as part of my training, through necessity.
Can of wd 40 can help if the suzies are very dry, just lately I seem to be getting the awkward ones to couple up, after all the continuous wet weather the connections have now dried out and gone very stiff, I usually carry a mini size can of wd 40 from 99p shop in my kit bag, it just helps a little.
And every so often I get lumbered with a trailer which has had the gearing damaged, & it’s a sod to wind them up & always a relief when the last winde is done
Win-Stone:
Idiot question: I’m assuming that you’re turning off the engine before you try to link up the air lines?
ok mate the secret of raising the legs is in the wrist action
turn the handle hard as you can when going from 12 o clock to 6 o clock
and the momentum should take it back up to 12 o clock with little ease
it is often easier to do this with one hand on the handle rather than 2
and when pushing in the red and yellow suzys ,not stating the obvious but
often new drivers start pushing when the little round thing in the sleeve is not lined up with the groove if you know what i mean
so make sure its lined up and the sleeve is pulled back a bit like ■■■■■■■■ for hand relief
paulnightdriver954:
i find if the suzy are dry try dipping them in derv tank just to lightly oil the ball bearing up
Good tip but I’m sure Suzy would not like this and much prefers the spit and slap method or 5 minutes foreplay using a lubricating substance to make coupling easier.
& always a relief when the last winde is done 
