…and watching these boys with half length twin axle city trailers. And they have rear steer …!
Admittedly they make it look pretty easy putting them in the bays, but they never seem to be in a straight line. They are always kinking around to put them somewhere other than the way they are facing.
Now I know my Artic experience is short. But surely with half length trailers, they’d be better off with fixed trailer axles and just pointing the back in the direction of the bay.
Has anyone on here had experience of these?
Just bored and thought I’d share my thought of the day 
dar1976:
…and watching these boys with half length twin axle city trailers. And they have rear steer …!
Admittedly they make it look pretty easy putting them in the bays, but they never seem to be in a straight line. They are always kinking around to put them somewhere other than the way they are facing.
Now I know my Artic experience is short. But surely with half length trailers, they’d be better off with fixed trailer axles and just pointing the back in the direction of the bay.
Has anyone on here had experience of these?
Just bored and thought I’d share my thought of the day
Just finished a shift today where i was allocated a 35 foot rear steer,pulled by an FM 12 4 wheel unit. These trailers follow really well,the steering axle is hydraulic and takes its “signal” from a wedge which fits into the open part of the 5th wheel.
BUT reversing the ■■■■■■ things is another matter-every steering input goes straight to the rear steer-that is why you see them snaking back towards the bay. Unless you are completely straight then they just move about. Was at one shop the other day that you have to go in at an angle-took 3 shunts because the rear steer kept bringing it in too tight-just takes getting used to. Don’t even mention the 27 foot single axle ■■■■■■■■■
I use them a lot… 33ft twin axle steer.
Some places you need the steer, same size locked axles will not physically go into some places.
It’s hard to go back in a straight line tbh.!
Had to put one of Comets short urban single axle trailers onto a bay, the single axle being a steerer.
That was interesting, going forward simply fantastic, but going backwards you have to take your eyes away from the trailer body and look at the rear wheels only, they go exactly where they are pointing but the trailer can look way out of line then all of a sudden you’re in dead straight, if you watch the trailer as well as you would normally it goes everywhere, most peculiar.
dar1976:
Has anyone on here had experience of these?
Hi Dean,
Back in the distant past (1984) I worked for an Italian company.
We had artics (2+3) and ran at 44t perfectly legally on Italian national transport.
The trailers had twin wheels on each end of the first two axles, but single wheels and rear steer on each end of the rear axle. These were actually very easy to reverse.
The procedure was to pull forward in a straight line, then jump out and operate a small air-valve near the landing legs which put a pin in the rear steer and thereby ‘locking’ the steering. It was just like reversing a standard tri-axle trailer after that.
This is about the best pic I could find, but we had tilt trailers:
Please scroll to the last pic
http://camionusato.blogspot.co.uk/2012_03_01_archive.html
dar1976:
…and watching these boys with half length twin axle city trailers. And they have rear steer …!
Admittedly they make it look pretty easy putting them in the bays, but they never seem to be in a straight line. They are always kinking around to put them somewhere other than the way they are facing.
Now I know my Artic experience is short. But surely with half length trailers, they’d be better off with fixed trailer axles and just pointing the back in the direction of the bay.
Has anyone on here had experience of these?
Just bored and thought I’d share my thought of the day
Out of interest which RDC was it? I work at the Nottingham depot and apparently its easier to get into our stores with a rear steer. Although the drivers at our RDC used to get into the stores before we had rear steer lol. Oh and the day shot shunters are ■■■■ that’s why it was all over the shop lol
Wouldn’t know about them they have only been open just over a year is it a big depot?
I work there its a fair size. One of the biggest so we are told.
Dan_1986:
I work there its a fair size. One of the biggest so we are told.
Not as a warehouse assistant for much longer though