I’ve had a red line detach, an hours drive from base thankfully empty but at a good 60mph, cue 8 threepenny bit tyres and a set of skiddies on the M1 that took about a month to disappear.
Fitted correctly etc, never happened before or since.
Trailer swapped over at remote depot for new tyres to be fitted, suzy on tractor unit changed, fitters put it down to a faulty or poorly made connector.
I think its like those once in a lifetime events when you’ve connected up to a trailer, only to find when you check that the king pin is sitting on not inside the fifth wheel jaws.
Before it happened to me i would have sworn it was not possible, but i picked up a loaded trailer one day that had been dropped on the ■■■■ on uneven ground, backing under the jaws clicked home but didn’t sound quite right , yes dog clip went in, drew the vehicle down onto level ground and had a poke nose, sure enough it’s on the jaws.
Luckily, a few months before this one of my colleagues from another depot drove 150 miles (empty amazingly) only to find the trailer bounced off on the Embankment just down the road from the home of the westmonster clown show, none of us could believe it was possible at the time, but luckily or not proved it was entirely possible a few months later, if it hadn’t been for the dropped one might have had the same happen to me.
Juddian:
I’ve had a red line detach, an hours drive from base thankfully empty but at a good 60mph, cue 8 threepenny bit tyres and a set of skiddies on the M1 that took about a month to disappear.
Fitted correctly etc, never happened before or since.
Trailer swapped over at remote depot for new tyres to be fitted, suzy on tractor unit changed, fitters put it down to a faulty or poorly made connector.
I think its like those once in a lifetime events when you’ve connected up to a trailer, only to find when you check that the king pin is sitting on not inside the fifth wheel jaws.
Before it happened to me i would have sworn it was not possible, but i picked up a loaded trailer one day that had been dropped on the ■■■■ on uneven ground, backing under the jaws clicked home but didn’t sound quite right , yes dog clip went in, drew the vehicle down onto level ground and had a poke nose, sure enough it’s on the jaws.
Luckily, a few months before this one of my colleagues from another depot drove 150 miles (empty amazingly) only to find the trailer bounced off on the Embankment just down the road from the home of the westmonster clown show, none of us could believe it was possible at the time, but luckily or not proved it was entirely possible a few months later, if it hadn’t been for the dropped one might have had the same happen to me.
See this is what i was worried about the place this happend has a phone with an app on it to do the checks so you cant see what was recorded by the previous driver(s). I did report it to the office bod and left a note in the cab for the next driver that i didnt know if it was me but i had had those issues I had images of it happening on the motorway somewhere and causing a huge pile up at the very least if it happened to meon the motorway the skid marks wouldnt only be on the tarmac
Cooper, i’d have defected the vehicle straight away, for the cost of a new connector and 5 minutes to fit no transport office in the country would do anything but agree with you, when compared to what could be the alternative, ie a loaded trailer stopping rapidly with no warning on a wet motorway or worse slewing sideways cleaning everything in its path.
cooper1203:
Thats the thing through i have been taught to raise the unit susspention up so the legs are clear of the ground weather split coupeling or normal. so only thing holding the trailor is the park brake once the line is connected.
Which is how I also try do it. Providing the trl wasnt left a mile in the air. But some dont do it this way, and so end up as I described.
cooper1203:
when i was driving round the yard… heard a bang as i assume the airline hit the back of the cab and the trailor wheels locked when i got out red airline was laying on the catwalk.
Juddian:
I’ve had a red line detach, an hours drive from base thankfully empty but at a good 60mph, cue 8 threepenny bit tyres and a set of skiddies on the M1 that took about a month to disappear.
Fitted correctly etc, never happened before or since.
Bizarre. I still can`t imagine how it would happen.
But live and learn.
I had a yellow line disconnect itself once. That’s once in over 40 years of driving.
In the late 90’s, pulling a BSD flat, empty, into the yard. I was followed in by the police and a DVLA wheel tapper.
They jumped out of the car and informed me who they were, then asked if they could do an inspection .
I took it that asking was the polite way of saying, “we’re going to anyway”.
Anyway, they checked lights etc, then the wheel tapper got underneath my trailer. “Brakes On!”, “Brakes Off!”. This went on for more than 6 or 8 cycles, then he crawled back out.
Did you connect your brake lines properly driver? So I thought for a moment, but knew my trailer brake had been working, even with an empty flat you can feel a difference. So I said yes, definitely. I thought so too, the brakes are still quite warm, but they aren’t working now, he said. Then he jumped up onto the catwalk, the yellow line fell off into his hand. He reconnected it and checked my now working trailer brakes. Very strange, I’ve never seen that before, he said, you’d better get that connector checked in the workshop.
It was checked, nothing wrong with it. I’d driven a couple of hundred miles with that trailer, the brakes had been fine. Yet it disconnected itself somehow.
Juddian:
Since truck brakes became spring brakes i don’t get the almost religious mania about applying the park brake, though due to endless reams of H&S rules i always apply them, unless i’m dropping one and know i’m picking it up again in short order.
Forget to put unit park brake on. Connect red airline on trailer that doesn’t have an automatic park brake with park brake off, watch trailer and unit roll away.
Why wouldn’t the unit roll away as soon as you opened the drivers door, if it would just because you connected to a trailer?
If connecting to a trailer:
Bang unit under, the trailer is now holding the unit in place. .
Yes of course, not sure what I was thinking [emoji848]
As an aside, this is where MAN and Daf trucks are safer than the Swedish tackle, the service yellow line on the aforesaid makes will be pressurised when the tractor park brake is on, so our driver if they are a driver will be aware when connecting up if there’s resistance in the service line when connecting or not.
You’ve lost me. Mercedes service line is always pressurized with the handbrake on (not tried it with the handbrake off as I don’t fancy climbing out the window) so not sure if that like a DAF or a Volvo?
Also I always connect the emergency line first and disconnect it last (unless attaching a lock at an RDC) because it’s furthest away from me, is that not right? So what does knowing the service line is pressurized add? other than making it difficult.
As an aside, this is where MAN and Daf trucks are safer than the Swedish tackle, the service yellow line on the aforesaid makes will be pressurised when the tractor park brake is on, so our driver if they are a driver will be aware when connecting up if there’s resistance in the service line when connecting or not.
You’ve lost me. Mercedes service line is always pressurized with the handbrake on (not tried it with the handbrake off as I don’t fancy climbing out the window) so not sure if that like a DAF or a Volvo?
Also I always connect the emergency line first and disconnect it last (unless attaching a lock at an RDC) because it’s furthest away from me, is that not right? So what does knowing the service line is pressurized add? other than making it difficult.
When you fit the service line to a trailer with a new (to you) make of vehicle, if there’s resistance it means the tractor park brake is applied, not all makes have this inbuilt, some like Scania (and Volvos of yor, i have no idea what modern Volvos do) don’t pressurise the service line.
So, assuming you have a Daf or MAN (unsure of what others do these days, hence learn what the vehicle you drive does, you’ve alreadty found Merc’s pressurise the service line), if you are fitting the service line and it slides on with no resistance like a Scania, it means the tractor unit park brake isn’t applied automatically by the tractor unit.
What this also means, is if you have to park on say a slippery slip or are loading say a low loader from the rear with a heavy piece of equipment, and the artic tractor you are in doesn’t apply the trailer brakes when parked, you should apply the trailer park brake manually for safety, or with for example a Scania you could find the vehicle running away if friction overcame the tractor unit tyres, or in the case of the low loader as the machine is climbing up the rear end of the trailer it could lift the tractor unit drive wheels enough to allow the whole outfit to roll away…we recently had a thread about this very thing re a low loader.
This used to be a particular problem when i drove wag’n drag car transporters especially behind a Volvo FL10/12 prime mover, the park brake only applied the prime mover drive axle, even when loading heavy vans or Land Rovers it was too easy to find you were pushing the whole truck down the road, the answer on those vehicle was to apply the little Broms Brake button on the dash which pressurised the trailer brakes also and would stay on until you manually released it.
Bearing in mind how poor the servicing was where i first drove transporters you could actually have no effective park brake at all once the drive axle shoes wore down enough, that was a company i was glad to leave but was one of the very few routes into transporters if you didn’t have family already in the game to ease your path.
cav551:
Have another read of that! in a couiple of places you haven’t said what you meant to say, or at least it can be read wrongly.[/quo
Cav, half the time i confuse myself and struggle to read my own writing, doubt i’ll get any better as i get any more doddery, i have edited one line that i could see could be misconstrued, much obliged to me learned friend.
If you can explain more clearly the importance of noting whether the service line is pressurised or not pressurised when you connect a vehicle that applies the trailer brakes when the tractor park brake is applied be my guest
I’m surprised that it didn’t become a legal requirement for the service line to be pressurised when the prime mover or tractor unit park brake is applied, seems ludicrous that a 40 or 44 ton vehicle could be legally parked with only the tractor unit park brake operating.
You’re the man to ask Cav, what possible benefit is there for the Scania and some others approach by not applying pressure down the service line when parked? because i’m buggered if i can think of one save for allowing the trailer suspension to have more free movement though the times this could be to any benefit i’m struggling to come up with.
I’m gonna swim against the tide here and buck popular thinking! I have a problem with the use of trailer brakes! There, I’ve said it . If drivers were meant to engage trailer brakes the buttons would be sodding great things that could be gripped by sodden gloves but they’re not! Pull the airline off and the brakes apply, the air runs out and the brakes lock on. I’m sorry but anyone who hurts themselves when coupling a trailer up isn’t doing their job properly and is inviting disaster. They are probably better off out of the gene pool tbh.
In our yard we have a mixture of trailers, some automatically engage the park brake when the red airline is removed, some don’t. On the ones that don’t you can guarantee that the trailer brakes haven’t been engaged by the dropee, that’s perfectly fine if the one picking it up is doing his/her job properly, if not then at least there’s a spare pair of gloves going!
Whenever there’s an incident involving the pick up or drop of trailers, its either the bods who haven’t got a minute to live or those who anyone with an ounce of common could tell you were accidents waiting to happen invariably the very same ones who haven’t got a minute to live and take little or no pride or interest in the job itself.
the maoster:
I’m gonna swim against the tide here and buck popular thinking! I have a problem with the use of trailer brakes! There, I’ve said it . If drivers were meant to engage trailer brakes the buttons would be sodding great things that could be gripped by sodden gloves but they’re not! Pull the airline off and the brakes apply, the air runs out and the brakes lock on. I’m sorry but anyone who hurts themselves when coupling a trailer up isn’t doing their job properly and is inviting disaster. They are probably better off out of the gene pool tbh.
In our yard we have a mixture of trailers, some automatically engage the park brake when the red airline is removed, some don’t. On the ones that don’t you can guarantee that the trailer brakes haven’t been engaged by the dropee, that’s perfectly fine if the one picking it up is doing his/her job properly, if not then at least there’s a spare pair of gloves going!
not wanting to be cast as an accident waiting to happen or not having a min to live but how would u define doing thier job properly. Sorry dont mean to sound argumentative but you and juddian are amongst the peopke on here whos oppinion i value
the maoster:
I’m gonna swim against the tide here and buck popular thinking! I have a problem with the use of trailer brakes! There, I’ve said it . If drivers were meant to engage trailer brakes the buttons would be sodding great things that could be gripped by sodden gloves but they’re not! Pull the airline off and the brakes apply, the air runs out and the brakes lock on. I’m sorry but anyone who hurts themselves when coupling a trailer up isn’t doing their job properly and is inviting disaster. They are probably better off out of the gene pool tbh.
In our yard we have a mixture of trailers, some automatically engage the park brake when the red airline is removed, some don’t. On the ones that don’t you can guarantee that the trailer brakes haven’t been engaged by the dropee, that’s perfectly fine if the one picking it up is doing his/her job properly, if not then at least there’s a spare pair of gloves going!
not wanting to be cast as an accident waiting to happen or not having a min to live but how would u define doing thier job properly. Sorry dont mean to sound argumentative but you and juddian are amongst the peopke on here whos oppinion i value
What I mean Coop is following procedures. BLACK if you like. Do not allow yourself to be distracted during any coupling/uncoupling procedure. If you are distracted (it happens) then start the procedure all over again. These things WILL kill you, but only if you let them. If you are split coupling firstly make sure the truck handbrake is applied before exiting the cab, and then ensure that the trailer brake is applied.
If you’re not split coupling then the main thing is to ensure that the lorry handbrake is applied before exiting the cab, the trailer brake status is irrespective if you follow this because it simply isn’t going anywhere.
Sorry if that’s not clear but my local Tossco has Madri big bottles at three for a fiver and I’ve taken advantage mate
the maoster:
^^^ don’t you bloody start too. My solicitor is capable of writing two letters ya know!
Consider me suitably chastised and warned, still smarting over Cooper’s rebuttal of my assertion (not meant for he) about those not having a minute to cause an accident or some such thing
Anyway, high time i wa sin bed, need me beauty sleep (not a euphemism ), hasn’t worked in 6 decades but you never know.
Juddian:
Since truck brakes became spring brakes i don’t get the almost religious mania about applying the park brake, though due to endless reams of H&S rules i always apply them, unless i’m dropping one and know i’m picking it up again in short order.
Forget to put unit park brake on. Connect red airline on trailer that doesn’t have an automatic park brake with park brake off, watch trailer and unit roll away.
This is what I think is really dangerous, people that don’t understand that in The scenario of forgetting to set the unit handbrake, which is far less lightly now as don’t all units alarm if you open the door without the handbrake on? Then using the trailer handbrake just changes the point at which the runaway occurs.
Couple up, put the airlines on, knock the trailer handbrake off whilst walking to put the number plate on thinking how we know what we are doing here because we use the trailer handbrake, kneel down at the back to put the number plate on, just as the trailer that was completely drained of air has enough to release the brakes and rolls back and traps you against the fence.
Now I know you can turn the engine off as soon as coupled whilst you go to connect everything up to reduce the chances of that happening, or even then pump the brakes to drain the unit, you can stand next to the trailer brake for a few minutes so you could instantly put it back on if it started to move, and release the trailer brake last just before you get back in the cab. But the point is people blindly believe they are safe and more professional by using the trailer brake over someone that doesn’t, when they haven’t got a clue and don’t turn the engine off ect. Lack of knowledge and blind faith in using the trailer brake is dangerous.
I don’t use the trailer brake when dropping the trailer.
I’ve no need to split couple, but only a idiot would split couple without checking the trailer brake was on 1st.
, yes dog clip went in, drew the vehicle down onto level ground and had a poke nose, sure enough it’s on the jaws.
.
. If drivers were meant to engage trailer brakes the buttons would be sodding great things that could be gripped by sodden gloves but they’re not! Pull the airline off and the brakes apply, the air runs out and the brakes lock on. I’m sorry but anyone who hurts themselves when coupling a trailer up isn’t doing their job properly and is inviting disaster. They are probably better off out of the gene pool tbh.
), hasn’t worked in 6 decades but you never know.