smoker:
I’ve driven close coupled w&d quite a bit, and they are actually easier than artics round bends.
That is probably true but an A frame will mirror the movements of the prime mover exactly, that is until you put it into reverse 
Wheel Nut:
smoker:
I’ve driven close coupled w&d quite a bit, and they are actually easier than artics round bends.That is probably true but an A frame will mirror the movements of the prime mover exactly, that is until you put it into reverse
Aah yes but then it acts like an artic Get the kink going then follow it around. The trouble with A-frames is they have a mind of their own ! They’ll turn much quicker and tighter than anything else. I’ve used them with tractors (agricultural aaargh) but not on HGV. Same as anything, you get used to it or give up and run away. As my old agency teacher used to say, “if you can get it out of the yard, then you can stop down the road and work it out” !
Turn a bit, wait a bit as always.
@ 8wheels: Is this what you had in mind? Spotted this on my way home after work this morning:
@bestbooties: are there any speed or weight restrictions on those ‘military’ hitches?
In terms of weights then yes I guess, that excavator looks to be bigger than a 13t machine could be a 16, 18 or even a 20t machine. I’m guessing that set up could be 60t GVW? so it could run with a load on the tipper, however if the tipper was empty you’d be in the 44t area.
In terms of what equipment I had in mind, it was more like this.
With a triaxle drawbar trailer, you can see on the front of the trailer the loadbed dips down so that the main ramps can fold onto the trailer so it can be through loaded.
Some of the flat demount bodies at my place.
This is where the locating pins slot into.
Tonyb
tonyb70:
Some of the flat demount bodies at my place.
This is where the locating pins slot into.Tonyb
That was always fun reversing an A frame under the Abel Bodies without knocking the legs off or bending the rear lights 
To be perfectly honest we used to swap the front box and swap trailers with our night changeover man in Dunstable most nights but as I was on a job that meant swapping the boxes on prime mover and drag, I persevered with it. It was easier than turning the truck round to nose the drag under.
tonyb70:
Some of the flat demount bodies at my place.
This is where the locating pins slot into.Tonyb
Would it be possible to pick up a body with the wagon,hitch up to the empty trailer,drop the body from the wagon and pull the trailer through and then put the body on the trailer.
This is only a question and my mind working overtime,i’ve got no experience of driving wagon and drags,i’m merely curious.
I did see an ‘Edinborough Woolen Mills’ driver reverse an A-frame wagon and drag under two bodies in Taunton services once.
He did it one go and left me with my mouth open,scratching my head.
Respect.
berewic:
The ridged always has to weigh more than the drag, loaded or not. At least that’s what I’ve always been told.Coupling up is a pain in the arse if your on your own but before you pull away always make sure the safty pin has returned fully, if not connect your red line as the slight movement of the trailer breaks coming off my rock the pin fully into place. Either way, it’s a pain in the arse.
At our place we are told different, in that providing weight limits are’nt exceeded, the drag may be heavier than the PM. That said, it’s not something I willingly contemplate, especially on a frosty night, the tail wagging the dog in those kind of circumstances isn’t pleasant contemplation! As to the coupling up question, yes, it can be a pain in the arse, particularly in the early days 
, but most serious wag&drag outfits are equipped with a handy little camera, so as long as the coupling is level with the eye on the drawbar theres no real probem(do check, as they cost about £11-1200 a throw,and they are fragile, I know, been there and done it, much to the consternation of the management 
). Don’t try and screw round in your own length, it just won’t go, and you may break the suzies. Generally speaking though, they are’nt too bad, once you’re used to them, it’s suprising just what you can do with them, so they should be well useful for moving heavy plant about.
Would it be possible to pick up a body with the wagon,hitch up to the empty trailer,drop the body from the wagon and pull the trailer through and then put the body on the trailer.
This is only a question and my mind working overtime,i’ve got no experience of driving wagon and drags,i’m merely curious.
You could do that providing both bodies are the same, on the Sovereign / UCL set up we had 24’ boxes on the truck and 27’ on the trailer, the 24 footers would go on the trailer for trunking, but the 27 footer could not go on the truck whilst using a drag. To be honest what you are suggesting is just causing yourself much more work and the drag could not be reversed up to a loading bay with the small box on.
papermonkey:
berewic:
The ridged always has to weigh more than the drag, loaded or not. At least that’s what I’ve always been told.Coupling up is a pain in the arse if your on your own but before you pull away always make sure the safty pin has returned fully, if not connect your red line as the slight movement of the trailer breaks coming off my rock the pin fully into place. Either way, it’s a pain in the arse.
At our place we are told different, in that providing weight limits are’nt exceeded, the drag may be heavier than the PM. That said, it’s not something I willingly contemplate, especially on a frosty night, the tail wagging the dog in those kind of circumstances isn’t pleasant contemplation! Don’t try and screw round in your own length, it just won’t go, and you may break the suzies. Generally speaking though, they are’nt too bad, once you’re used to them, it’s suprising just what you can do with them, so they should be well useful for moving heavy plant about.
There is a world of difference between a caravan chassis drawbar setup and an A frame both in handling and loading. The caravan chassis does need to be balanced or it will either tip up on uncoupling or overload the prime mover axle. Whereas, with an A frame you could put a 17 tonne block of lead at the headboard of a drag and the prime mover could still be legal.
The A Frame is carrying the whole weight, the drawbar is just that a light bar, or structure to direct the front wheels to follow the prime machine.
Forgive the military implications again, it was a quick Google search to illustrate the above.
Our lot insist that the trailer stays with the prime mover.as they go together for service.
So on a changeover the whole lot has to be swopped.The mudwings keep getting ripped off.and the rear lights get damaged.
It would be easier to drop trailers and demount the frontbodies,and then match up the lorry and trailer when due for service, but the office won’t allow it.
Tonyb
Wagon and drags very common here in New Zealand. They are great for livestock cartage. Reversing is easy once you get the hang of it. The truck pictured has an a frame which has to disconnected and the simply reversed over and you then load stock through your trailer into the truck. The majority of livestock units have sliding drawbars whereby a flick of the switch and the drawbar slides underneath the trailer as you ■■■■ up to your trailer.
Here I am a few years ago south of Taihape with a load of black and whites on. The V8 Mitsi was gutless. Very nimble around tight yards though.
we run dragons and wags and as for the question of running with the trailer heavier i fetched a load from aberdeen to rotherham ,18t on the trailer 3t on the pm ,had to be loaded that way due to the weights involved, and the only problem i had was getting traction onto the drive wheels up steep hills(a68 has a few 
) and as a rule i will ALLWAYS run heaviest on the drag
as an after point one of our lads came back from pulburough at 46t got pulled by vosa on the 25 and was let on his merry way with no action taken his set up is an 8 wheeler (32t) and tri axle trailer(25t) total allowable axle weight supposedly 56t (-1t for drawbar)