I drive a wagon n drag draw bar.the drag is tri-axle.whats the difference in reversing a draw bar to an A frame??how does it come round compared to the draw bar when reversing.Also would you guys class this as specialist work???the reason i ask is we have alot of agency drivers that wont drive them when they turn up.
Chalk and cheese, words can’t describe…
I had a go at reversing one once, I couldn’t even get it to go in a straight line.
a frame harder■■?
your gonna be in for some fun and games with that one buddy, practice makes perfect, a complete nitemare , try and keep calm, its an art , been 15 years since i was on one doing multi drop in glasgow with it those were the days!! 
let us know how u get on pal
I used to drive one for Littlewoods in the 70s a lot harder to reverse than a normal drawbar. You have to send the rear of the wagon in the direction you want the trailer to go then catch the a frame before it goes round too far .Takes a lot of practice to get the trailer to go anywhere near where you want it to go. Took me about a month before i could feel confident going backwards.
had a go a few times,and vary between diabolical…and terrible 
clarkyboy:
I drive a wagon n drag draw bar.the drag is tri-axle.whats the difference in reversing a draw bar to an A frame??how does it come round compared to the draw bar when reversing.Also would you guys class this as specialist work???the reason i ask is we have alot of agency drivers that wont drive them when they turn up.
A drawbar is an A Frame and a close coupled trailer (caravan type) is’nt really a drawbar outfit.A close coupled trailer is’nt much different to reverse to an artic trailer except it’s shorter so it turns faster whereas an A frame drawbar outfit has two points of articulation so it needs the opposite steering inputs to an artic or close coupled trailer and more of them to correct both the angle of the trailer relative the steering front trailer bogie/dolly and the drawbar relative to the prime mover but the trailer is just as short,unless you’re in Scandinavia,so it still turns fast although they don’t have their axles in the centre so the axle weights are easier to sort out.
A frame Drawbars are like marmite some people like them and find them easy to use and some people don’t.I prefer them to close coupled trailers or artics.
I’m not surprised agency won’t drive them, there really ought to be a separate test for them. I used to drive one years ago and as long as there was enough space I eventually managed reversing without too much problem - the secret is VERY small steering movements and don’t let the trailer front corners disappear out of view in the mirrors. However, if I was asked to do a run with one again I would definitely say no unless there was a guarantee of no reversing involved.
To be honest they are becoming a rarity - the only reason the company I used to drive for had them was that they were paper merchants and they could load everything right to the headboard of the trailer if necessary - with the draw-bar it was a precision job getting the thing loaded so it wouldn’t overload the back axle on the prime mover. I do wonder why the green parcel company have them as standard, I can’t imagine it’s due to weight issues.
clarkyboy:
a frame harder■■?
reversing a caravan type trailer is like reversing a artic, reversing an A frame is like reversing a rigid ( thinking about the way you turn the steering wheel)
clarkyboy:
I drive a wagon n drag draw bar.the drag is tri-axle.whats the difference in reversing a draw bar to an A frame??how does it come round compared to the draw bar when reversing.Also would you guys class this as specialist work???the reason i ask is we have alot of agency drivers that wont drive them when they turn up.
I drove one in the early nineties, give yourself as much room as possible, keep as straight as possible when reversing. Concentrate on the steering axle of the drag and try not to turn it too sharply or you’ll get in a mess, sometimes you’ll have to do a reversing manoeuvre in a few shunts getting straighter each time. When you can master it anything you drive after will seem easy.
I curently drive a truck and trailer with a-frame, its a tanker with tank trailer. we use them for trunking lpg or white oils from immingham to harrogate. used to drive them years ago for symphony kitchens in leeds before they went onto drawbars they have now. the secret to reversing his fast hands,slow feet! you turn the rigid the way you want the trailer to go then follow it. they are ten times harder than artics to reverse but follow round corners alot better.
Denis F:
clarkyboy:
a frame harder■■?reversing an A frame is like reversing a rigid ( thinking about the way you turn the steering wheel)
Only to start with then it all gets a ‘bit’ more complicated but it’s a lot less boring than putting an artic on the dock. 
Denis F:
clarkyboy:
a frame harder■■?reversing a caravan type trailer is like reversing a artic, reversing an A frame is like reversing 2 rigids simultaneously
( thinking about the way you turn the steering wheel) is exactly the same. The back end of the prime mover steers the front axle of the trailer at the same time.
Slow, little and often are the three words to remember. Easier with a box than a flat as you can keep them in line easier. If you see the front corner getting larger in your right mirror, you need to let it reappear in your left mirror quickly
bald bloke:
keep as straight as possible when reversing.
definitely not, keep it slightly bent so that you can see the A FRAME when it starts to move this gives you a bit more time to react, if you leave it straight until the corners start to move it can be too late depending on the amount of available space
bald bloke:
Concentrate on the steering axle of the drag
exactly why you want it slightly bent thus ensuring a good view the moment it starts to move then straighten up in the last couple of yards
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bald bloke:
sometimes you’ll have to do a reversing manoeuvre in a few shunts getting straighter each time. When you can master it anything you drive after will seem easy.
If in doubt an extra shunt never hurts just take your time and think about it and tell anyone who makes a comment to go forth and multiply in short sharp jerky movements because they probably would not have the guts to even try it.
I drove them for many years for the Dutch when contracted out to the forerunners of TNT called IPEC and we used back them under 2 swap bodies at the same time so practice can and does make perfect
d4c24a:
this blokes qiute good
Seen that a few times on here, but I had to watch it again, never ceases to amaze me! I know several people that’d make a worse job of that with just the 6-wheeler alone!
We had a Daf 2500 with an A-frame at the place I worked when I left school. Whenever it was out in the yard i’d go and have a practise with it, takes some mastering though, and ours was a flat! I always remember sitting in a busy Cherwell Valley services in my 7 1/2 tonner, and watching this guy sail in with his tilt-bodied MAN A-frame, pull up in front of me, and back in a space between two other motors like he was in his car! I was only 18, but he left me with my jaw on the steering wheel!
Yay! The vid’s back again, twice in a few days! Again, appropriate here.
Once spent a weekend in Italy with a Dane who had one of those,
On Sunday afternoon he started putting cones out on the empty factory car park.
Then got out a case of beer and said…“you reverse my truck…you hit one cone you drink one beer”
Challenge was on !..result…■■■■■■ as a ■■■■ in about 20minutes…good fun though!
toowise:
Once spent a weekend in Italy with a Dane who had one of those,On Sunday afternoon he started putting cones out on the empty factory car park.
Then got out a case of beer and said…“you reverse my truck…you hit one cone you drink one beer”
Challenge was on !..result…■■■■■■ as a ■■■■ in about 20minutes…good fun though!
Sounds better than hit one cone and you’ve failed the company test. 