was unlucky enough to loose the top of my mudguard on the M61 yesterday, one second it was there the next it wasnt!
As i pulled into a well known tyre manufacture in Carlise this afternoon i noticed a foreign wagon with both of the top guards missing, the trailer did look like it sat low. But i thought you had to have them on?? But later on that day i saw another one with them them off too… then also an english wagon without them too?
Would someone care to explain?!
On some foreign units the trailers sit low, mine on alan knights used to when i was on cloggy plates so you take the wing tops off so it doesn’t compress them onto the tyres and wear them out, your meant to replace them when you get a normal trailer but there isnt much point.
They will be low ride trailers and normally the tops are removed to stop the trailer ripping them off. They are still carried, normally strapped to the back of the unit.
I would have thought Vosa would have give you a rollocking for not having them on?!
I thought it may have been due to the trailer… but where does the law sit on this one then?
Trust me, on alan knights they had bigger things to try and get you on than your wing tops! 
I’ve got all the flaps, anyone want to buy some before I order a new shed 
You don’t have to have them on if you are coupled, you do if you are solo.
90% on that but I have heard the odd vosa bod can be moody about it.
Whats a “low ride trailer”
The king pin sits in the jaws and the belly plate sits on the table.
The 5th wheel table height controls the height of the trailer on the unit.
Dont it ? How do you get a trailer lower than the belly plate? Apart from a step frame.
And the table should be higher than the wings shouldnt it ?
Bking:
Whats a “low ride trailer”
The king pin sits in the jaws and the belly plate sits on the table.
The 5th wheel table height controls the height of the trailer on the unit.Dont it ? How do you get a trailer lower than the belly plate? Apart from a step frame.
And the table should be higher than the wings shouldnt it ?
Fifth wheels come in various heights to suit the trailers they are pulling!
I did hear if the trailer sits 4 inches or less from your tyres you can take your flaps off, how true that is i don’t know.
weeto:
Bking:
Whats a “low ride trailer”
The king pin sits in the jaws and the belly plate sits on the table.
The 5th wheel table height controls the height of the trailer on the unit.Dont it ? How do you get a trailer lower than the belly plate? Apart from a step frame.
And the table should be higher than the wings shouldnt it ?
Fifth wheels come in various heights to suit the trailers they are pulling!
Usually higher than the wings of the tractor!!!
or do we have swan neck 5th wheels now.
Never heard such a load of bollox
You people should be politicians cos you talk crap
Bking:
weeto:
Bking:
Whats a “low ride trailer”
The king pin sits in the jaws and the belly plate sits on the table.
The 5th wheel table height controls the height of the trailer on the unit.Dont it ? How do you get a trailer lower than the belly plate? Apart from a step frame.
And the table should be higher than the wings shouldnt it ?
Fifth wheels come in various heights to suit the trailers they are pulling!
Usually higher than the wings of the tractor!!!
or do we have swan neck 5th wheels now.
Never heard such a load of bollox
You people should be politicians cos you talk crap
Eh!
weeto:
Bking:
weeto:
Bking:
Whats a “low ride trailer”
The king pin sits in the jaws and the belly plate sits on the table.
The 5th wheel table height controls the height of the trailer on the unit.Dont it ? How do you get a trailer lower than the belly plate? Apart from a step frame.
And the table should be higher than the wings shouldnt it ?
Fifth wheels come in various heights to suit the trailers they are pulling!
Usually higher than the wings of the tractor!!!
or do we have swan neck 5th wheels now.
Never heard such a load of bollox
You people should be politicians cos you talk crapEh!
We had a low trailer come into our place last week from the DRC , reason, loaded with 52 tons of Ore, manifested as 34t of course 
AFAIK
If you are pulling a trailer then there’s no real problem as the trailer acts as the top of the mudwing. if you are running Solo then its a whole different ball game. Ive been pulled in UK and Foreign vehicles without the Mudwing tops and never had a problem.
Bking:
Whats a “low ride trailer”
The king pin sits in the jaws and the belly plate sits on the table.
The 5th wheel table height controls the height of the trailer on the unit.Dont it ? How do you get a trailer lower than the belly plate? Apart from a step frame.
And the table should be higher than the wings shouldnt it ?
In theory you’re right.
What you are not taking into account that some Hi Volume, low ride combinations have a fifth wheel plate so low that it is virtually level with the rear mud wings on the tractor unit.
I hope this picture illustrates how close they can be. It’s a tricky job not to knock the mud wings off or wear holes in them.
Typically, our European colleagues have a more pragmatic approach. They just remove the things and fit them onto a rack on the back of the cab.
Be warned though, I have a pal on another firm try to do that with his low ride and found himself in Court. He and his Boss were exonerated but with costs. It would of been cheaper to tug his forelock and pay the fine.
W
UK mail have low 5th wheels and they kept losing mud flaps at royal mail in sighthill until i figured out why. it was the angle of the road surface sloping down and back up so as you are reversing onto the bay the angle was just right to cause damage. low 5th wheels are a pain in the arse and not really worth it for their operations which is mainly motorway work with a trailer which has a sloped roof anyway 
JLS Driver SOS:
weeto:
Bking:
weeto:
Bking:
Whats a “low ride trailer”
The king pin sits in the jaws and the belly plate sits on the table.
The 5th wheel table height controls the height of the trailer on the unit.Dont it ? How do you get a trailer lower than the belly plate? Apart from a step frame.
And the table should be higher than the wings shouldnt it ?
Fifth wheels come in various heights to suit the trailers they are pulling!
Usually higher than the wings of the tractor!!!
or do we have swan neck 5th wheels now.
Dont matter wether its 2 ton or 200 ton the belly plate is the lowest point in contact with the tractor and the table so how does the trailer touch the wings.The only way there could be contact is at coupling or uncoupling the trailer.So its down to driver ■■■■ up.
Never heard such a load of bollox
You people should be politicians cos you talk crapEh!
We had a low trailer come into our place last week from the DRC , reason, loaded with 52 tons of Ore, manifested as 34t of course
Low megas at 4 metres roughly on 950 mm 5 th plate! Don’t need tops on with trailer 
but solo get them on! 
Years ago,when I was working in a garage and spent a lot of time taking trucks up for testing,it was always said that a full mudguard covers the wheel which is required for a tractor unit.
However,if you have a trailer on,the top of the wheel is covered so no wing top is required.
Don’t know if it’s the same rules today.
I took this to Marseille about 18 months ago. As you can see the trailer is super close to the tyres. This is the normal ride height. Any wing top would be history on the first bend. The wing tops were carried at the back of the cab.
The reason these trucks exist is so you can get a 3 metre high load on (that box) and still get under Europes 4m height limit. The trailer looks tall because I’d jacked the roof up to enable the forkie to lift it up and extract it.
Incidentally, that outfit passed the MOT like that, with no wing tops. If the unit had gone solo she’d have needed them.