stu675:
But has a single trailer ever disconnected if the kingpin is properly engaged but not the dog clip attached? Or is the dogclip just to confirm the kingpin is engaged?
I once had a kingpin shear completely off on a fully loaded tank transporter at the bottom of Blomberg hill in West Germany. That was a hoot!
Unfortunately Klaus in his recently completed barn conversion didn’t share my mirth!
the maoster:
stu675:
But has a single trailer ever disconnected if the kingpin is properly engaged but not the dog clip attached? Or is the dogclip just to confirm the kingpin is engaged?I once had a kingpin shear completely off on a fully loaded tank transporter at the bottom of Blomberg hill in West Germany. That was a hoot!
Unfortunately Klaus in his recently completed barn conversion didn’t share my mirth!
cooper1203:
no left tesco around the time i got my class one among other things i didnt fancy trying to take an artic into some of those stores in london as a new pass
Better not take on Waitrose from the agency then, many of their stores are in a different league altogether!
cav551:
cooper1203:
no left tesco around the time i got my class one among other things i didnt fancy trying to take an artic into some of those stores in london as a new passBetter not take on Waitrose from the agency then, many of their stores are in a different league altogether!
nope too your advice and stuck with my agency. least that way 99% of the time there is another driver around to help me if i get stuck at a delivery point.
ezydriver:
stu675:
But has a single trailer ever disconnected if the kingpin is properly engaged but not the dog clip attached? Or is the dogclip just to confirm the kingpin is engaged?Yes. Some years ago a lad got sacked for it at a company I worked for. He lost his trailer on the road outside our yard. I was there and saw the boss run over with a very concerned look on his face.
Another lad at the same company lost an empty trailer he pulled off the bay, but managed to stop before it landed on its knee. It was resting on his mudguards and rear lights, and between him and the forkie he rescued it, and nobody grassed him up.
But yes, it does happen.
I’ve got this weird paranoid thing I do. If I’ve left my truck for any reason (paying for fuel, handing keys in etc) it’s second nature to glance at the clip before getting back in my cab, just in case some [insert 4 letter word] had pulled it for their amusement. I’ve never known that to happen, but it’d be my worst nightmare if it did.
toonsy:
Dont think it’s paranoia, I do it myself and I know many others that do. In fact we get told to spend an extra ten minutes after having a break checking the vehicle over (handy to waste a bit of time
Absolutely.
Just a habit of checking and double checking everything.
Never seen a c-coupling ping off, but have seen an electric suzie pulled over-tight. Never had my pin pulled by a **** whatever, but since it takes so little effort to have a quick look…why not?
Thanks for the tip here guys. I’d never thought about it before, but there’s nothing stopping someone from unhooking your trailer when you’re not looking. Will be doing a check from now on!
the maoster:
stu675:
But has a single trailer ever disconnected if the kingpin is properly engaged but not the dog clip attached? Or is the dogclip just to confirm the kingpin is engaged?I once had a kingpin shear completely off on a fully loaded tank transporter at the bottom of Blomberg hill in West Germany. That was a hoot!
Unfortunately Klaus in his recently completed barn conversion didn’t share my mirth!
[zb, with a German accent]
When I worked at Wordsworth holdings we did the big d fifth wheels , Ramps , sliders etc , at the beginning all this was done by a welder ( including me ) , you have to remember all this work was on piece work , so when you fitted them up on the jig ( put in jaws / adjuster rods ) etc you were only going to spend so much time trying to get it to work properly( you’d often be grinding parts of the handle / moving the tab for the dog clip to get the handle to engage so you could get the dog clip in )!, or you’d be loosing £££££££( I did it as a fill in when work was short on grinding ) , but the lads who did that job on a regular basis were on serious money . This is why you’d often get them coming back on a warranty claim
Same as the jaws were machined on a cnc Miller , they had to do x amount per shift , there were tolerances on them / jig to try them on , but I doubt if they were a few thou out they’d not allow them to go ( I know they did )
Always been the same with piece work , when there’s £££££ to be earnt it’s human nature to cut corners
Gidders:
Years ago Volvos used to have a button on the dash which popped up in the event of an air loss.When air pressure was built up and all guages show full the truck would still not move until the button was pressed down manually. Cue embarassed driver after calling out mechanic.It can’t have been only me,surely ?
BROMS SYSTEM
the maoster:
stu675:
But has a single trailer ever disconnected if the kingpin is properly engaged but not the dog clip attached? Or is the dogclip just to confirm the kingpin is engaged?I once had a kingpin shear completely off on a fully loaded tank transporter at the bottom of Blomberg hill in West Germany. That was a hoot!
Unfortunately Klaus in his recently completed barn conversion didn’t share my mirth!
10 reg mate?
Franglais:
When told to pick up an “empty” trailer I look in the back…guess why!
That goes for 40 yard skips as well. I used to work in a place where the unbreakable golden rule was you never left your skip (which stayed on the wagon) full of what you’d collected that day, as it just resulted in a delay getting on the road for the next driver the next day if he needed to tip before starting his shift.
But one day my numpty colleague decided to rely on a vague promise from the site manager to tip him at the end of his shift, and didn’t think to leave a note in the cab or text me 
So next day I got to my first collection point and found I had to turn round and come straight back to the yard to tip before restarting my day - 110 wasted miles… Needless to say, after that day I always banged the side of the skip to check it was empty before leaving the yard.
Yorkshire Tramper:
10 reg mate?
7 reg mate. Did a tour or two across the water with 10 reg though. Nutters, all seemed to be boxers! 
the maoster:
Yorkshire Tramper:
10 reg mate?7 reg mate. Did a tour or two across the water with 10 reg though. Nutters, all seemed to be boxers!
I was with 10 reg mate as I was an Army boxer!! was an easy life boxing and they put more importance on us training than driving
We’ve probably knocked seven bells out of each other at some point down The Strip in Sennelager.
If so, I apologise, I was bang out of order
the maoster:
We’ve probably knocked seven bells out of each other at some point down The Strip in Sennelager.If so, I apologise, I was bang out of order
I have been punch drunk since 1979 mate so no apology necessary as I would have been well out of realising
stu675:
[ has a single trailer ever disconnected if the kingpin is properly engaged but not the dog clip attached? Or is the dogclip just to confirm the kingpin is engaged?
I’m still not sure that any example of failure could prove that it was properly engaged, excluding the dog clip connection.
But here’s another one:-
youtu.be/mmu23dAHEr4
I always check that there is no gap between the fifth wheel & the trailer rubbing plate, whenever I pick up a trailer or take over an already coupled vehicle.
Due to so called jokers I worked with at Dukes from years ago, I have a habit of checking the fifth wheel handle visually on my return if I have had to leave
the vehicle unattended at any point.