Check Those 5TH WHEELS!

[Capt._Chaos]

When hooking up to a trailer,

When doing a pretrip after being parked for the night,

Whenever your truck was out of your sight (even after going inside to a truck stop to sign your fuel ticket.

And anytime something doesn't seem right!

Over the last few years, there's been an epedimic of disgruntled people pulling 5th wheel release handles on many driver's trucks. Many of them may be drivers that have been fired from the company you are driving for.

Make sure the 5th wheel release handle is in the "locked" position, and to be extra careful, squat down under the trailer behind the truck's mudflaps and make sure those 5th wheel jaws are LOCKED around the trailer kingpin.

CAUTION: If a trailer becomes detached from your tractor, and it's discovered that the 5th wheel is working properly, your company can & will charge you with a preventable accident. Worse yet, a trailer becoming detached can injure or kill you and/or other people.

[daytrader]

Check the tandams as well.

Nothing like hitting the breaks going 30 MPH to feel like you were just rear ended.

Also make sure your landing gear handle is in an upright and secure position... :yikes: :rofl:

[Foxfire]

A simple rule of thumb I was taught many years ago was to always back up a bit when you were ready to go. If that 5th wheel pin had been pulled you locked it back by backing up. Then you went merrily on your way.

[USAF_2T2]

What I always did was when I parked at a truckstop was lock the trailer brakes and gently pull forward with the tractor and then set the tractor brakes. It is nearly impossible to release the fifth wheel when there is pressure against it.

Worked for me. I don't think I was putting to much pressure on it but just enough that it wouldn't allow anyone to walk along and pull it.

[itrucker]

Yep -- great advice from the last two posts (Foxfire and USAF 2T2). :cool:

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CAUTION: If a trailer becomes detached from your tractor, and it's discovered that the 5th wheel is working properly, your company can & will charge you with a preventable accident. Worse yet, a trailer becoming detached can injure or kill you and/or other people.

most companies (including the one i drive for) will fire you for this as this is a SERIOUS safety issue,, if one cannot keep the truck connected to the trailer, they do not need to be driving a truck.. i have had my fifth wheel pulled twice and i ALWAYS check it even if im only away for a minute.. coupling is one thing i take VERY serious.. also if you pull the trailer brakes, then tug on the wagon, then pull the tractor brakes, you will have tension on the fifth wheel so it is almost impossible for somebody to pull it...

[Mr. McFeely]

Agreed. I at least do a tug test whenever I have been away for any length of time -- even if I have been standing somewhere, doing paperwork or whatever. People are bold these days, and I wouldn't put it past someone to reach under while you're sitting right there.

[dominopizzadrvr]

And if you over stay your welcome while parked at the fuel island,or you park in the way of the scales,or just generalally if you pis*anybody off while doing something stupid,so people are just mean like that and i HAVE seen a trailer fall off of a truck while exiting the truckstop. He must have over stayed his welcome at the fuel island..... :rofl:

[trashwagon]

AND always be sure to inspect the muffler bearings everyday,eh? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :yikes: :yikes:

[Capt._Chaos]

An old topic, but I saw the need to move it back up!

[The_Governor]

I know for many of us some of this stuff may seem old or mundane(sp) but it is a good thing to get in the habit of walking around the truck and trailer whenever you stop for any reason and taking as we call it here in Texas a "look see".

Dont let something as simple as not taking a look at your fifth wheel,tandems,reefer unit,straps,chains,binders,etc,etc ruin your day and damage your unit..

Bad habits are hard to break and good habits become routine.

Glad you brought this up again Jeff :cheers:

[David_Reed]

I know for many of us some of this stuff may seem old or mundane(sp) but it is a good thing to get in the habit of walking around the truck and trailer whenever you stop for any reason and taking as we call it here in Texas a "look see".

Dont let something as simple as not taking a look at your fifth wheel,tandems,reefer unit,straps,chains,binders,etc,etc ruin your day and damage your unit..

Bad habits are hard to break and good habits become routine.

Glad you brought this up again Jeff :cheers:

I learned to call it "an idiot walk".
Go back over the area YOU just covered to see what YOU (the idiot) missed the first time!

[the_wolf]

I've started doing a walk around ever since I started with JB Hunt :ninja:

I check tandem pins, 5th wheel pin, and hoses!

Heard a story one time-- 3 JB Hunt drivers were next to each other in a fuel station... first truck dropped the nose, and then the second dropped the nose, and you would think the third at least would have checked his fifth wheel.... what do you think he did? :yikes:

[TotallyTwisted]

I've started doing a walk around ever since I started with JB Hunt :ninja:

I check tandem pins, 5th wheel pin, and hoses!

Heard a story one time-- 3 JB Hunt drivers were next to each other in a fuel station... first truck dropped the nose, and then the second dropped the nose, and you would think the third at least would have checked his fifth wheel.... what do you think he did? :yikes:

Drove away laughing????? :rofl: :rofl:

(Bet it was monkey see..monkey do)

[EagleAce]

Excellent topic! ;) How about making this one a sticky??

[truckermanitoba]

seen that happen to a driver in our yard. he backed under and never checked.when he went to turn left and go out gate he dropped the trailer.the trailer was loaded with seed no idea if bent the legs.i was delayed 3 hrs till wrecker came and picked up. took about ten minutes for wrecker to pick up. the call out was 300 dollars.i was an outside carrier so the bill would go to them.

[the_wolf]

I always make sure -- specially since im working with JB Hunt. The 5th wheel I got is a air assist one and sometimes I have to manually pull it. I know its a PITA to do it-- I grab my 5th wheel puller and yank -- so its hard to do manually. But when ever I leave I back up and watch what the trailer tandems are doing too. But Im going to start doing what someone suggested and pull forward a little bit to keep tension on the pin. I know for darn sure no one can pull it then!!

[Cigar]

What I always did was when I parked at a truckstop was lock the trailer brakes and gently pull forward with the tractor and then set the tractor brakes. It is nearly impossible to release the fifth wheel when there is pressure against it.

Worked for me. I don't think I was putting to much pressure on it but just enough that it wouldn't allow anyone to walk along and pull it.

That will solve 90% of it...

If a guy is mad enough and strong enough to pull the 5th wheel latch the trailer going off is the last thing on your mind..:freaked:.

BTW a trailer on the flat will stay right with you until you hit the slightest upgrade...

On Friday I was looking for an empty rail trailer... I hooked to one.. On my pretrip I found out the thing was junk... So I unhooked the air lines and pulled the latch.. The damn thing fallowed me 1/2 way out of the parking spot..... I backed up got out and pulled the latch again and lowered the landing gear and let the air out of the bags and pulled out from under it.:o..

[Big_Dave]

Ya know, even doing a 'tug test' doesn't always suffice.

Most of the time, I'll get out and check, but there's the occasional time that I don't or forget. :rolleyes:

2 weeks ago, I backed under a trailer in the yard. It was colder than hell out and I didn't think much of it. I had my window down and heard the distinctive 'click'.

I hooked up my airlines & pigtail. Cranked up the landing gear, checked the lights and trailer condition. Before pulling out, I did a 'tug test'.

After doing the tug test, I pulled out and once clear of the trailer beside me, cranked the wheel hard right and slowly headed towards the yard exit.

As I'm making the hard right turn, I looked in the mirrors and for whatever reason, decided what I saw, wasn't right.

Sure enough, the 5th wheel didn't completely lock on the kingpin and the nose of the trailer was 3' off to the left. :yikes:

I slowly backed up, straightening out as I went. Once straight, I lowered the landing gear, dumped the air, unhooked the airlines/pigtail and pulled out from under it a little bit.

I rearranged how my tractor was positioned and backed under the trailer again. This time, upon hearing the 'click', I got out, crawled underneath and visually checked the kingpin latch.

Thankfully, everything worked out ok and I didn't drop the trailer in front of the bossman's office window...........better yet, at least I 'caught it' BEFORE I pulled out of the yard and onto the road!

In the many years I've been driving, this is only the third time that the 5th wheel didn't latch completely.

Each time one doesn't latch, I'm leery for months afterwards.

CHECK YOUR 5TH WHEELS!!!

[Cigar]

I am convinced that it has something to do with the cold.... I have seen and done that before..Grease is frozen and just doesn't let the latch completely lock??? Who knows...

To be honest I don't get out and look... I do an little more aggressive tug test...

I spend more time dropping and hooking and on off ramps then most people.....

[Uturn2001]

To be honest I don't get out and look... I do an little more aggressive tug test... I used to be the same way until I dropped a trailer once. To this day I still do not know what happened. I backed under the thing. It was low enough that once I was under it the landing gear was slightly off the ground. Tugged on it hard enough to actually drag the trailer forward an inch or so before even hooking up the lines. Pulled out and just as I cleared the row of dropped trailers and was turning down the lane, boom.

No damage to truck or trailer, and no fun lowering a trailer's landing gear when the nose is practically on the ground.

BTW: This happened in late September on a 65 degree night. I had the 5th wheel fully inspected and serviced the next day in between runs and they could not find anything wrong with it. Only thing we could figure out is that it was either a fluke or the jaws closed enough to allow a good straight tug but once there was an angle it popped open.

[buckeye]

I dropped one once, Luckily there wasnt hardly anything in it. It was tough cranken for a while, but the yard jockey came out and backed under it. Luckily nothing was damaged and I didn't get into trouble for it. I was nervous as heck for quite a while. I paid lots of attention and still do. I don't want it to happen again. Nobody's fault but my own got in a hurry doing a drop and hook.

[katomur]

I was driving for maybe 3 weeks, dropped a trailer and went for the loaded one. Started backing under.....creeping real slow....seemed like it was taking forever to hit that kingpin.....crunch/crack. The yard guy thought it would be cute to raise the trailer high enough that the plate just passed right on by. I hit the back of my sleeper with the trailer. Thank god I was barely moving but it taught me a good lesson.

Get out and check......if it doesn't feel right....somethings probably wrong.