Dumping Air Bags When Coupling/Uncoupling

It's really personal preference - I usually dump tge trailer air if I'm doing a full load / unload but if it's a small drop there's no need. I only drop the truck air if I'm dropping a 40,000lb load.

 

With my own equipment I drop landing gear, unhook lines, pull pin latch, pull truck forward about a foot so king pin clears fifth wheel, drop air on drives then pull clear of trailer. I do this to avoid scraping off all the grease.

Not for the lazy or those in a hurry.

 

the only time i dump air bags to couple (tractor only ) is if i cant get underneath the trailer...then when dropping yeah i always dump air bags on the tractor . you wanna make sure tho that you still always only pull forward a little, when you are ready to pull out from underneath a trailer and make sure the frame of your fifth wheel area is still under the edge of the trailer to make sure the landing gear on the trailer is gonna hold, then after a few seconds and you see all is fine, you can pull on out........on the trailer....never, only when loading if the dock is too high....thats how we do it....

 

or you can just go to u tube and wacth how its done too

 

do people really do that????

 

Dropping airbags on the tractor as has been described. If you have an air-ride trailer with a dump valve dump em before you wind down the dollie legs to avoid torquing the leg shaft.

 

LOL dang it Kitty ya beat me too it... i was just gonna say the exact same thing..lol...

 

Cool, great minds think alike.

I know just about everybody here has had to try cranking a set of dollies under stress (and usually in high gear).

Please, new guys, when you drop a trailer pop the crank in low for a few turns after the pad touches the ground.

 

I do the same, but I do it to not over-extend my bags (I've had one blow on me before) plus I like to make sure the trailer is not going to sink into the pavement/gravel before I pull away.

And of you have a tanker, you ALWAYS want to dump the bags on the trailer, or else it will end up going nose first into the pavement most of the time after the legs fold under it.