LCV for Beginners. Part 1. Foreword & Introduction to Converter Dolly and Safety

LCV for Beginners
by road_runner​

Index:

Part 1. Foreword & Introduction to Converter Dolly and Safety
Part 2. Hooking Doubles
Part 3. Jackknife Hooking
Part 4. Advance Techniques

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Part 1. Foreword & Introduction to Converter Dolly and Safety

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Foreword: As promised, I am creating a series of threads to introduce new LTL drivers into the basics of working with Long Combination Vehicles (LCV). These threads will be released in separate "Parts" (similar to chapters in a book/manual).

Because I could not find anything similar to my thread when I was starting out; I am creating my own manual for everyone else. There is no copyright issue since all material was create/photographed/generated by me. Feel free to distribute.

Introduction: The following threads are made specifically for TTR members that are interested in the LTL (Less-than-Truckload) field. I am creating this with the understanding that the viewer (you) has already obtained a CDL and has a general understanding of a proper pre-trip, backing, and proper coupling/uncoupling of a tractor/trailer combo. I will dumb this down as much as I can, but I will omit some of the basic material that is common within the "Class A" community to save all of us time. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to PM me or just voice it by replying. This entire thread is educational in nature so please limit your responses to professional opinions and not personal rants. If you do respond to something specific I stated, please quote only excerpts and not the entire thread.

WARNING:

1. The following series of threads are for educational/reference purposes only! ALWAYS follow proper safety standards and consult your Safety Office for company regulations
2. Always wear gloves to avoid personal injury when working with converter dollies!
3. Attention to detail and a full safety consciousness can help prevent most accidents!
4. Before you start, ALWAYS complete a FULL pre-trip inspection of all your trailers/converter dolly! There is no point of investing time to utilize equipment if it does not meet basic safety standards!


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Introduction to the Converter Dolly:

Skill Level: BASIC/BEGINNER
Required Items: Gloves, flashlight/headlamp, electrical cord (power cord)

A dolly is a small trailer that can be used to couple a semi trailer to support another semi trailer. The dolly consists of a steel A-frame unit that is equipped with a fixed fifth-wheel mounted on an axle, which is used to connect directly to another trailer.

The fifth wheel on the dolly is identical to the one that is attached to your tractor. Basic items on a dolly will be independent brakes, lights, and in most cases registration information. The total weight varies... but standard weight will be 1,800-2,000 lbs for a single axle unit. Common names for this unit are: dolly, converter dolly, con-gear, or gear. There are various components which we will discuss in detail

The key differences are that the dolly will utilize separate air lines (relay lines). These relay lines will connect your front trailer to your rear trailer. For practical purposes of this thread, we will refer to your front trailer as your "lead trailer" and your rear trailer as your "rear box". This configuration is universal for both standard short doubles (two 28-29 ft trailers) and Rocky Mountain Doubles (48 ft & 28-29 ft trailers... both standard and reverse set).

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CON GEAR (PIC ABOVE)

Key Components:

Eye of Pintle Hook: Hooks to the receiver pintle hook
Emergency/Service Line IN: relay air lines that transfer your air supply from your lead box to your rear box
Emergency/Service Line OUT: relay air lines that transfer your air supply from your front box to your rear box
Air reservoir: Separate air storage tank that will store air supply for your service/park brake for the dolly
Drainage vale: Air valve used to drain/retain air supply within your independent air reservoir. Usual "lock" position will be the wide end of the knob parallel to the ground
Electrical line "IN": This electrical inlet plug will be used for towing the dolly as an independent unit (when not towing an additional trailer)
Crank Shaft/Dolly Support: Models will vary, but in some cases, this is to support the weight of the converter dolly

NOTE: Some units will have their own electrical line configuration to relay power for the lights to the rear box through an additional relay within an ABS configured dolly. For purposes of this presentation, let's go ahead and use the lead box to relay the electrical line directly to the rear box. I will add additional information for the ABS Dolly at some later time.

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TRAILER PINTLE HOOK ATTACHMENT (PIC ABOVE)

Pintle Hook: Male receiver end that connects directly to the "Eye of the pintle hook"
Pintle Hook Lock: Locking mechanism that secures your connection point of your dolly
Service/Emergency Line Out: Both glad-hands that distribute air-flow to your converter dolly
Safety bar: A connection point for your safety chains
Electrical Line OUT: Point of contact to transfer your electrical signals to your rear box

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Basic Rules to Storing a Dolly:

A converter dolly does NOT have its own independent parking brakes when it is detached from a tractor/trailer. After disconnecting your dolly, you must ensure it is secured from movement. There are various ways of securing your dolly to prevent it from moving. Few terminals provide wheel chocks, and others rely on more primitive or unofficial methods (such as using the glad hand of one of the dollys airlines or placing a large rock in front of the wheels in gravel areas. Yet some other areas will rely on the forces of gravity in hopes that the dolly will stay in place.

I personally do NOT recommend using the glad hand of the dolly. Laying down a glad hand will expose it to the environment and you risk the actual lines of becoming contaminated with debris (such as small pebbles in gravel lots). An additional problem is an unprotected line may fill up with water which could potentially freeze and cause additional clogging/brake failure. It is up to you to secure the dolly from moving. Consult your terminal for proper storage instructions.


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The following information is for towing a dolly independently behind a tractor or another trailer!

When towing a independent dolly, the following configuration is a acceptable standard:



An electrical line MUST be connected to the converter dolly! This will ensure maximum visibility of the rear-most portion of your towing unit!
Glad hands should be interlocked together to prevent movement/damage (by dragging against the surface)
Pintle hook and safety chains will be closed/secured

NOTE: Do NOT "drape" your air lines loosely over the A-frame of your dolly! You may drag the gladhands/airlines of your con-gear causing severe damage to your equipment!!!

Your final "tow-ready" dolly should look like this:



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Never use the eye of your pintle hook as a lifting point! You may cause severe injury to your hand if the dolly starts moving past your ability of control! The weight of the dolly may crush your hand between the pintle hook!




.........to be continued. After I get some sleep.

 

Thanks. I kinda hope we will get some stickies in this folder at some point... whether it's this thread or another. What I really want is more than 24 hours of access time to make updates to this. As for too much time on my hands, not gonna lie dude... This is far more time consuming than I thought. My OP took me almost six hours to complete if you include all the time editing photos and researching information... followed by tons of grammar editing (I am still learning English).

If someone can find some use out of this series, it would be time well worth invested.

 

Wow... So I spent six hours typing all of this up, and people mock my work.... I think I will go ahead and spend my off time doing something different. Maybe some of the responders can do a better job than what I did by finishing this.

 

It wasn't ACH1130 that pissed me off. Anyway, I am working on a second part. It is about 75% completed.