Articulated Trailers

Got myself a job next week 6-2 driving an artic, taking it down the A1
dropping off the trailer, picking up another & bringing that one back.
All well & good & the cash will come in handy as the bank account is
looking very low. However it's 12 years since drove a HGV & I'm not sure
I can remember the procedure for hitching & unhitching the trailer. Been
googling but can't seem to find anything, anybody know any sites to have
a poke round on?

 

Phone up your local HGV (or whatever it's called now) training centre and
ask if they'll give you a 10 min refresher?

 

Thanks just found a page after searching for ages, always the same, ask
for help then stumble across the answer, cheers anyway

 

Not off hand, but it's not too much to remember:

1] Reverse unit under trailer until the 5th wheel locks in. Try and
pull forward just to make sure.

2] Put dog clip on 5th wheel handle unless it's an auto lock

3] Make sure that the trailer brake is on [for the H&S freaks]

4] Wind up trailer legs

5] Connect air & leccy lines

6] Put trailer plate on

7] Take trailer brake off.

Obviosly the tedious bits like changing the vehicle height marker if
necessary, checking round the trailer for roadworthyness, not having
the unit suspension down so far you go right past the pin, are all
optional.

 

And Make SURE you put the handbrake on before leaving the cab!!

Check this before you back-under the trailer [for the H&S freaks]
snip
Trev

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Trevor amazed us all with this pearl of wisdom:

Fucking Easy life!

Are you still licenced?

Red= Emergency
Yellow= Service

Can't remember what the blue one is

 

Quite, but what kind of muppet gets out of a vehicle without putting
the handbrake on?

....and when you don't, you can ask the H&S freak just how far they are
going to push a loaded tri-axle with the brakes disconnected

 

Hope so

Yep, just had to renew it at 45 getting old

Blue one, what blue one, no-one ever mentioned a blue one, if I'd have
known there was a blue one I wouldn't have taken the job.

 

A good check to remember is B.L.A.C.K.

To un-couple

BRAKES - Park Brake
LEGS
AIRLINES
CHAIN - Kingpin Locking Chain
KINGPIN

Simply reverse procedure to couple up

 

I've not seen a blue line in, ummm, a long time.

But *do* connect the ISO-whatever-it-is ABS or EBS lead if the trailer
accepts it, because VOSA seem a little warm on them, allegedly.

 

Auxiliary.

 

You'll remember when you get there.

 

Lots. No, really.

It can kill someone if you left the tractor hand brake off.

Most DCs are now 'handbrake' sites. This means, if you uncouple a
trailer, you will put the trl handbake on or get banned from the site.

If you use the walk around system ,then you shouldn't forget anything.

Asuming you're picking up a loaded and sealed trailer here.

Check coupling height.
Back under 'til you hear the twang of the coupling engaging and it all
stops.
Check engagement by a small pull forward.
Handbrake.
Put lights and hazards on.
Get out, carrying trl no. plate.
Put dog clip on the handle.
Walk down the trailer, look at the tyres and general condition of the
trailer.
Get to the back, put the no. plate on.
Keep going round theother side looking at tyres etc.
Take out any chocks.
Wind up the legs.
Get up on the unit and connect the suzies.
Walk back around and release the trl handbrake and check the lights.
Climb back in and roar off in to the night.

--
ColonelTupperware,
spouting bollocks on Usenet since 1997
Usenet FAQ at
http://www.its.caltech.edu/its/services/internetapps/news/news2.shtml
UPCE FAQ at http://upce.org.uk/ UKRM FAQ at http://www.ukrm.net/faq/

 

Not in the end thanks, I call you when you get back,

 

Colonel Tupperware says...

We know someone who died because of that, don't we Tuppy?