The Amazing World Of Fifth-Wheels!

Fifth-wheels are serious business.

They are easily overlooked too because they are hidden and dirty and nasty.

But when a fifth-wheel fails, bad and embarrassing things can happen that will make you look silly.

Nobody likes to look silly.

That's what I think.

Image courtesy Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company

I recently inherited an older tractor and have been sorting out some if its various issues.

One problem I noticed was a lot of clunking and thunking in my rear end while braking and turning with a trailer attached.  Sometimes it felt like the trailer was going to blast through the rear of the cab under braking.  It was scary and I almost cried.

Ain't nobody got time for a clunky rear end...or trucker tears!

It felt like I had a tractor brake or suspension problem, but closer inspection of the tractor revealed nothing out of the ordinary, so I started looking elsewhere.

That's when I found out from a super-trucker brother about jaw and wedge adjustment on the fifth-wheel.

From the pictures you can see the big spring-loaded bolt sticking out of the right side of the fifth-wheel.

Get you a big honking wrench and some gloves and crank on that bad boy to the right (clockwise) to tighten up the jaws of the fifth wheel.  Lefty-loosie (counter-clockwise) to do the opposite...

Mine was loose.  Once tightened, the difference was amazing.  No more funky noises, and the entire rig handled much better at all speeds.

Apparently, there should be about 1/4 inch of travel on that spring-loaded bolt when it is properly adjusted.

Image courtesy Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company

You can get much more fifth-wheel information at the Fontaine Fifth Wheel website.

Fun And Games On The Road

A couple of idiots here besides drunk Camaro-guy. 

Dash-cam dude is following way too close, especially after seeing Camaro guy's initial stupidity. 

Dash-cam dude should have backed off more right after seeing the games begin.   He's lucky he wasn't collected.

Pickup truck guy is a tool because he decided to play games with Camaro guy and not pass the big rig in order to "teach" Camaro guy a lesson. 

The big rig was the innocent victim, although maybe he could have backed out of it and let the two morons fight it out away from him.

The road is no place for games, people. 

If you wanna play games, stick to your X-Box and Grand Theft Auto.

Near Miss: Tire Blowout Debris And 4-Wheeler Avoidance

What I think you'll see here is how paying attention to your surroundings...what's going on around you, who and what and where people are, and leaving plenty of space equals giving you time and room to make safe decisions and reactions.

Notice several car lengths in front of me is another tractor-trailer.

Traffic is heavy with four-wheelers on a Sunday.  I'm in the right lane, and I know the left lane is full of a line of four-wheelers passing me.

I also know that I have another tractor-trailer behind me, and that he is keeping a prudent and sensible distance behind me.  (I've been watching him for many miles, and I have come to the conclusion that he is a decent driver and won't do anything stupid.)

Now back to the video...

From the rig in front of me, you'll see a puff of smoke and/or dust, and you'll also see several four-wheelers swerve and/or stomp on the brakes.

These are indications that something silly is going on ahead and that I should slow down and prepare for anything.

I slow a bit and turn on my hazards to indicate to the folks behind me that there is a problem ahead.

As I get closer to the problem, I see chunks of rubber and parts of the stricken rig flying all over the road, and four-wheelers swerving in every direction.

I don't want to run over the junk in the road because I have brand new tires on my tractor and I'm pulling a brand new trailer.

I don't want to damage any of it if possible because damaging stuff is below average and unprofessional and embarrassing.

I know I can't go into the left lane to avoid the junk because it is full of four-wheelers.  I know the right shoulder is clear because I have checked my mirrors.

I see the stricken rig is on the right shoulder now and it is still moving, but I have slowed down enough that I know I have plenty of time and room to take my rig to the right shoulder to avoid the junk in the right lane.

This is what I do.

I miss the junk and get back into the right lane and carefully pass the damaged rig.

No harm done to me or the folks near me.

(Please note that it takes a lot more time to describe what happened than the time that elapsed during the actual event.)

It all seems so simple.

Give yourself time and room.

And always pay attention.

It can make all the difference.

Thing-a-ma-bobs And Doojy-floppers?: Trailer Tire Air Pressure System

See the silver and red lines on this trailer wheel?  

If your trailer is equipped with these lines, it probably has one of these on the nose of the trailer also.

Everybody knows I ain’t too smart.

I thought those lines on the wheel hub might be some kinda fancy oil lines to keep the bearings lubricated.  I had no idea what they were, and I never investigated them because I’m a lazy stoopid truck driver.

Then…a while back…a road service tire repair guru showed me that those lines are actually air lines which are used to maintain trailer tire air pressure during normal operation. He showed me how he could mount a flat tire on the wheel (without removing the wheel from the hub), and then inflate the tire using the truck’s air system.

Pretty cool.

A few weeks ago, one of my work pals hipped me to what was going on here with the item in the second photo.  I knew that item was a warning light, but I thought it was a warning light used to indicate reefer malfunction.

Then, I got told by my buddy.

I am such a moron.

That light is part of the trailer tire air pressure maintenance system.  If trailer tire air pressure gets too low, that light will come on, and the attentive and prudent driver will see it in his rear view mirror and react accordingly.

Now you and I BOTH know.

Never stop learning.

Ain’t life grand?

Stupid Buckeye Uses Up A Lifetime Of Luck

I'd say the four-wheeler was drunk or distracted by phone/texting...

He was moving from lane to lane after he went by, got into the sweeping right-hander in the hammer lane, drifted into the slush/snow on the left shoulder, and that was all she wrote.
 
Side-swiped the end cap of the guard rail by the overhead sign post.

Then he headed towards oncoming traffic. (You can see oncoming traffic slow down)

From the rooster tail of snow, I'd say the driver hammered it as opposed to stomping on the binders. 

Good move because slamming on the brakes would have caused an uncontrollable spin on the snowy grass median...sending him right into oncoming traffic.
 

It was a nice save...but it never should have happened.
 

That driver needs to buy many lottery tickets. 

And soon.

Tandem Axle Differential Power Divider Lock

Image courtesy Eaton Fuller Company/roadranger.com

Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a lot of confusion out there about what a power divider lock is, how it works, and how it should be used.

I must admit...after perusing the internet for days trying to find a definitive answer, I'm more confused now than I was before.

Many moons ago, I was taught that one doesn't cruise down the interstate at speed for hours with the PDL engaged, and that PDL engagement should only be used for short periods, at slow speeds, in slick conditions, or to get yourself unstuck from mud, snow, muck, and goo.

This seems to be mostly accurate, but I wanted to know for sure.

Like all truck drivers, everybody has their own opinion.

Many of these opinions, it seems, are incorrect.

Knowledgeable mechanics are a good source of information, but sometimes I've found their explanations are too technical for the average dummy like me. 

So...like my dad always said, "When all else fails, read the instructions!" 

That is exactly what I did.

The following two scans are from pages 127 and 128 of the International/Navistar operator's manual which I found in my 2012 International Maxxforce tandem axle tractor equipped with a PDL switch.

Hopefully, this clears a few things up.

Please note:  Tandem axle power divider lock (PDL) is not the same as driver-controlled differential lock, and I'm too stupid to explain the difference between the two.

Different tractors may be equipped with different axle/differential controls.  It is important to know how your tractor is equipped, how it works, and how the controls function.

Otherwise, you may cause expensive noises and scatter your drive-train all over the interstate.

Doing so would be below average in just about anybody's book!

__________ 

How A Differential Works

Thought For The Day: Stoicism

Stoicism is the calm acceptance of responsibility.  

It is the acceptance that I am responsible for what I am capable of controlling. 

I cannot control what anyone else does or does not do. 

I cannot control the outcome of events, after I’ve done the work.

Stop trying to control anything except yourself.

We focus our efforts on what we are responsible for.

You are not in control over anything that you are not in control of.  Accept it.  Embrace it.

Accept responsibility for what you are responsible for.

You are responsible for you.  You are responsible for your actions.  You are in control of everything that you are in control of. 

Accept that responsibility.

The Stoic way...is to take responsibility for yourself.

Accept that you have absolute control over what you have control over, and don’t worry about the rest of it. 

If you take the responsibility you need to take, then you will perform. 

If you don’t, you will fail.

__________

The preceding were excerpts from an article written by John Mosby and were taken from his Mountain Guerrilla blog-site.

Steer Tire Blowout!

The way people talk, it is an instant trip to the ditch...or the undertaker.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

The video below makes sense to me.

Keep a little speed in reserve.

You might need it.

Don't slam on the brakes.

You'll crack up sure.

 

How To Prime And Start A Reefer Unit

We've all been there.

The reefer fuel tank has cob webs in it, you get fuel, and the darn thing still won't start.

It ain't the greatest tutorial, but this is the best video I could find on the subject.

You'll get the point.

This Guy Is An Idiot!

This didn't need to happen (again).

This driver's contact with the errant four-wheeler was completely avoidable.

Snowy slick conditions, and he's going way too fast.

He is also running with his jake brake on...a big no-no when traction is bad.

He's on the phone.

Again. 

It doesn't matter that he was using a Bluetooth headset.
 
Hands-free or not, he was carrying on with a phone conversation which has been proven to be distracting.   

No situational awareness.

No anticipation of four wheeler stupidity...or of anything else for that matter.

This cat is a disaster, and he's obviously too dumb to realize how clearly his videos illustrate his ignorance and carelessness.

Don't be him.

__________ 

For my own protection, I have many days of personally-shot big-rig dash-cam video archived.   The footage is interesting to review later.  I can see things I didn't see the first time around, and I can critique my own driving and make improvements.
  
Otherwise, every minute of my personal footage is dreadfully boring...which is just the way I like it.

For years it has been said that if nothing memorable happens during a trip, you most likely drove sensibly and defensively.
  
It almost seems as if this driver purposely makes things happen on the road in order to obtain "awesome" video content.

I DO thank him for the videos, though, because they are the perfect tool to use when teaching young inexperienced drivers on what NOT to do.

Plain and simple...he isn't very good at his job. It's a damn shame when a man doesn't realize his limitations. 

I've been driving rigs 20 years, and I know his type. 

He's an aggressive, know-it-all clown who thinks it's his duty to play policeman on the road and "teach" other drivers a lesson. 

I looked up his CSA scores. Amazingly, he doesn't have a bad rating, but it may have something to do with the fact his is a one-truck hobo outfit, and his recent shenanigans haven't caught up with him yet.  

They will eventually, and hopefully nobody dies in the process. 

It's fools like this who give all truck drivers a bad name. 

Good luck to him. 

He's going to need much more of it.

___________ 

It's all about attitude.  This guy's attitude is all bad.

He is chock full of excuses. 

What is your attitude?

Do you want to be and do the best you can? Do you care?  Do you want to improve?  Are you willing to listen and learn?  Do you take pride in your work?

Any professional driver knows to expect the unexpected and to prepare and anticipate.

It is obvious from this driver's comments on Live Leak and Facebook that he doesn't care he was involved with causing property damage and possible personal injury.

Again...don't be this guy, but learn from his mistakes and recommit yourself to safe, courteous, defensive driving.

Lol !

Trust Your Gut And Instincts

I don't know how it happened, but I recently found a set of trailer dolly legs which caught my eye.

During pre-trip inspection, I noticed obvious recent repair work (brand new Grade 8 fasteners) on the dollies.

But...note the dolly leg diagonal supports...on one side of each leg only.

It all seemed sturdy enough, but I figured that the trailer manufacturer puts diagonal bracing on each side of each dolly leg for a reason.

I'm pretty dumb, and I don't know much about trailers, but I somehow notice when things just don't look right.

I decided this situation deserved further investigation.

I took some pictures and contacted my supervisor and suggested that the repair shop should be contacted to find out what was going on here.

-Did this trailer somehow get out of the shop (and back into service) before repairs were completed?

-Is the repair shop calling this job "DONE?"

-Will these dolly legs pass DOT inspection?

-Is the trailer "good to go" as is?  (I had my doubts)

Turns out that the trailer got put back into service before the job was completed correctly.  Two more braces needed to be attached.

I tagged the trailer Out-of-Service, and possible disaster was avoided.

__________

Moral Of The Story

The prudent driver should trust his gut and instincts.

Check other people's work.  Trust but verify. 

If something strikes the driver as somehow odd, the driver should do a double take and look things over more closely.  

Don't ignore your gut.  

It's trying to tell you something. 

__________

UPDATE 

In the interest of honesty and fair-play, I think I owe you all some additional information on this matter.

The repair shop told my supervisor the dolly legs were fine.

I was skeptical, and I told my supervisor (in no uncertain terms) that I thought the shop was trying to play us for fools.

Earlier this week I was doing a pre-trip inspection on a trailer of the same make and vintage as the one in question in this story.

I noticed almost immediately that it also did not have forward-facing diagonal dolly leg bracing.  The dolly legs on this second trailer looked to be original equipment and had no provisions for forward bracing as did the first trailer.

 

I was most likely wrong about the first trailer missing its forward facing supports.

Although the first trailer had provisions for forward bracing, I think this is because the repair shop scrounged an old set of dolly legs and retrofitted them to the first trailer.

I am now fairly certain the first trailer originally never had forward bracing on its dolly legs.

I apologize for slagging on the repair shop and for presenting wrong information.

You Go Girl!

She does a better job than some American men I've seen...

Tire Chains

This guy is doing it wrong.

Did You Know?

Let's say your truck battery or your reefer battery is dead, and help isn't on the way.

Ain't nobody got time for that.

You gotta go.

As long as one or the other is good, you can jump start your truck's battery with your reefer unit battery (and vice versa), by connecting only the positive terminals of the reefer and truck batteries.

Many trucks have jumper connection posts outside the battery box, making the connection easier.

There is no need to connect the negative terminals when the trailer and tractor are connected at the fifth wheel/king pin, as this connection creates a shared ground!

How awesome is that?

Of course, you'll have to have a set of jumper cables handy also.

Duh...

Being a prudent driver, you'll need to get your charging system checked out by a professional when you get a chance, but this little trick will get you down the road and keep your cold stuff cold.