it was at the end of the day and my last stop before i could go home for the weekend i got in a hurry and my fifth wheel wouldn't unlock so after some rocking back and forth i finally get it unlock so i get back in my truck and proceed to leave well i forgot to unhook the pig tails luckily i only pulled out the red service line and nothing else but i feel really stupid now also luckily as to my knowledge just my dog and our shop know what happened

 

Compost happens, dude!!! I'll bet you won't make that mistake again. Just remember that if you learn from it, and no one gets hurt, and nothing gets too terribly bent, it'll all be okay!!

BTW, was it your fifth wheel that wouldn't unlock, or your kingpin that wouldn't release??

 

Don't feel too bad. I hate to admit it, but twice I have forgotten to unhook my airlines and pigtail when dropping a trailer. ops: ops: ops:


Both times I got in a hurry. :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

yeah I'm definitely gonna make sure I'm not in a hurry anymore and remember the lines it was my fifth wheel the handle wouldn't move so i had to move forward and backward till it finally moved and i was just so glad i got unhooked i got back in the truck and pulled out

 

You would think I would have learned after the first time, but I did after that second time.

After that last time I made myself get into a routine where the 1st thing I do is unhook the airlines then lower the gear and finally pull the 5th wheel.

 

well at least you dropped your Dolly's first-think positive :P

 

It can help if you establish a routine. If I drop a trailer, I usually start with the air lines and then pull the fifth wheel as I go to the dolly. By the way, it can help to put the dolly down to release the king pin, if you have a heavy load. It sound like no major damage was done. You will likely never have that happen again.

 

My routine is to take on a "PAL" and lose it off my "LAP"

Hook: ..

PIN (Latched, secured-and tugged) -- AIRLINES (Hooked) -- LANDING GEAR (up)

Unhook:

LANDING GEAR (down) -- AIRLINES (Unhook) -- PIN (Unlatch)

Watkins Shepard teaches to set up the truck with the nose of the trailer just level with the fifth wheel and check to see distance. Then drop the air bags, go back 2 feet, fill the air bags to lift the trailer. This lessens the wear and tear on the Teflon fifth wheels. Reverse the procedure for unhooking.

This has two inherent risks. High hooking a kingpin because at least you know you are lifting the trailer while backing and you can see it. The other risk is getting distracted between step 1 and step 2 forgetting that you did not do the final back to latch. I did that one last week, but realized quickly on the final tug test and was able to raise the gear and re-hook. I think even with the best of proceedures .. just slowly pulling forward and checking the trailer one final time prevents a disaster ...

 

Don't feel too bad; We all pull a few boners every now and then.

I do mostly drop and hook at my new gig and i forgot to unhook the wires once last week, but they just popped off and no damage although they smacked the back of the cab big time.

 

Been there, done that!! :shock: :shock: Welcome to the club!!!

If you find anyone who's been out here more than 6 months who hasn't done that at least a time or two....they're either the luckiest person in the world, or a liar :shock: :shock:

I've gotten in a hurry a time or two...really stretched them all out :shock:

And whats really bad is when you're pulling away from the trailer, and you realize your mistake...and then you hear all three of them slap the back of the tractor :shock: :shock:

But don't worry...I won't tell anyone if you won't!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: