As needed I will part time as yard jockey at our DC. The yard jockey has no control over the height of the landing gear, its high is what it was when dropped by the last driver. Yard jockey generally doesnt care what the high of the gear is.

There is a handle in the yard truck that move forward or backward this controls the hydraulics to the fifth wheel to raise and lower the fifth, and there is a button that controls the release of the jaws, just below the handle for the fifth wheel.

It is very possible that the trailer is dropped at the perfect height when the trailer is brought into the yard by the inbound driver, by the time the yard jockey moves the trailer to its new outbound location the "nose" height of the trailer could be different and the landing gear never changed height. I found this due to irregularities and the slop in the DC yard from one drop pad to another.

 

Apparently, in my prior posts I didn't make it CLEAR that I was picking up trailers that were manufactured at Utility, so they were "Virgin Trailers" never hauled by any drivers other then the Yard Dog. We picked them up to deliver them to the customers.

Hence, all your comments regarding other drivers did not pertain to my particular situation. Thanks for all the suggestions though. Thats why it was so confounding to all of us that one Utility Yard would put them at the right height and the other one NEVER did.

I clearly understood the ramifications about the trailer heights when other drivers are involved!!!

Thanks Guys!!! 8) :roll:

 

The same would hold true at the manufacturer, if not more so. When they build the trailers and attach the legs, they may have them rolled higher or lower than normal. They then use a standard yard dog to drag em out of the building and into the lot.

 

This is funny, in a sad way.

Sizzle, the button you see the spotter use raises and lowers the fifth wheel, not the landing gear. He backs under, raises the fifth wheel to get the legs off the pavement, parks the trailer, lowers the fifth wheel and drives away. This has been explained to you by several people, yet you refuse to acknowledge it. There is no magic button on a spotter that raises and lowers the gear. Wherever the gear is when he picks it up the trailer is the the same height it will be when he drops it. There is no spotter conspiracy.

Here is a picture, note the raised fifth wheel. This is hydraulic and how he raises the trailer to move it. He then lowers it at the other end.



I think Malaki86 got it right, when the trailer comes off the line the gear is high and the spotter wouldn't even notice as his tractor doesn't necessarily sit at road height.

 

I GOT IT PART TIME DWELLER. THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE IS THAT THEY WERE JUST INCONSIDERATE. THE OTHER YARD NEVER LEFT THE TRAILER TOO HIGH. I NEVER EVER EVER MENTIONED LANDING GEAR!!!!

I NEVER THOUGHT THEY HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE LANDING GEAR. NO IT ISN'T FUNNY. I TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD-THAT ONE YARD LOWERED THE FIFTH WHEEL THE OTHER YARD DIDN'T. LOOK AT THE PRIOR POST, I CLEARLY MENTIONED RAISING AND LOWERING THE FIFTH WHEEL.

WHAT MORE DO YOU THINK I SHOULD UNDERSTAND??? :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

If the one yard didn't lower the fifth wheel, I bet it made a hell of a thud when he disconnected and pulled away . You still have not a clue.
I give up, it is someone else's turn now. :lol:

 

Jeez, take your meds and calm down. You're going to bust a blood vessel. Obviously your post was confusing and not very well written as everyone else mistook what you were trying to say. People were trying to help you when in fact you didn't need help, you were whining. :roll:

 

Note: humor

 

I'm bored so I'll try my hand at this.

Sizzle, in my past life i worked as a mechanic in a truck and trailer equipment co. The reason the trailers are higher has nothing to do with the switcher raising or lowering anything but the production line installing the dolly legs (since you stated these are virgin trailers). The dolly legs are cranked up to meet the cross members under the trailer before they are welded or bolted in place. One production line may be holding the nose of the trailer at a higher height than the other during the installation on the dolly legs. It has NOTHING to do with the switcher drivers and everything to do with the production line.

Oh, by the way, what is the right height? Most of my trucks run 22.5 lowpro tires but i have one O/O who runs taller tires, so everytime he drops a trailer it sits higher, is he leaving them to high or are the rest of us leaving them to low for him?

 

Well Gentlemen: Thank you for a very amusing ride!!! I particularly enjoyed Greg3564's response telling me to take my meds. Although, Fozzy I thoroughly enjoyed your Math cartoon. Little did you know that I was in fact an Accountant [with two degrees]. Therefore, that particular cartoon "hit the mark."

Every day I'm out here, I'm thinking to myself, "Are you insane you'd make more back in the office with bitchy women?" Oh yeah, that's right the bitchy women were the reason I left the office. There's no way in hell you can ever make 7 women happy all on one day. I supervised 7 Accountants and can tell you Greg3564 I should have been on some meds to put up with them. Imagine being sexist against your own sex?!? Too funny!!!

Crash935 had the best explanation of anyone. Thank you very much!!! I obviously didn't make myself clear from the start. Yes, I was whining but still couldn't figure out why they were too high. Crash935 stated: One production line may be holding the nose of the trailer at a higher height than the other during the installation on the dolly legs. It has NOTHING to do with the switcher drivers and everything to do with the production line.

Crash 935, I thought the average tires were 22.5" and the Low Pros are 19.5"? Personally, I think if the standard tire height is 22.5" and someone is 19.5" it's only considerate of them to crank up the dolly when they leave the trailer. I don't think slamming into some of these trailers would be such a good idea. I've had some trailers that I doubt could withstand a "good slamming", don't know if you could go through the front-never seen that. However, some of the ones I've picked up are so ancient [up to 12 years old] that I wouldn't want to take a chance at slamming into them. :roll: :roll: :roll: