Another reason I understand that trailers are not at the right height is because the yard dogs sometimes have spring rides and just leave the trailers at the higher height.

I saw this several times at two different Utility yards. At one yard the trailers were always at the right height. At another Utility yard up the road about 22 miles they were never at the right height.

I watched a yard dog drop a trailer one day and understood what happened. He didn't lower the trailer. Personally, I think they did it on purpose because they knew it caused the drivers extra work by having to dolly down the trailer. I might be wrong but it seemed awfully strange to me that at the one yard they were fine and the other yard they were never low enough. I think it was vindictiveness towards the drivers. I don't know what other explanation there could be other than laziness. They just pushed a button and it was lowered. So I guess, it's anybodies guess what the reason was for them being too high all the time!!! :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

the spotter does not touch the the dollys. the last driver that pulled the trailer does.

 

Oops, this response was supposed to be under "Does it really matter." Sorry for starting a new topic. That was not my intention.... :sad: :shock:

 

I picked up approximately 20 brand new trailers and watched the yard dogs drop the trailers. Hence, I am speaking out of experience. I watched them drop the trailers there was definitely some kind of button or switch in their "rigs" that they could drop them lower or leave them higher. Perhaps in other yards the yard dogs don't have buttons to lower the trailers but they definitely did in the Utility Yards. 8) :roll:

 

That would be some yard truck that can dolly a trailer up and down.

The yard trucks have a hydraulic 5th wheel they can raise and lower the trailers with. Whereever the landing pads are set are where the trailer height will be.

The yard drivers are too lazy to get out and crank the landing gear. The height of the trailer will be the same when they pick it up and spot it back on the lot.

 

LOL Lazy? Some of these guys are doing 100-200 moves a day.. I concur with the driver who added that the way the yard jockeys pick them up is the way they drop them. The way the trucks are equipped means that the yard jockeys have no need to touch the landing gear and can even get in trouble for doing so.

 

What they said, if a trailer is dropped high or low thats how you will find it weather a goat moved it or not. They all have
(most) hydraulic fifth wheels plates that they can raise, the only thing they do is hook up whatever lines they need/want.
One thing, if you are at a rail yard sometimes when they load a trailer on the car they will have a person on the ground there making sure all is secure and sometimes they will crank up the landing gear, then when they unload it there might be some new guy that thinks they gotta be all the down

 

I would just have walked up and asked him if he does or dont. And if he does could he put them back down when he is done.

 

O.K. Fozzy I probably shouldn't have made my "lazy comment". However, it seemed to me that at one Utility Yard the trailers were never too high. However, at the other yard they were never low enough. What's up with that? I know I saw them utilize some button or switch inside that could lower their fifth wheel?!? :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

It all depends on where the trailer were dropped and by whom. If the trailer was dropped in a "dip" and then dropped on level ground or vice versa, the trailers will be too high or low. Some driver really raise the trailers when empty too high when the drop them.

There is an air operated switch that releases the fifth wheel jaws.