Oh dear, he forgot...

Mar 14, 2005
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...to stow the jockey wheel!

Running home from Brum this morning and as I got to the A14/M11 split there's this Merc panel van hauling an empty Brian James 'wheels under' Transporter in the third lane. He was certainly motoring and I was surprised at the size of the tyre on the jockey wheel which had grown with all the abuse it was being subject to, to almost twice the wheel size!

There was no sign of movement in the tube, the clamp appeared tight and set exactly at drawbar height.

I'm sure that if I did that I'd notice the odd vibration (yes even with a diesel Disco), although thus far in my 30 years of towng, I can honestly say it's a sin I've never committed.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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I have to confess I've done it. I didn't notice until I came to a speed hump and the resulting bang. Fortunately the only damage was a slightly bent jockey wheel tube which has made the wheel a bit stiffer to raise and lower. I won't be doing it again.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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I have to own up to it aswell. Pity for me, I didn't realise it was down until the end of my journey, some 100 miles later. The outfit did seem oddly unstable, and the ride was atrocious. It must have been rotating so fast that it caused it to completely melt down! Strangely though, the rest of the jockey wheel was fine, and is still in use today.

Cheers

James
 
May 21, 2008
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We saw a guy towing a big newish twin axle van yesterday andhe'd forgot to wind up the back right hand steady.

How do they manage it!!
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Happened to me once while towing a car transporter. The jockey wheel hand unwound rather tha being left "down". You can feel it as a vibration and rumbling through the tow car.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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What I have done is left the breakaway cable connected when unhitching on a site. Damn sight cheaper than a new jockey wheel/tube.

But for forgetfullness I have to hold my hands up to this little tale:

I used to drive HGV1's and went to hitch up and go off one Monday morning around 4am. We used to leave a trailer or two in the lay-by if we could to save running to Felixstowe first. So not totally 100% awake perhaps, I bang under the trailer, wind up the legs, knock off the handbrake (the lay-by is on a slope) and jump up on the catwalk to connect the suzies (airlines and electrics).

As I connect the red airline there's the usual blast of air from the trailer which releases the spring brakes. I'm suddenly aware that there is a feeling of motion and the crunching of gravel under the wheels. A certain individual had forgotten to engage the parking brake on the unit and we are now gathering speed down this not-too-long lay-by with a big ditch at the end!

It's amazing just how quick you become 250% awake, and with a quick flick of the wrist whipped the red airline off again, and the rig groaned to a halt. Have to say I never did that again. By way of explanation:

Spring brakes which are fited to most if not all semi-trailers rely on compressed air from the unit to hold the brakes off. If the air supply should fail then the trailer brakes will operate, a sort of fail-safe system. On the back of a unit these days their are two airlines, a green one which is the footbrake air supply and red which holds the spring brakes off.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Talking to an Irish campervan driver in Spain this year and he told me he had tried to drive away with one steady still down. The problem was this was at a rallyso he had a lot of stick.

The club has an annual awards evening and he won the award for plowing the straightest furrow.
 

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