Tandems Won't Slide

ONe thing I have done, when I believe the rails/slides are simply rusted together or gravel got in is to #1 spray WD-40 (see CWC's "PB Blaster" above) most of the length and #2, go along with your hammer and give the rail a serious attention getting tap along each side.

Of course I meant chocks.I have a love sprayer also and of course my hammer. I just helped another driver who has the old style pull slider. But sprayed the rails and pins put the hammer to the pins and wha-la.good you go. I got tired of seeing him struggling to pull the handle out.

Raptor

Had this problem during my d seat training. prime road assist told us to put the blue line on red trailer port and release both breaks this gives the emergency breaks more air to hold the wheels. Also as suggested here by several people spray the rails with your favorite lube.

"Get some chocks at a shipper or receiver that has some extra ones laying around."

Isn't that what the military calls "creative procurement"?

"Get some chocks at a shipper or receiver that has some extra ones laying around."

Isn't that what the military calls "creative procurement"?

I call it “I need to put those to good use” or “ It was just laying there going to waste”.

Every once in a while, there will be piles of load locks at some receivers/ shippers. Many are bent, broken, trashed. I will always pick a couple of good ones if i have room on the rack on the back of my cab.

Definitely. I’ve gotten chocks, load locks, straps, binders, and lots of great lumber that were cast offs by others.

More air?

Had this problem during my d seat training. prime road assist told us to put the blue line on red trailer port and release both breaks this gives the emergency breaks more air to hold the wheels. Also as suggested here by several people spray the rails with your favorite lube.

I agree with Chris, you can chock the wheels or if there's a curb handy that you can push the tandems up against to hold then in place. Obviously your brakes aren't holding but if you have automatic slack adjusters you can try bleeding down your brakes (doing a brake test) to adjust them to where they'll hold.

What Susan means here (brake test) is often referred to as a "six pack" method to tighten up the slack adjusters. With the air pressure at max - apply brakes at full pressure 3X, then wait for the air to come back up to max and do it again.

If the slack adjusters are actually working (as in not broken), they should ratchet up to take all the slack out of the brakes.

You should probably do this every time you hook a new trailer anyways - just to make sure to take the slack up out of the adjusters. Try this if the brakes aren't locking the wheels on a full application (like trying to slide the tandems, and the wheels don't lock up).

Rick

PackRat said: ""I call it “I need to put those to good use” or “ It was just laying there going to waste”.

PackRat, you are a man after my own heart. (Don't take that literally, haha) I've seen many things at distribution centers, etc., that I would have loaded up if I had my 'pick up' truck.

My friend picks up friction mats all the time. He probably has several thousand. I asked him what he planned to do with them. He said: "I haven't figured it out yet, but they seem too good to throw away."

Any ideas?