High Hooked Another Trailer Today...... Had To Do The Crank Of Shame

Well my week finished out ok no more high hooks I've been double and triple checking my approach, alignment, and gap space between my 5th wheel and the trailer apron before I back under. I actually had to crank up a trailer to get under it to hook up luckily it was unloaded. Then on Tuesday morning as I was coming into Syracuse with a load of scrap cardboard my emissions control unit crapped out again after the 5th time so it's off to the Dealer and I had to transfer all my stuff into a spare tractor so I could finish out the week. Then my wife calls completely distraught one of our dogs was hit and killed sometime Tuesday night so I had to make a run to the house and calm her down and bury our departed fur-ball. Then back to work to deliver a load of beer down to Hatfield PA. Then a back haul of more cardboard to Syracuse. I ran out of HOS time so I had to pull up 20 miles short of the 'Cuse. I dropped the trailer at the papermill this morning and I helped a NFI driver get his tractor uncoupled from his trailer so that was a bright spot in an otherwise dreary week. Hopefully next week will be better.

Sorry to hear about your dog.

Funny thing happen to me last night. It’s like reading this forum is psychic. I did a quick drop and hook at the end of a long day. Made contact with the trailer, got out, looked. Everything looked good. Backed up a couple feet and felt the kingpin bump the front of the groove, but, it felt different like it didn’t lock in. Did a tug test and sure enough, not locked. Pulled up a bit backed back in, same thing. Got out to check and it was about what Brett described. The bottom of the kingpin wasn’t quite in the bottom of the groove. Looked further and the front of the skid plate had a small gap betting and the apron of the trailer. I pulled up a bit, lowered the trailer and this time get it to lock in. The trailer was at a bit of an angle and though the initial contact looked good, as I slid in it was not so good.

Now I understand, how deceiving a muddy, not level yard can be. Everything looked good right up until it wasn’t.

I make sure trailer is low enough so skid plate on the trailer is aimed at lower ramp of my 5th wheel. This way my truck/5th wheel is lifting the trailer.