10' Spread Trailer

Question for the skateboarders ....

While driving a spread axle trailer the idea is to not rip the tires off the rims or excessively drag an axle to avoid damage .

I drove a flat and van in school..but they were tandem axle .

What I am wondering is how much more room do you need during turns ( off tracking ) or backing considering the trailer tires .

Its obviously being done many thousands of time a day but for obvious reasons a rookie will question truck stop backing and deliveries and I would like some idea of the difficulties .

I have watched vids and been told as well that ya dont want to jack a spread ...how many pullups does it take to back/deliver these things .

~S~

Hey Schism here's my observations on this subject.

I really don't notice a huge difference when driving forward. Some one once told me at the beginning of my career that the split axle trailers would track with the front axle being the pivot point when going forward and with the rear axle when backing. While that kind of makes sense, I've found that axiom too be not based on hard facts or science. It will depend on how the trailer is loaded and how the weight is distributed on the axles, which makes the way it behaves different with each individual load.

Where I do notice a big difference from having tandem axles is when backing. If you get the tractor and trailer at too sharp of an angle, which you will often have to do just to get it going in the right way, the front axle will want to "hop" instead of slide across the pavement. This causes a jerking and bucking sensation in the tractor which is not always real pleasant, not to mention depending on how top heavy your trailer is loaded this can get very "interesting" at times. The 48' split axle trailer is considerably easier to back into a crowded truck stop just because you don't have to deal with the tail swing of the 53 footer. An empty trailer backs pretty nicely with the pivot point usually being the rear axle, and the front axle will usually slide across the pavement fairly easily.

As far as how many pull-ups it takes, I would just say expect to do more than your average van driver. These trailers do back differently, but it will also depend on your familiarity with them and how they react to your input from the tractor. Don't let it be too big a concern for you, it will take a little getting used to at first, but I would recommend you do what I did a few times when I first got started. I would go to a truck stop around ten in the morning when there was a lot of open parking and just try practicing some different scenarios to familiarize yourself with the way the trailer and tractor behave together in different situations. You can spend about thirty minutes doing this and increase your proficiency with that split axle trailer considerably.

Thank you Old School !

Pretty logical stuff as expected . I had thought about practicing a bit when given the opportunity .

Its not a major concern , like I said its done thousands of times a day . I was just trying to get a first hand perspective from someone who has done it .

Getting mentally prepared this next week . Not to mention packed !

Bus arrangements and final contact phone call/emails should be made this coming Monday .

~S~

WAIT A MINUTE !!!!!!! you are talking about spreads that have solid set spread axles....There's a new kid in town !!! Our spread had a dump valve for the back axle. When I wanted to make a sharp turn, going forward or back, I hit the switch dumped the back axle, and I gained 10 foot of maneuvering ability. I've pulled the old solid set spreads, and you can drag the tires if you aren't careful. But slow and steady will help that problem. I wish they would teach in schools to NEVER SPIN A TRUCK AND TRAILER in a parking lot...It springs the tandems , and then the trailer goes down the road "dog legged". Have you ever followed a trailer, and it looks like the rear end is over to one side ?? Thats a dog legged trailer, that needs to be taken in and the tandems re aligned. Spinning trailers can cause some very unsafe damage to trailers, and is one of the major causes for having trouble sliding the tandems. Dog legged trailers will hurt you in fuel mileage, too.

Our flat beds have a sliding rear axle. They can be slid forward to a standard 4 foot tandem or dropped back to a 10 foot spread. Short spread to help maneuverability in tight quarters without excessive tire wear and stress and, when hitting the road, spread the axle to keep your weight legal.