Driving in a suburban, part rural town and on the interstate, I see trailers being pulled by trucks and cars that have the brake lights go off when the vehicle’s lights go off. But the trailer doesn’t come with the car or truck when people buy it new, so how can any trailer work with any vehicle that’s hauling it?
I’m a normie, by the way. I’ve never driven a truck, nor ever hauled a trailer, so if my assumption of “any trailer can work with any vehicle” is wrong, please correct me!
Thanks for your answer!
In: Engineering
After a truck driver backs under a trailer, he has to get out of the truck and perform the following:
*Hook up two (2) airlines between the truck and trailer that control the trailer brakes.
*Attach a 7-pin electrical connector that controls the trailer lights.
*Check and make sure the king pin is correctly seated in the fifth-wheel.
*Raise the landing gear of the trailer.
Another issue at times: if the trailer was loading from a loading dock using forklifts, it’s probable the rear tandems (the trailer wheels) have been slid to the rear of the trailer. This because a loaded forklift weighs sometimes as much as 15-20,000 pounds. If the tandems were left in travel position they would act like a fulcrum and the entire trailer would teeter-totter. So the driver also has to slide the rear tandems forward into travel position. This gives the tractor/trailer a much shorter wheelbase, thus a smaller turning radius.
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