Question:
If you decide to be a nice guy (or girl) and help a struggling driver slide the tandems on a trailer never assume the trailer brakes are set, that they are adjusted properly, or that the driver you are trying to help knows what they are doing.
Be sure to stand away from the wheels. Use a pin puller if you or the driver you are helping have one. If you are going to assume anything assume that trailer is going to roll and run you over if you get too close to the wheels.
I have a name not a number. I am not cheap but I am resonable.
Answer:
Thats a good tip never assume anything it could ruin your day!!
aman
Answer:
I never had a pin puller. I used a 15' manila 1/2" type rope. I just use that for a puller. The advantage is you have a lot of distance and a lot more body leverage. If you need too you can put your foot against the tire and lean back with the rope rapped around your hand a couple of times. The rope takes up less storage space and it comes in handy for other things.

Answer:
Good advice. You want them to 'wiggle' the truck back and forth while you pull the handle with some sort of extension puller. Never stick your hand in there and hang over the tandems while they're jerking the truck. Also-- never lean back while pulling. Keep your weight forward and balanced, so if you slip, you don't fall backwards or slip under the wheels.
I have a tandem puller with a lever that presses against the sidewall. It increases your leferage on the handle -- got it at Bosselmans or Ohio-80, I think. Best $30 I ever spent, well worth it since you can pull some pins without rocking the truck, pins you couldn't otherwise move without the extra leverage this hinged puller gives you.
Since they may be new/stressed/confused....count the holes yourself before you two start working on it, just in case they forget. You might also gently ask which way they're trying to shift the weight. If they're new, they may still be confused about which way they're trying to shift the weight.
It's simple acts of kindness lke this (offering to help someone pull their pins) that can make all the diffrence between a lousy day and a pretty good one, even for the helping driver. Your day may be a trip from hell, but jumping out and helping someone else solve THEIR current problem takes your mind off it for a few minutes and makes you feel better.
Just approach carefully. They may not want any help.

Answer:
Along with the tips provided above........do yourself a favor and make sure you and the other driver have your HAND SIGNAL's on the same 'sheet of music'.
**************************************************
Hoss; remembers watching a guy get caught between 2 5 ton military cargo trucks.

Answer:
Can't believe I forgot that one. Must be that my brains are rattled from being shook to death in that freightliner I am currently stuck with.
I have a name not a number. I am not cheap but I am resonable.
Answer:
I use a short bungie cord that i've tied a couple of knots in(just the lenght i needed).I connect one end to the handle and attach the other to the side of the trailer and then just have to rock the truck a little and it usually works.

Answer:
I carry in my truck some chalk to mark the holes on the tandems.when I first pick my trailer up I mark where the pins are and if I have to scale it out and slide them well I have a referance point to start with and it saves me the headache of trying to remember where I started at.several times drivers have asked me to help them so I grab my chalk and away I go.

Answer:
The easiest way I've found is..........
Have a trailer like mine.....with air release pins. There's also a removable bar to put where needed to stop the tandems.
No more busted knuckles for me ........unless I happen to have to drag a different wagon than 'mine'.

Answer:
Broncoman, very good suggestion. Sometimes after I count the holes and start sliding it, I start wondring if I counted them correctly, especiallyif I'm not getting the result I was expected....better to have a chalp mark.
One more thing.
Never put oil or grease on your sliding tandem rails. Grease or oil collect dirt and grit. Use dishwashing liquid on your trailer dandems. The soap helps them slide when you first put it on, and washes-off by itself when it gets wet and takes some of the crud with it. I keep a 50/50 mix with water in a spray bottle. It works sometimes.

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Hoss, you're spoiled. I hate guys like you with your fancy push-button pins and scabless knuckles.

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I'll rock the truck back & forth, the driver can pull the pin. I'm not sticking my head under the trailer for nobody.

Answer:
Originally posted by Shuffler:
Hoss, you're spoiled. I hate guys like you with your fancy push-button pins and scabless knuckles.
It is pretty nice NOT to have scuffed knuckles and bruises 1/2 way up my forearms.


Answer:
Toes, got to watch them toes. Every time I help someone it seems my toes get in the way. Have to make sure their out of the way.
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten it"

Answer:
when sliding tandems by myself. i would measure on the trailer the present hole selected to the one i wanted the pin in. then have a reference point somewhere u can see from the cab seat. the edge of the step or where ever u want. make a chalk mark on the pavement at ur reference point & measure & mark another one the distance u want to slide the tandems. move ur reference point to the latter chalk mark. should be close. saves alot of guesswork & time.
if ur in gravel , use sticks