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The sliding fifth wheel remains something of an enigma in
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the British road transport industry. Designed for operators running trailers with varying pin lengths, it's rapidly becoming another part of the truck the driver is encouraged not to tamper with.
Often the fifth wheel is left in one position. frequently overlooked and poorly maintained. When it is eventually used, the mechanism freezes or requires industrial intervention to shift it. Drivers attempting to move the fifth wheel, especially with a heavy load, can spend significant time trying to find the right position. Often they have to rely on the naked eye and experience, without knowing where it actually is. The potential for damage is significant.
If you are an operator that regularly drops trailers, then the time it takes to ensure the trailer is in the optimum position is measured against the urgency to get to the next port of call.
An educated guess
With fuel prices being as unpredictable as they are, those extra few minutes spent getting the trailer tight to the tractor could save you a significant amount of money. Unfortunately. saving a few extra pounds on a journey doesn't always register as a tangible plus on the balance sheet, because you can only make an educated guess as to how much money you have saved.
A few extra miles here or there will increase the fuel bill anyway.
Only by monitoring a specific truck can an operator even-out fuel over distance and see a change.
The aim of this specific test is to scientifically measure what can be saved: it's then down to operators' own productivity measurement to see if that extra five minutes spent adjusting the fifth wheel, to save, for example, 5%, is actually worth the effort.
To make sure we could measure the system accurately, CM brought in Jim Thomson, who devised the Stop-Gap Coupling system (www.stopgapsystems.com).
The system measures the distance from the kingpin forward to the tractor cab, and backwards to the landing legs, to find the right position.
The right position
An arrow runs along the sliding mechanism, and the measurements show how far forward or back the sliding fifth wheel can move.
This allowed CM to bring the trailer forward to the right position without causing damage to the truck, the trailer or anyone's dignity.
To slide the fifth wheel into position, Paul Walker, Iveco Trucks demonstration driver, released the airline, dropped the landing legs to take the weight off the kingpin, released the sliding-fifth-wheel mechanism and then moved the tractor to the allotted place. a