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GAP STAR
Page 40
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A simple visual aid for coupling tractors to trailer claims to increase safety and reduce fuel costs.
Kevin Swallow checks it out.
ir, , I he art of coupling a tractor and trailer is as old as your great-great-grandfather's hat.The fifth wheela term that derives from four-wheel, horse-drawn carriages where a horizontal wheel allowed the front axle to pivot independently of the rear axle was used to help three-wheel dock tractors pull a single-axle trailer.The process has remained unchanged save for the introduction of the versatile sliding fifth wheel to aid compatibility between different makes and styles of trailer.The slider, though. has brought its own hazards: damage to taillights, trailers and cabs is not uncommon.
That's why Jim Thomson created Stop-Gap Coupling. "There has never been a definitive method of coupling up knowing when to get a bit closer or knowing when it is too close until now," he says. Judgement has always been by eye, which can lead to a lot of messing around.
Measured approach Stop-Gap Coupling is a measuring guide for tractor units and trailers that particularly benefits those with sliding fifth wheels. It uses two measurements: one from the trailer's kingpin to the landing legs and the other from the kingpin to the trailer's bulk head.The ideal position lies between the two.
The measurements, including tolerances, are displayed in red and blue on the trailer's headboard, giving the driver the limits within which the fifth wheel should be set.Two ruler gauges run in opposite directions between the back of the tractor cab and its tail lights-a red one from the cab and a blue one from the tail lights.These sit just above the chassis, along the bracket of the fifth wheel's base. By moving an arrow along the gauges to the recommended position, the driver can couple the tractor and trailer, and use the weight of the trailer to line up the arrow and fifth wheel.
Go lower than the red measurement from the back wall of the tractor and it'll be too close, potentially damaging the truck and trailer.Exceed the blue limit and the tractor lights are likely to hit the trailer. In between the two lies the happy medium:The simple mechanical device takes the guesswork out of coupling by showing the driver the best position for the trailer regarding safety and aerodynamics.
Proving it, the kit was trialled for five months on a Scania R124 running for Core Management Logistics, based at Lutterworth. Leicestershire. Pulling containers, boxes and curtainsiders, it saved the company 8% on fuel. -For every 51mm you can get the trailer closer to the truck that's the movement of each cog on the slider mechanismyou can save 1% of fuel,saysThomson. For more information, call 0870242 0923 or visit wwwstop -gapcoupting.com to see online demonstrations. •