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The finer points of fifth wheels
Page 15
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[here's a great deal more to fifth wheels than meets the eye, according to Cheshire-based manufacturer 'a ntaine VBG. The firm, formerly known as VBG but .ecently bought out by the US Marmon Corporation, las undergone a transformation to meet changes in Jperator needs and in the globalisation of the truck ndustry.
I by Toby Clark
;ci how does a fifth wheel manufacturer at itself apart itself from the competiionP VBG reckons that its main unique Jelling points are its locking system and a ioupling height sensor: unless the kingpin enters the fifth wheel at the correct height, the coupling will not lock.
But not all users are aware of such things. General sales manager Roger Darling says: "We've felt for a long time that people are terribly ignorant about fifth wheels and abuse them badly." He adds that if a fifth wheel is maintained and operated correctly it should work—it's as simple as that.
Darling disposes of one common misconception straight away: it is better to run a coupling dry or with light oil than grease—it just attracts dirt." And he points out that maintenance standards are not helped by current legislation, which allows up to 25% wear on coupling pin diameter.
Training
Customer training is vital, says Darling: "We've got one person doing it at the moment, and we're not scratching the surface. I think it's only after an incident that people think about it." The variety of couplings available makes tall the more important that customers are trained. This is not usually a priority as the fifth wheel is generally ordered as part of the package from a dealer.
But this approach has its advantages. If all fifth wheels were ordered direct from the manufacturer it would take the specifying decision away from the customer. But Fontaine VBG has an answer to this, in the shape of its modular fifth wheel system. The VB0135SF slider accepts any of the company's fifth wheels (pressed or cast) while different mounting feet change the coupling height. This makes it simple to upgrade the coupling, or to accommodate a different spec. A standard slider unit has to be specified right first time, but this unit can be tweaked at minimal cost.
Fontaine VBG's website (www.fifthwheeleurope.com) includes instructions for its products, as well as a calculator to help with specifying fifth wheels.
Other innovations include the lowmaintenance fifth wheel (using replaceable surface inserts), the air-operated coupling arm (see box) and an in-cab coupling sensor. Fontaine VBG also produces a dual-height coupling: the firm thought it would be a stopgap solution while hauliers moved to mega-cube trailers, but instead it has become a steady seller, at a couple of hundred units a year.