Author Topic: Question for the truckers...  (Read 1096 times)

Gewehr98

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,010
  • Yee-haa!
    • Neural Misfires (Blog)
Question for the truckers...
« on: February 15, 2010, 04:28:30 PM »
When the roads turned to thick ice earlier in December, we had one main street in downtown Madison blocked by a Conway tandem-trailer big rig who couldn't make the uphill grade.  He was running a single-axle tractor, and it spun and hopped mightily trying to pull both trailers up the icy incline of East Washington. 

I'm not a trucker, but I'm curious if there are rules as to which combination of tractor and trailer is allowed.  Certainly, a double-axle tractor can pull a single-axle trailer no problem, but I do see many single-axle tractors pulling double-axle trailers, or even tandem-trailer combos.

Is it a GVWR thing?   ???
"Bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round...

http://neuralmisfires.blogspot.com

"Never squat with your spurs on!"

Tallpine

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 23,172
  • Grumpy Old Grandpa
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2010, 05:01:38 PM »
I don't think that there is any such thing, as long as no single axle is overloaded.

I've seen UPS single axle tractors pulling triples  :O

(but I've only owned/driven single axle tractor-trailer combos[3 axles total], and twin screw bobtails)
Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveller may never reach the end of it.  - Ursula Le Guin

Gewehr98

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,010
  • Yee-haa!
    • Neural Misfires (Blog)
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2010, 05:04:58 PM »
So it's just a function of the weight on the single-axle tractor's 5th wheel? 
"Bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round...

http://neuralmisfires.blogspot.com

"Never squat with your spurs on!"

Tallpine

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 23,172
  • Grumpy Old Grandpa
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2010, 05:09:49 PM »
So it's just a function of the weight on the single-axle tractor's 5th wheel? 

As far as I know...  =|

The UPS triple rigs that I saw were shorter single axle trailers.

Now, that doesn't make it reasonable or sensible if you are hauling over Monarch Pass in Colorado  ;/

Worst thing that I've seen are tag axles - three axle truck with only the front set of duals under power.  =(
Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveller may never reach the end of it.  - Ursula Le Guin

cassandra and sara's daddy

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 20,781
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2010, 05:26:26 PM »
tell em about the front axles not having brakes
It is much more powerful to seek Truth for one's self.  Seeing and hearing that others seem to have found it can be a motivation.  With me, I was drawn because of much error and bad judgment on my part. Confronting one's own errors and bad judgment is a very life altering situation.  Confronting the errors and bad judgment of others is usually hypocrisy.


by someone older and wiser than I

Jim147

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,611
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2010, 05:30:25 PM »
Did he have chains on?

jim
Sometimes we carry more weight then we owe.
And sometimes goes on and on and on.

BAH-WEEP-GRAAAGHNAH WHEEP NI-NI BONG

Gewehr98

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,010
  • Yee-haa!
    • Neural Misfires (Blog)
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2010, 05:37:07 PM »
Oh, I knew about the front axles on tractors not having brakes.  Wouldn't help 'em much, anyway.  ;)

No chains on the Conway rig I saw mired in ice.  He dug some impressive ruts into the ice and then lurched forward as he hit clean pavement, went forward a few inches, then started digging in ice again, etc. 
"Bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round...

http://neuralmisfires.blogspot.com

"Never squat with your spurs on!"

Sergeant Bob

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5,861
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2010, 07:53:01 PM »
Oh, I knew about the front axles on tractors not having brakes.  Wouldn't help 'em much, anyway.  ;)

No chains on the Conway rig I saw mired in ice.  He dug some impressive ruts into the ice and then lurched forward as he hit clean pavement, went forward a few inches, then started digging in ice again, etc. 

Semi tractors do indeed have brakes on the steering (front) axle, as required by law. What they don't have on the front axle is parking/emergency brakes on the front.

As others have said, there is no requirement for a certain number of drive axles, as long as the per axle weight (generally 17k per) is not exceeded.

Single screw tractors suck.
Personally, I do not understand how a bunch of people demanding a bigger govt can call themselves anarchist.
I meet lots of folks like this, claim to be anarchist but really they're just liberals with pierced genitals. - gunsmith

I already have canned butter, buying more. Canned blueberries, some pancake making dry goods and the end of the world is gonna be delicious.  -French G

Bigjake

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,024
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2010, 09:42:00 PM »


Single screw tractors suck.


An icey hill?  Out of his mind.

I've seen singles stuck in snowly, FLAT parking lots / jobsites...

never_retreat

  • Head Muckety Muck
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,158
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2010, 09:51:55 PM »
It's based on axle weight. So yes you could have a set of doubles or triples on a single screw truck. The US max is 80k pounds without a overweight permit. Multi trailers and boogies spread out the load so you can haul and 80k load on a single screw truck. They run 100k in Canada Eh I believe.
I needed a mod to change my signature because the concept of "family friendly" eludes me.
Just noticed that a mod changed my signature. How long ago was that?
A few months-mods

Sergeant Bob

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5,861
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #10 on: February 15, 2010, 09:56:29 PM »

An icey hill?  Out of his mind.

I've seen singles stuck in snowly, FLAT parking lots / jobsites...

It's the job. Not usually a whole lot of choice.

Wheels that are turnin' are wheels that are earnin'. ;)

Personally, I do not understand how a bunch of people demanding a bigger govt can call themselves anarchist.
I meet lots of folks like this, claim to be anarchist but really they're just liberals with pierced genitals. - gunsmith

I already have canned butter, buying more. Canned blueberries, some pancake making dry goods and the end of the world is gonna be delicious.  -French G

Tallpine

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 23,172
  • Grumpy Old Grandpa
Re: Question for the truckers...
« Reply #11 on: February 16, 2010, 11:15:22 AM »
Quote
They run 100k in Canada Eh I believe.

IIRC, there is a permit in Montana for 110K or 120K ???

The log haulers use that a lot, a twin screw tractor a double load, each about 35 feet long.  They don't load too tall with that, however.  Sometimes the tractors have a self loader on them too.

When I was working down in northern NM, my boss had a fairly short run (80 miles?) down to the mill.  No weigh stations and NM was notoriously lax, at least back then.  He just ran a single load, but he had stake extensions and loaded high!  And that was ponderosa which is heavy compared to spruce or lodgepole.

He said those loads were running 90-100K  :O

His trucks had 13sp R/R and 4sp Brownies - 54 forward gears  =D
In low-low they could pull like bulldozer, which they needed pulling up out of the canyon.

That was good work and good money for all of us back then.  Big trees (mostly), good scale, and private land so we didn't have to mess with the Forest Circus.  I never worked over six hours a day.  But I didn't want to stay there through the summer because of the heat.  I was still getting checks a couple or three months after I quit, until he finally got all my logs skidded and hauled.
Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveller may never reach the end of it.  - Ursula Le Guin