Have the defect corrected as soon as you can. If one pin malfunctions and doesn’t lock, you’re still legal as long as the other 3 lock in place. Step 4: Lock the Tandem AxleĪfter adjusting the tandems, make sure the pins lock into the holes. Move to level ground to adjust the tandems. Sometimes if you’re on uneven ground or on an incline, the pins won’t release. If one or more locking pins won’t release, try rocking the tractor back and forth a few times while the trailer brake is set. Mark the hole you want to move to with chalk, pencil, or a piece of tape. They can release the lever to lock the pins in place.Ī lot of times, you may not have anyone to assist. Make sure they stay clear while you’re moving. They can signal you when the tandems are in position. Always reweigh to confirm that you’re legal. You need to move the tandems forward 4 holes (by moving the tractor backward). This tells you how many holes you need to slide the tandems.įor example, if you’re too heavy on your drive axles by 900 lbs you can calculate like so:Īlways round up to the next whole number. If there’s any remainder, round up to the next whole number. Take the amount you need to redistribute and divide by 250. For each hole, you shift approximately 250 lbs of weight. You can estimate the amount of weight redistribution by the number of holes in the locking rail. Just remember that you move the tractor in the direction you want to increase the weight. Moving backward puts more weight on the tandem. If you’re too heavy on the tandem axle, moving the tractor forward will distribute more weight to the drive axles. Moving the tractor backward slides the tandems toward the front. Move forward to position the tandems toward the rear of the trailer. With the locking pins released, you can slide the position of the tandem by moving the tractor while the trailer brake is set. Pulling the lever releases the four locking pins that hold the tandem axles in position. Major trailer manufacturers place it on the driver’s side.
On most trailers, you’ll find a pull lever near the tandem axles. If your truck weighs less than 80,000 lbs but you’re too heavy on the drive axle or tandem axle, you can adjust the weight distribution by sliding the tandem axle.
TRAILER AXLE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION FULL
It’s best to weigh your axles when you have a full tank of fuel. This smooths out the ride and helps prevent freight from shifting. When you can, get the weights of your drive axles and trailer axles nearly equal. What’s the Best Way to Distribute Axle Weight? Whatever the case, $9 is a drop in the bucket compared to the $2,000 - $3,000 or more you’d pay in fines for an overweight axle. The clerk may have entered the wrong weight for the product The shipper loaded the wrong product, and it’s heavier The loader miscounts the pallets and you have one or more extra Although you won’t have an overweight problem if the freight is less than 40,000 lbs, keep in mind that shippers can make mistakes. The weight limits there are:ĥ,500 kg steering axle (12,125 lbs some provinces vary)ġ7,000 kg drive and tandem axles (37,479 lbs)Ī lot of truckers only weigh their trucks if the bill of lading (BOL) shows the freight weighs 40,000 lbs or more. If you haul in Canada, they use the metric system. You should take state limits into account in your route planning. Non-Interstate roads in some states may have different weight requirements. These weight limits apply when you’re driving on the Interstate Highway.
As long as the steer axle is less than 20,000 and your total weight isn’t over 80,000, you’re okay. But the Bridge formula allows up to 20,000 lbs on a single steer axle.Īt times you may have a heavy load where the steer axle weighs more than 12,000 lbs, but your drive and tandem axles are within legal limits. Notice that if you have 34,000 lbs on the drive axles and 34,000 lbs on the trailer tandem axles, that leaves 12,000 lbs for the steer axle. The truck scales measure double axles as a single unit. While the bridge formula allows a max of 17,000 per axle, a semi rig has 2 drive axles and 2 trailer axles. In the United States, your axle weight limits are: The Federal Government regulates axle weight using the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Formula. In this blog post, we’ll cover the basics of truck axle weight distribution and walk through the steps to adjusting axle weight. You could end up paying thousands of dollars. This is a time when you need your truck axle weight within the legal limits. The weigh station is open and your PrePass is blinking red.
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