Not sure about that line of thinking either Colt, I want it in as high a gear as I can get while barely on the throttle enough to not lose momentum. The higher the gear the better chance of the drives NOT spinning when your barely on the throttle due to the torque. You run that thing in a low gear and against the limiter, your going to start spinning out the drives and or jackknife in an instant.

 

You want to have enough weight on your drives to give you the traction you need. At the same time, you need to have it balanced. You don't want to put all the weight on the truck. You don't want that trailer to start wiggling. If it was me, I wouldn't worry too much about the tandems. If you're loaded, you should be alright, unless your tandems are way off.

Take it slow. Don't get into a hurry, and keep your distance, if possible. Make sure you have plenty of space, if you need to shut down (if traffic stops). I know in the big cities, it's almost impossible to keep a lot of space around you, but you don't want to find yourself grabbing gears, and hitting the brake pedal. That could be very ugly.

We all can tell you, or 'advise' you how to drive in that mess, but you will have to do it yourself, and use your own judgment. When I'm in it, I try to keep it geared to where I can hold a steady pace, but not geared so low that I will lose traction if I speed up. If you feel like you should downshift, don't downshift too high. Ease off of it. Let that motor slow down a little. You don't want your RPM soaring when you downshift, or you could end up in the ditch.

I'm sure I've hit or missed some things, but I hope it helps, and makes sense.

 

Tell us how you really feel Colt (about running against the governor :thumbsup:

hey, how about be sure to have the cruise control set and the engine brake on high.. and always use your trailer brake to "straighten 'er out" :banghead:

 

Well put.

I'm with the Ford/Colt camp. I need to be in the right gear to add speed if I need it and at the correct RPM to downshift quickly and smoothly, as necessary. Grades are the exception for obvious reasons, but my approach is basically the same. I approach a climb with the idea that I want to be at the correct speed at the bottom of the hill to climb the entire hill . . smooth and consistent the entire way without changing gears. The trip back down is no different. I start off slow and stay that way the entire way down. Still, it's no guarantee. The only guarantee you get is the slower you go, the less damage you'll do . . theoretically . .

That kind of leads into engine brakes. I believe and my experience bears this out, if the engine brake doesn't come on suddenly and dramatically, the tandems don't care what is controlling the speed of all eighteen wheels. If I'm running at the right speed, the engine brake won't come on suddenly and dramatically. If I start at the top of the hill at the correct speed, with the engine brake on, the engine brake will help to maintain that speed and the tandems will be none the wiser. If I've misjudged my speed too low, no problem. If I've misjudged my speed to high, the engine brake is the least of my worries.

That kind of leads into the issue of braking. I never think in terms of how long will it take me to stop if I have to lock 'em up because there is no right answer. If the brakes lock up and the tires stop turning, the truck is out of control and whatever is going to happen is now beyond my control. I'm always looking and thinking ahead about the amount of time and space I have and how much application pressure I'll need to slow the rate the wheels are turning enough to roll to a stop in a straight line, in time. Look at and listen to your own brakes . . they're not all even and they don't engage simultaneously. The differences can be minuscule but they can be aggravated by a sudden, panicked application of the brakes. You have to ease your way into them and that means you need to be at the correct speed and distance to allow yourself that luxury. Does anyone remember the (you're never going to believe this but . . ) story I told last winter about my trip from Walcott to Waterloo, IA and back? If there were 20 trucks off the road, at least half were local "experts" (grain haulers) who could teach me a thing or two about winter driving . . These guys crazy drive this stuff all the time and, sooner or later, their luck runs out.

As far as wind and weight go, I suppose if the dynamics were predictable, there's be a graph somewhere we could all refer to. I have read the Wabash owner's manual and looked through their website. My guess is that this type of thing is so random and chaotic, no one is willing to sign their name to a set of rules for fear they'd have to defend the rules in court. That said, I have always been told and agree that even weight distribution is better for everything from the quality of the ride to wear and tear and to fuel economy.

Geeshock and Sealord have it right with parking it. This will be my second winter with this truck and the chains are still nice and shiny in their original bags in the bunk locker. The chain law going into effect is a defacto declaration of an emergency condition. If I chain up and wreck I don't get a free pass on my DAC report.

As for the 5th wheel grease? There is the crowd that always run with the same trailer, many of whom have never seen the 5th wheel . . I got that from a wrecker driver who said I'd be surprised by the number of drivers that don't know how to drop a trailer . . I guess it's conceivable that if you've been a little neglectful with the routine maintenance, why not throw an extra dollop of grease on the 5th wheel? Can't hurt.

 

if their uneven adjusted.. ie.. some out of adjustment ... this could cause a jackknife more easily ... you should have em checked out.

 

heh, when I drive on winter roads I always imagine being on eggshells. suprisingly enough for me this has always helped. hit the break to hard and they crack, change speed to much, they crack. Always try and drive with a load and if you bobtail BE VERY CAREFUL. Only time I had a bad slide way when I had to bobtail to get my truck fixed, got on the exit ramp and my drives wanted to be up front. I got it under control but that was definately one of my bigest OH SH*T moments

 

You are correct. Let's assume there is nothing mechanically wrong with the equipment. Trailer brakes still lag behind the tractor brakes by a second or so. Braking effect of brand new pads is better than those on their way out. A slick road will exacerbate the effect of these otherwise normal conditions in an instant. I'm sure you've picked up and dropped your fair share of trailers that haven't made it through the shop recently. Throw in the possibility of an adjustment problem compounded by the chance of icing up or freezing . . You get my drift . . the brakes are not all responding with equal force at the exact same time which we agree can cause a few problems like death and mayhem.

When I say "you need to ease into it . . " what I mean is you can get all the cam locks rolled over and into braking position with a gentle application of the brakes . . get them working together as a team without really braking at all. . and then apply the additional appropriate pressure to slow the wheels closer to equally without locking them up. But that takes time. If I'm running at the right speed and I've created enough distance, I have the time.

I also forgot to mention that, as long as the wheels are turning, your ABS is probably working just fine. If you get into a slide or skid, it's still trying but it's not working.

 

Guess I should drive this winter like i did my last (and first) winter....and drive 10x more cautious than most drivers. I've lived in the midwest most all my life, and driving in snow is almost 2nd nature, BUT that was with 4 wheels and nothing heavier than 3,000lbs.

I do know that keeping your wheels rolling and the odds of losing control are lowered significantly. Making sure you have plenty of space is always the biggest key.

but it is a good idea to keep the weight as even as you can.......good input guys...thanx

 

You should drive it that way. Never get in a hurry, and always take it slower than normal driving.

I'd rather have 18 wheels than just 4.

 

Thats a mouthful, Sealord. kudos.