kscarbel Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Truck News / March 15, 2014Prime Transport Solutions (PTS) demonstrated at the Technology & Maintenance Council meetings, a pneumatic landing gear system that reduces the risk of driver injury and streamlines the coupling/uncoupling process.The PTS50 pneumatic landing gear, already used in Europe and also incorporated into Daimler’s SuperTruck project, allows the driver to raise or lower the landing gear with the push of a button. What takes on average four minutes using traditional landing gear can be done in five seconds with the PTS50, according to Simon Bois, executive vice-president and general manager, North America, for Prime Transport Solutions.Eliminating the crank handle also reduces weight by up to 40 lbs, and the screw and nut mechanisms that are the weakest components in a cranked leg are also done away with. The system has been piloted by four North American fleets with favorable results, Bois said.In addition to reducing the risk of injuries, Bois said the PTS50 also provides a recruiting edge for carriers, especially those looking to attract aging or female drivers. The system is designed to last the life of the trailer and in the event of a hang-up, there’s an easy-to-use manual override option, Bois added. The system consists of fewer parts, which can be easily replaced if repairs are required.“With the standard technology, more often than not if a leg is failing, you have to wait for your mobile technician to come,” he said. “With this technology, you can use manual override to simply raise or lower the legs within a couple of minutes.”The system will only work when the trailer is coupled to a tractor with air lines connected, Bois noted. It draws its air supply from the trailer’s air system.The PTS50 also provides fuel savings by reducing the time spent idling while coupling and decoupling. Bois said engine idle time is reduced by 97% during these activities. And he also noted carriers can pack more trailers into a yard, since they don’t need to leave as much space between units.The PTS50 brings a consistent height to the trailer fleet, but Bois admitted that if the trailer legs sink into the ground and the tractor cannot slide underneath it by dumping its air suspension, that the trailer may have to be jacked up on occasion. Still, he said that’ll rarely be necessary.“We’re trying to bring the trailer height to a consistent level,” he said. “There will be instances where it’ll sink in and under severe circumstances you’ll have to jack it up. We recognize that, but only rarely. Most of the time you’ll be able to lower the tractor suspension enough to raise the trailer as you need.”The company is now finalizing its plans to bring the system to market. It’s exploring both distributor and OE distribution channels. It is also working on finalizing pricing, though single unit pricing is likely to be around US$1,200 per system. While pneumatic landing gear has been explored in the past, Bois said previous systems were much more complex than the PTS50 design.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyLjpKGI_jkhttp://www.primetransportsolutions.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyZ Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 All well and good until they freeze in and the "driver" tries to free them up and bends them like a horseshoe.There's plenty of scenarios that could be a problem. In the fleet I'm a part of, there's more often than not trucks with lo-pro 22.5's that dropped a van so low I come along with high 24.5's and end up looking around the property for a 4x4 (or anything actually,) dropping my suspension, jacking, blocking, jacking, repetitively until I gain 6-8" so I can get under it finally. As long as you could get close enough to the gladhands to get air to the trailer/gear, I guess you could get out of trouble with these air-operated ones...We sure are getting lazy in this country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawel Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Hello!Now the whole world is getting lazy. Some call it "Progress". Even the old Chinese are talling their children: "Yeah, you go to that comfy, seven day a week, 12 hours a day factory job, instead of working here on the farm like we did!"For somebody not knowing the operation that landing gear mod looks simple, but I guess there are lots of small things to work out, before it can be widely adopted.Have a nice dayPaweł 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdog2 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I work for a rigging company that had trailers double drop with removable goose neck that had air over hydraulic legs that could be used on any trailer but was slow process. Quote Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j hancock Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Hasn't UPS been using air landing gear for several years now? Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Dash Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I don't mind cranking the landing gear as it probably accounts for 75% of my physical activity on a typical work shift, but they do bring up some good points about the manual systems. The pin in the handle is still the weakest point in the system and there is still a risk of injury if the handle springs back in the opposite direction. I believe those two issues have been around for as long as there has been retractable landing gear.I keep an open mind to this simply because there needs to be improvements to the current system and there's only so much you can do to improve them because of the simplicity. This does create a problem for the next wave of new breeds who not only won't be able to drive a manual transmission but will now have to call road service if the gear has to be cranked by hand.Hello!Now the whole world is getting lazy. Some call it "Progress". Even the old Chinese are talling their children: "Yeah, you go to that comfy, seven day a week, 12 hours a day factory job, instead of working here on the farm like we did!"For somebody not knowing the operation that landing gear mod looks simple, but I guess there are lots of small things to work out, before it can be widely adopted.Have a nice dayPawełThat's funny! It's all a matter of perspective, I guess. Quote Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vision386 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Seems to me the newbies are pretty easily confused as it is! I saw a woman driver (Werner Dedicated) not too long ago,that actually had the tractor picked up off the ground with the landing gear! (she was turning the handle the wrong way) she said she couldn't get the hang of "Trailer up,landing gear down,and vice-versa"! with "up and down" written on the side of the trailer,and more confused with a curbside gearbox!...............................Mark Quote Mack Truck literate. Computer illiterate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Dash Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Seems to me the newbies are pretty easily confused as it is! I saw a woman driver (Werner Dedicated) not too long ago,that actually had the tractor picked up off the ground with the landing gear! (she was turning the handle the wrong way) she said she couldn't get the hang of "Trailer up,landing gear down,and vice-versa"! with "up and down" written on the side of the trailer,and more confused with a curbside gearbox!...............................MarkYou should've taken her keys. She was in no condition to drive. 1 Quote Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 My race trailer has electric jacks on it. I was not going to crank that bastard every weekend LOL!! Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lmackattack Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Ups has them or had them I remember seeing a lot of leaning trailers when I worked the night shift... When they work right there great. When they fail it's a problem....I do like how they left a manual option for them for when they do brake... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyZ Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Guess I'm just an old-schooler who doesn't like change unless it makes sense to everybody involved, lol.I've broken my share of crank handles, cross-tubes and such. I've struggled with tweaked gear that the last one dragged or caught on something...but never sat there and wondered why my wheels were off the ground! Always managed to get out of a jam somehow with a pipewrench, etc.But we're living in the ends times...with EOBR's, automatic transmissions with restricted license endorsements on "drivers" licenses even saying so, and all the technology coming up that will eventually squeeze out everything most of us are accustomed to. Anyone with 15-20 years of this career staring you in the face better start renewing your wardrobe with sweatpants, sandals and dumbed-down attitudes. It's becoming a job that requires a pulse, and that's all. (Not in every sector, but you get the drift.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_martell Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 are they air down, spring up? don't pull wagons, but I don't trust 'em...... Quote Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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