THE DEFINITIVE TRUCKING SITE

September 2008

The Jost 2-inch kingpin is an industry standard and a favourite amongst local trailer builders.

Jost landing legs need to be used correctly to ensure safe driving. The low gear should be engaged while driving to prevent the legs from inadvertently descending.

It’s a sobering thought; the fact that all that keeps a trailer hitched to a truck tractor is a single piece of steel measuring no more than a few centimeters in diameter, especially when the rig is fully laden and traveling down a bust highway. Coupling systems are safety-critical items and their fitment, maintenance and use have to be executed professionally or disaster will strike, writes Paul Collings. 

There is much cause for concern when it comes to truck safety these days, says Jost SA’s sales and technical manager, Manie Roux. “The rapid growth of the industry has resulted in operators employing inexperienced drivers and assistants. The number of damaged Jost products being returned to us is alarming to say the least and nine times out of ten, the damage is operator-related.” 

Jost SA’s production facilities cater to truck OEMs, trailer builders and fleet owners in South Africa as well as north of our borders.

Reality bites 

As the country’s leading supplier of 5th wheels, kingpins, landing legs and hydraulic/PTO equipment, Jost SA does much to ensure its products serve customers optimally. “We have an extensive country-wide distributorship and training drivers and truck technicians on how best to use our products is an ongoing process”, says Roux. 

To illustrate his point, he recounts an incident he experienced while driving on a major provincial road: “It’s become a habit of mine while I’m driving to check the condition of the 5th wheels fitted to the trucks I pass on the road. On this particular Sunday, I passed a fully loaded triaxle rear end tipping sloper and noticed that the handle of the 5th wheel was out, indicating that the 5th wheel hadn’t locked. I flagged the driver who stopped and we were both horrified to find that the kingpin was nowhere near the locking mechanism, but was sitting on top of the 5th wheel, held in place merely by the weight of the load. All it would have taken for the trailer to leave the horse was one sizable bump in the road!” 

SA’s most popular 5th wheel, the Jost JSK 37C

Safety first 

The mechanics of 5th wheels and landing legs aren’t complicated, says Roux, but their misapplication is rife. “Training drivers how to deploy landing legs correctly and how to couple safely is part of the training we provide to our customers. We have a very straightforward checklist for drivers to observe after coupling, as well as tips on how best to use our landing legs.” 

For 5th wheel coupling, it’s down to three points, Roux explains: “Ensure the operating handle has entered into the body of the 5th wheel fully; ensure that the auto-safety latch has engaged in front of the handle and then make sure there is no gap between the rubbing plate and the 5th wheel top plate. If the kingpin has failed to enter the locking mechanism correctly, this gap will be quite substantial, around four to five centimeters.”

Landing legs can also be hazardous if not properly handled, Roux continues: “We often find that drivers travel with the crank removed and the landing legs in the neutral position. Effectively, this leaves the landing legs unlocked and bumpy roads could cause the legs to descend and hit the ground with nasty side effects.”

Roux advises that drivers ensure the landing leg’s low gear is engaged while traveling, with the crank handles stowed firmly in its bracket. 

“Drivers should also avoid overwinding the handle as this can cause the roll-pin in the landing leg gearbox to shear.”

Manie Roux stresses the importance of training drivers and assistants on how to couple correctly.

Product shifts

With its Rockinger drawbar coupling range selling well in the agricultural and transport sectors, Roux is pleased to report on additional successes within the hydraulics product range. “We have excellent support from our suppliers in Europe who have developed a PTO (power take-off unit) specifically for the Nissan UD 390. The Hyva walking floor is also selling well because it allows operators to handle varied load types, ensuring versatility, resulting in profitable return trips.” 

Another new product on offer is the ‘Dock-spotter’, or ‘dual-height’ 5th wheel, which allows for swift coupling of skeletal trailers with differing heights stationed at dock sites. Jost also has a retrofit manual 5th wheel lubrication system that saves on maintenance/greasing time and ensures interim lubrication of the top plate. Another “maintenance friendly” lubrication system is the LubeTronic device when, fitted to a JSK37CW low maintenance fifth wheel, ensures that no greasing of the fifth wheel is required for a period of up to three years. 

Catering to the booming small tipper market is the Jost ‘scissorlinkage system’, built locally for six and ten-cubic-metre tipper bodies. 

On the high-tech front, Jost has developed an automatic coupling system that allows the 5th wheel and landing legs to be engaged without the driver having to leave the cab. Known as the KKS (Komfort Kupplings System), the technology allows for safe and efficient deployment of both safety-critical components. South Africa will no doubt wait a year or two for this product to become feasible, says Roux. 

A new era 

The recent acquisition of IMS Industrial Products by Jost-Werke in Germany saw the company becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jost (Germany). “Having the backing of a multinational company is allowing us to expand our footprint in southern Africa. We have sales office in Cape Town and our ability to service customers is enhanced by our national distributor network. The market is expanding and I believe Jost SA is perfectly positioned to give truck transporters and OEMs everything they need in the way of quality trailer components, as well as the all important product training,” concludes Roux.