Balance The Weight
Topic 20597 | Page 1
Location? Steer axle is the front axle, ahead of the driver. The drive axle(s) are behind the cab, powered and if coupled to a trailer, directly under the trailer nose and kingpin area. You left out the tandem axles of the trailer which slide forward and rearward to adjust weight distribution. The weight must be distributed between the three sets; for an 18 wheeler optimally, maximum of 12k on the steer, 34k on the drives; and 34k on the tandems , not to exceed 80,000 pounds total.
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
"Poor weight balance can make vehicle handling unsafe. Too much weight on the steering axle can cause hard steering and damage the steering axle and tires. Underloaded front axles (caused by shifting weight too far to the rear) can make the steering axle weight too light to steer safely. Too little weight on the driving axles can cause poor traction. The drive wheels may spin easily."
Hey everyone, doing some studying and just wanted to clarify the location of these "axles": Steering axle, Front axle, and Driving axle.
Thanks, Kenny