oliver1555
Gold Member
When I hauled logs, we would weld a short piece of pipe on the reach and you could set the pin in that, back up and it would fall into place on the compensator pin. Then we would pull forward. After that the load was lowered.
Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong
- Thread starter 94BULLITT
- Start date
- Views: 4625291
buckeyefarmer
Epic Contributor
One of the logs on right side looked like it fell back so he lowered the load not looking to the left.
oliver1555
Gold Member
Never seen it done like that. We would remove and stow wrapper and set the pin on the reach. Load goes up and you back up (only takes an inch or two) to let pin drop in compensator and drive away. Some trailers have a bill hook that latches instead of a pin. That load should not move until the truck leaves and heads over to load the trailer on the truck. That’s a long log trailer, common throughout the western United States and Canada. I wonder where this was.
This might make the compensator easier to understand. It slides in and out - necessary to allow for turning. The logs actually pull the trailer when loaded and the reach only steers the trailer.
This might make the compensator easier to understand. It slides in and out - necessary to allow for turning. The logs actually pull the trailer when loaded and the reach only steers the trailer.
Last edited:
duramaxsky
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2011
- Messages
- 635
- Location
- Ravensdale WA
- Tractor
- Mitsubishi D1300 4X4 sold now John Deere 2025R and L110
And that's why log trucks turn so much easier tha semi the same length. When 2 lanes turn left they can almost always use the inside lane. I wish my truck could turn like that.
A lot of smaller mills unload like that. I've never heard of that happening. But most operators don't back away like that . The mills where I have seen it done like that they raise the load and the truck drives away before the log stacker moves. As said before with the reach locked in place. I was waiting to unload a delivery once and saw a guy forgot to lock the reach. It made a loud bang when the reach hit the stops on the end.
Last edited:
Fallon
Super Member
Can you explain further? What pin are you guys talking about & why is it important? What's a reach? I think I get what the compensator is.
oliver1555
Gold Member
The reach is what could be called the tongue. The frame on the truck extends back a few feet, or the truck might have a “stinger” extending out the back. This makes the trailer follow much like a bumper pull. The logs sit on the bunks of the truck and trailer. When you turn, go over bumps, etc., the compensator has to move in and out to allow for the difference in length - kind of hard to explain, but it’s a geometry thing. Look at the angle of the logs compared to the truck and reach on the trailer. The compensator is about four feet long and can be pulled completely out of the reach. So, you either have to pin it, or have a latch on it to pull it empty, or it comes out and tears all of the lines up. I have seen it happen on a loaded truck when being pulled from the front and the trailer won’t come out of the mud. Gotta be careful when pulling on one that’s stuck. The picture above shows one with a latch and going around a sharp turn. When he straightens out, the compensator slides in. When you unload the trailer off the truck and hook up, you position under the crane and release the compensator. Then pull ahead a couple of inches so it doesn’t bang each time it goes back in. When unloaded, there aren’t logs to pull the trailer. So, the compensator has to be pinned or latched in order for the trailer to follow when empty.
Last edited:
