Freightliner solves safety problem with Fontaine fifth wheel 07 November 2012

Rail freight operator Freightliner has revealed that it is using a novel fifth wheel mechanism to avoid safety issues when coupling tractor and trailer combinations.

Richard Branston, general manager of Freightliner's in house road operations, Road Services (FRS), explains that moving rail-borne containers to road vehicles raises challenges, especially with drop and swap operations.

"Safety is key to our operations," says Branston. "We experienced several dropped trailer incidents with our previous fifth wheels, which were attributed to the trailer king pin being too high, yet still triggering the mechanism."

Freightliner discussed its concerns with fifth wheel and landing leg manufacturer Fontaine, whose engineers provided what appears to be a simple yet effective solution.

"The unique feature of the Fontaine fifth wheel is its offset jaw," states Branston.

"The hook of the jaw is the usual height, but the part of the jaw that the king pin hits to trigger the mechanism is a few centimetres lower," he continues.

"Therefore, if the king pin is too high it will not trigger the mechanism to lock. This has prevented further incidents reoccurring."

Freightliner Road Services is now specifying Fontaine fifth wheels on all new equipment – the most recent being 102 DAF 105 XF tractor units.

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
DAF Trucks Ltd
MHT Europe

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