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Extendable hitches on dog trailers

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Scrub Puller

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Mar 29, 2009
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Gladstone Queensland Australia
Yair . . . can anyone point me to where I can find pictures and description of the extendable hitch system as used (I think) in California?

I'm sure I saw something here on HEF but it does not come up on search.


Cheers
 
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Swamp rat

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Apr 16, 2009
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La / Ga
Scrubpuller - are talking about a hitch such as a receiver tube that will allow the tongue to extend longer for backing and such, or possibally a pinned fold-away for storage?
 
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leachrod

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wichita ks
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We have a truck set up for pup trailer with the eye hitch. .Doesn't fold away but is not in the way. bolts on and has several different hole position to set at the height you want. Also use this type on my low boy
 
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Scrub Puller

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Yair . . . I think the trailers are set up with an air system on the hitch that allows the hitch to extend and drop the trailer back further behind the truck. . . something to do with bridge regulations, possibly only in certain areas or certain routes.

I've seen a thread or article somewhere . . . one bloke even complained the trailer was so far back cars tried to pass and merge between truck and trailer!

Cheers.
 
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leachrod

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We run long pony trailers that are long enough to jacknife and, dump truck load over trailer extension
 
truckdoctor

truckdoctor

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reno nevada
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Are you looking at log trailers? If you are it is called a reach. The last one I worked on was a square tube tongue inside of a larger square tube on the top of the suspension. The lock if you want to call it that was just a piece of angle iron with two guides to hold it in place in the tube. There was a large threaded bolt that pushed the angle iron against the tongue to hold it in place while it was being loaded and unloaded off the truck. The cables and the logs kept the reach from sliding out while loaded.
 
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tireman

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Apr 19, 2011
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St.Louis,Mo.
Scrub Puller it sounds to me like you are describing the set up that is used on our West Coast for dumps and pups. I lived in Tacoma, Wa. in the 90's and saw these every day. They are just as you described them. Lemme search around and see if I can find a pic or something.
 
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The Learner

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Jul 22, 2012
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SE Victoria Australia
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Hydraulic specialist
scrub puller curious to know what type of trailer and what size?

for example i know of a few high volume tipping quad dogs with extendable draw bars so that they run under length on the road but do not need to be unhitched to unload the high volume truck body

and as for your long drawbar it could of been one of these
PM-0212-feature-cartage-australia-630.png
 
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S

Scrub Puller

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Yair . . . Thanks tireman and hvy 1ton. It looks like we're on the right track.

Now can anyone tell me the exact purpose of this system and how it is used . . . and when?

The Learner I was talking to a US ex-trucker some years back and he was telling me about a system where on the highway you could let the trailer hang way back . . . like forty feet or so.

They had to be shortened up to go through towns. Just normal trailers size wise as far as I know. some of our US Friends on here might chip in . . . it could even be an antiquated law that no longer applies, I reckon I'm thinking eight or ten years back.

Yeah mate I understand the function of the extendable hitch on the Hi-vol bodies. . . interesting the Americans call draw-bars or hitches "tongues".

Cheers

Cheers.
 
D

Dualie

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Nor Cal
I think the trucker was talking about sliding axles not drawbars. you can slide the tandem axles back to the rear of the trailer or forward as much as 10'+. Useful to equal out the axle weights between the truck with the 5th wheel plate and the trailer. Also to abide by kingpin to rear axle length laws.
 
hvy 1ton

hvy 1ton

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I remember typing this out, maybe i never actually posted it. The only reason for sliding hitches is bridge law. When loaded the drawbar is extended to meet axle spacing requirements. When empty the drawbar is retracted to make the setup a little more manageable. I imagine they only bother playing with the drawbar on longer hauls.
 
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Andrew_D

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Oct 20, 2012
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Newdale, Manitoba, Canada
You can also see extendable tongues on the US trucks up here in Manitoba. We don't have bridge laws, but we do have max length laws. So they have to shorten the tongue when they cross into Canada and lengthen it when they enter back into the US. Mostly A-train grain haulers that I have seen.

Andrew
 
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