Re: Re: Re: Should you leave a tractor in gear on your trailer?

Posted by C. Ziegler on September 02, 1999 at 09:58:30 from (208.9.65.2):

In Reply to: Re: Re: Should you leave a tractor in gear on your trailer? posted by B.S.!!!! on August 23, 1999 at 17:41:15:

It is unfortunate that you have never learned this simple thing to do to prolong the life of your gears. My agricultural engineering education and the farm equipment manufacturer for whom I work both teach that those small jolts on the trailer are to be avoided going through the driveline. Think of it as pulling a plow in a rocky field without the cushion of a spring on the tongue of the plow and no trip beams. Those shock loads can set up some nasty harmonic vibrations in the high strength steel used in shafts and gears. These are more detrimental to trannys than years of steady pulling. There are also fatigue issues. Sure, these transmissions should be and likely are designed to withstand countless cycles of shock loads, etc. but I prefer not to send these shock loads through drivelines when it is unnecessary to do so. So, I stand by my original recommendation. No matter how tight you pull those chains boys, it's still going to move, even imperceptibly to the naked eye, but it's moving. And think about the reduction involved: a tiny movement on the trailer creates a much larger movement in the transmission. Chain it down, set both brakes, and spare the transmission. This is what basic engineering principles tell us. If you think it is still horse ----, then do as you please. This is only what decades of research and engineering have told us. We can't make you listen; but we hope that you do.

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