Comment: Trailer drawbar safety recommendations

By: Emma Godwin, sector administration manager, Photography by: Supplied

Date: 08.04.2022

Emma Goodwin takes a look at some of the engineered solutions designed and improved over the years by both trailer manufacturers and those operating them in the workplace every day

We all know health and safety is critical in the workplace, ensuring that all the tasks we do are specified or engineered to ensure the safest outcome for the employee that’s carrying them out every day.

Let’s take a look at some of the engineered solutions that have been designed and improved over the years by both trailer manufacturers and those operating them in the workplace every day.

Latching and unlatching and the swinging of drawbars during the loading or unloading of logging trailers is carried out many times a day, and there’s risk around the different parts of the process. Keeping out from underneath suspended trailers is critical to avoid injury if a lifting chain was to fail.

Also, reducing the risk to back strains and hand injuries while trying to pull drawbars from underneath trailer chassis that may be caught in worn latches resulted in the below-mentioned specific recommendations.

Operators should also always keep eye contact with the machine operator lifting the trailer or if using a gantry, never position themselves between the trailer and gantry frames.

Specific recommendations

Forward drawbar locking mechanism

Front-mounted dolly lock pins in combination with L-shaped guides under the chassis to support the drawbar to avoid any potential jamming under the chassis. The forward drawbar locking mechanism can also be utilised to keep the dolly straight if an operator is working alone when hooking up their trailer to the truck.

Front-mounted dolly lockpins

The mechanism prevents the dolly from spinning past the centre point, so drivers don’t need to get under suspended trailers. Teflon guides on the side of the chassis guide the drawbar down to avoid damage to hands on the side of the chassis bottom flange.

Low-mounted drawbar handle

Low-mounted drawbar handles fixed to the side of the drawbar allows for easy grip and again is positioned to avoid contact with chassis but must be mounted on the correct side of the drawbar to ensure the driver and machine operator can maintain eye contact at all times.

Drawbar location tongue

The drawbar location tongue is mounted underneath the chassis in a central location. The tow eye is guided into the centre part of the tongue. This innovation removed the need for any locking device that if failed, required the driver to climb under a suspended trailer.

Drawbar ramp

One picture also shows a drawbar ramp that can be fitted to shorter wheelbase trailers to help guide the drawbar down under the third axle suspension hanger to avoid unnecessary strain on the operator and lessen the risk of a hand jamming with the chassis.

Hi-vis tow eye close-up

Operators are painting the tow eye and tongue area at the end of the drawbar a hi-vis colour to remind operators not to have hands near this area when hooking up to avoid injuries if jammed in the ring feeder or around the draw beam area of the truck and this also provides a clear visual area for the machine operator to sight when hooking up to the truck.

Connecting cable stowage

Correct stowage of trailer connecting cables to the truck with purpose-built brackets mounted in the A-frame of the drawbar allows for less risk of damage to the cables and less risk to the driver when the cables become caught or foul when moving under a suspended chassis.

Hi-vis tow eye

Daily inspections of lifting chains are critical, and no modification of lifting chains should be done outside of manufacturers’ recommendations.  

All logging trailers should hold a yearly lifting chain certificate issued by the LTSC to all financial members. For more information, visit logtruck.co.nz.

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