Jifflox

MikeJ

TB Veteran
Credits
189
Hi guys,
I have a question for all the LTL guys? Are the Jifflox trucks still around or are all of those economically obsolete?
You know the kind of truck where you slid the fifth wheel all the way up and then the converter dolly attached it's self to the tractor and you could then turn a single axle truck into a tandem axle truck.
See video below:

Just wondering if that kind of thing is around or if LTL has moved away from the Jifflox or Kwiklok what ever there called.
 
I didn't think they were around anymore, in theory it looks like a good idea, however at the same time the jifflox system or what ever also seems like a lot of screwing around. Why did they get rid of that system? I can think of a couple of reasons, on my own, but I don't know what's the industries reason for moving away from the Jifflox system?
 
Roadway was one of the last companies to use the jifflox system and had used them for years. Once Yellow Freight purchased them around eight years ago they were phased out.
To my knowledge there are no other
companies still using them.
It usually took about a half an hour to convert either from or to a twin screw.
The biggest advantage was they didn't need to coordinate drivers to pick up certain loads at different terminals. The same truck could either pull a set of pups with a single axle or be converted to twin axle to pull a van.
It actually worked well but was not much fun to convert in the winter or
In the rain.
 
Most LTL companies have an almost all doubles trailer fleet now. ABF puts tag axles on a few tractors in places where a long trailer is required for picking up freight & a single axle tractor won't scale out.
 
Roadway was one of the last companies to use the jifflox system and had used them for years. Once Yellow Freight purchased them around eight years ago they were phased out.
To my knowledge there are no other
companies still using them.
It usually took about a half an hour to convert either from or to a twin screw.
The biggest advantage was they didn't need to coordinate drivers to pick up certain loads at different terminals. The same truck could either pull a set of pups with a single axle or be converted to twin axle to pull a van.
It actually worked well but was not much fun to convert in the winter or
In the rain.
It sometimes took longer than half an hour to jiff a tractor, especially when dropping a fifth wheel on the ground.
 
It sometimes took longer than half an hour to jiff a tractor, especially when dropping a fifth wheel on the ground.

Yeah or when the leg didn't spring down and jiff would go down on it's nose.
Or when you'd back up to it and it wouldnt couple but instead pop up into the air.
Yeah great times. Thiose were the good old days
 
The tool that Roadway came out with for sliding the fifth wheel, helped a lot. Before that you would have to slide it with a dock hook.
 
Last edited:
Top