

SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) specification for dimensions, materials, and installation).If you’re not sure what standards to look to, the most popular standard compliance requirements in North America include: A great manufacturer will prove with data how their kingpins meet established performance requirements. To ensure you’re in compliance, first find a manufacturer that produces kingpins according to your local standards, and then verify their compliance. Your trailer must meet those standards to ensure safe, compliant hauling in your area. Local Standard ComplianceĮvery trailer OEM has its own international standards. Quality manufacturers will be happy to provide you with the information you need to verify the safety of their products.

Choose kingpins from reputable manufacturers with a long track record of safe manufacturing practices. Perhaps the most important feature of any kingpin is its ability to keep the operator and the rig safe. Does the manufacturer stand behind its product with a warranty or stringent manufacturing standards? If not, you may have a problem finding a kingpin that can stand up to long hours of wear and tear on the road.

By making the areas above and below the tapered area wider, manufacturers ensure another layer of protection, minimizing the potential that a kingpin could slip out of a fifth wheel’s coupling mechanism. This is where the fifth wheel locks around the kingpin to provide a secure coupling. Every kingpin has a tapered section that is narrower in width than the sections above and below it. This is why kingpins are often considered a “trailer solution” rather than a “truck solution.” They are always fixed to the trailer and then coupled with the tractor using a fifth wheel coupling device. One side of the kingpin is always welded to the semi-trailer. A kingpin may resemble any of the above images but always shares a few key features: Frequently referred to as the “pivot point between the tractor and semi-trailer,” the kingpin is the part used to connect a semi-tractor and a semi-trailer.
