whilst reversing onto a loading bay to get tipped one of my rear airbags went pop! Since i’m only 10 miles from base and empty the mechanic told me to run it straight back for repair which seems sensible to me but i’d appreciate any advice on such matters.
It will be a lumpy ride, but the mechanic should know whether its ok to drive or not. The rear axle is still fixed not like having a broken leaf spring.
I had one go on the back of the unit once whilst winding up the legs, scared me to death. Luckily I was in the yard so unhitched and drove round to the workshop to get it fixed.
I’ve had one go on a tri-axle a couple of times. On one occasion I had just loaded on to the shuttle, pulled up in the carriage and it went bang just as they were chocking the wheels. Never seen a man jump so high, surprised he didn’t have a heart attack, poor sod
I’ve driven a bulker 30 miles fully freighted when one had gone that I didn’t spot, but it’s not to be recommended 
If you’re empty and you’re only going 10 miles then just take it nice and steady as whichever side is gone will be sitting on the bump stops on all three axles so it’ll be a bit bumpy.
Paul
You need to block off the air supply to the bag though as it will leak like a sieve, strictly speaking the fitter should’ve come out to you but it’s the real world so getting it back to the yard makes sense.
All you have to do in this situation is reach in and clamp a pair of vice grips on the pipe going into the top of the burst bag, all the rest will then inflate to the correct operating pressure. This would get you back to the yard from 300 miles away fully loaded… i’ve done it, 
think VOSA might take a dim view of this method though!!
I remember having the same dialemma. In my case I decided to roll up my pillow, grease it and insert the greased pillow inside the punctured airbag. The ride proved to be so good that I forgot about it. About a week later I stopped at a set of roadworks in Spain. It was a hot day and I must admit I’d been heavy on the brakes. The pillow must’ve caught fire and all the feathers started blowing out on the breeze. The feathers blew all over the freshly laid ashphelt and the roadwork guys started shaking their fists at me. I got out to have a go but I slipped on the tar and got covered in feathers. I came off worst but soon jumped behind the wheel and made it to Victor’s at Burgos only to be futher beaten up by a load of Irish drivers who thought I was pregnent out of wedlock. Morol: don’t have a crew cut.
I once had three go on one journey.I was delivering fish food and collecting bins of salmon from a fish farm near Drumbeg.As I reversed down the hill to the landing area,one of the air bags burst.No problem,just seal the air pipe.Got loaded,just pulled out onto the road and the other one on the same axle popped.Sealed that off and carried on.A few miles further on and I heard a bang from the trailer.Stopped to have a look and the alloy mounting bracket on one of the other bags had broken off the spring.
No way were the 3 remaining bags going to hold the trailer up,so drove slowly to the parking area at Inchnadamph,phoned the officeand they came out with another truck.Transferred the load and I took the empty trailer back to the yard.The brakes were very keen,to say the least
Used to have this happen all the time when I was on the ferrying from Land Rover to the Jag, Block off air supply, jack it up and put a block of wood in so’s it’s not resting on the tyres, back to the yard about 15 miles take you time, no worries.
David H:
I remember having the same dialemma. In my case I decided to roll up my pillow, grease it and insert the greased pillow inside the punctured airbag. The ride proved to be so good that I forgot about it. About a week later I stopped at a set of roadworks in Spain. It was a hot day and I must admit I’d been heavy on the brakes. The pillow must’ve caught fire and all the feathers started blowing out on the breeze. The feathers blew all over the freshly laid ashphelt and the roadwork guys started shaking their fists at me. I got out to have a go but I slipped on the tar and got covered in feathers. I came off worst but soon jumped behind the wheel and made it to Victor’s at Burgos only to be futher beaten up by a load of Irish drivers who thought I was pregnent out of wedlock. Morol: don’t have a crew cut.
Kin pmsl