What would be more efficient for hauling away demolition debris. A triaxle roll off truck with a benlee type roll off pup trailer, with that setup you would be able to haul 2 40 yard containers at once. Second option is a tractor trailer with a high volume end dump. I have heard end dump trailers are prone to tipping over if your on unlevel surface. Which would be more versatile. Of course if you have a big business you can afford both setups but for someone who's getting started which setup would lead to more profit? Thanks
What would be the most efficient? How about a 125 yd. walking floor trailer, we had a tornado come through a few years back that damaged 1,100 homes, Waste Management brought in a bunch of semi's and walking floors, moved a lot of material pretty quickly. I would probably also get a short steel dump for hauling concrete and such. Are you sticking to demolition or doing earthmoving too? More uses for a semi and short dump moving dirt and such then a rolloff truck. Also depends on what you're planning on loading either of them with, a rolloff would be easier to load with smaller machines, skids or mini excavators. A high sided walking floor is going to need a bigger excavator to load it with, then again if you're wanting efficiency doing demo you're going to want a good sized excavator. Just my thoughts.
My son-in-law and I were in the same position as you are. We looked at both options. The rolloff trucks are so darn big and have such a long rigid wheelbase, that we thought we would have trouble with access to our containers. A big roll off, backed up to a 20 or 30 yard container, can easily stretch out to over 40' long. Plus, you have to be straight in line with the box to load or unload it. Areas we work generally require the box be located in the driveway area of whatever is being constructed. Since we clean up homebuilding debris mostly, that means a super short driveway. Also, a good rolloff truck like you are talking about are really expensive, at least for a small operation like we run. We decided to go with a short truck tractor and a short, 30', steel end dump trailer. The prices can be really cheap for older tractors and trailers. We only have $17,000 invested. That would not even buy a junk rolloff truck and several beatup containers. We modified the original trailer tailgate into a set of 2 barn doors. This allows us to haul all kinds of big debris, concrete chunks, and trees and brush. The tractor trailer setup lets us easily get around the tight streets and driveways in the areas we work. Attached is a photo, I hope. Anyway, I vote for the tractor trailer for the above reasons. Jeff
the roll off is nice becuase you can drop off a couple of containers for sorting materials on the site
forgive my confusion with walking floor trailers I just read the wiki page here it is. A Moving floor is a hydraulically-driven moving-floor conveyance system for moving material or palletized product, which can be used in a warehouse, loading dock or semi-trailer. It automates and facilitates loading and unloading of palletized goods by eliminating the need for a forklift to enter the trailer. The system can quickly unload loose material without having to tip the trailer or tilt the floor as with other dumping systems.Optionally, the semi-trailer may include a movable front wall with a rubber flap at the bottom extending onto the floor, or simply a movable flap or tarp at the front of the trailer bed on which the material was loaded. During unloading of loose material, either of these will ensure that nothing is left behind, almost or completely eliminating having to sweep the floor. It takes about 5 to 15 minutes to unload a full 13.6 metre trailer, taking less manpower, equipment and time than without the system. The operator can enter a narrow low gate and dump the load inside a building. With a conventional tipper (or dump truck), that is often not possible. It is also possible to handle a full-width or full-length pallets, without opening the sides of the trailer.
That is true, but you can sort the material and then load it into a semi like mowingman has. You won't have any more loads to haul either. Mowingman; nice job on the tail gates. In my area material trailers like yours quite commonly have one piece tailgates that swing open to the right and also swing from the top.
No pallets, just debris, mulch, really anything lightweight that doesn't include concrete or rock. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oqLpqA4pMs
How far are you hauling? Who is going to load the debris? The answers to these questions make a big difference in figuring out which setup is better for you.
For general demotion that includes anything and everything, an end dump with swing open doors instead of a tailgate and higher sides is a better choice. My former neighbor got into demolition and is a pretty big outfit now. He's recently added a roll off service for customers doing their own stuff cause he can leave the bin there. When he was only a couple years into demotion full time purchased a 60 yard roll off on a semi trailer. It was 1 of only 2 that big in the city. A scrap dealer had the other one. Having done some small jobs and ordered roll off bins myself I think the consensus is the same. A roll off bin can't carry as much weight as a dump box (or end dump). In fact when I took down a double garage and ordered a 30 yd bin, the driver said the most you can load in the bin is 9 tons. I did another job for a builder and they ordered a 40 yd bin. It was a royal PIA as it was too high for loading with a small Cat. They wanted the thick concrete steps hauled away too and then blamed me because they had to remove some weight from the bin so the truck could lift it. An overloaded truck isn't the best scenario but having to remove material from a bin because the truck can't load it is a real PIA. An overloaded dump box or end dump can usually dump excess material pretty easily.
100-200 miles max for demo jobs, but I might also offer hauling service in my business
I would go with roll off or hook lift. We added a hook a couple years ago and I wouldn't look back. We run 16 ton legally with a drop axle. Loading a roll off is a lot easier than a dump truck
what type of truck is that, I'm assuming its a tandem with a pusher
What type of demolition are you planning - residential, commercial, industrial? That also plays into what will work best. If I am doing a small demo I prefer roll-offs and 50-80 CY dump trailer for larger demos. If there is a large volume of debris nothing beats a large dump trailer in moving it quickly.
I'm going to be starting with residential and than slowly moving up to commercial and than industrial
DD13 you're an aspiring youngster, that's nice to see in todays younger generation. In order to efficient and safe in the demolition business one needs to know how the structures your tearing down are built and how the structural components interact with one another both in static mode and when you go about demolishing it. Start with residential and read up on how wood framed houses are constructed - the floor systems, walls, roofs, etc. For example plywood is much stronger than OSB. 2x10 floor joists with 3/4" plywood is surprising tough and creates bulky debris that takes time to process. On the other hand 3/4" OSB and wood I-joists are easier to demo, they break up easily. Non-poured block foundations are very fragile. They can collapse causing wood debris, block and dirt to get mixed up in the crawl space or basement which can be very expensive and time consuming to sort. There is a fair amount of metal in most houses, the older the house usually means there's more scrap. Water heaters, air handlers, metal fireplaces, structural steel, ductile iron waste piping and brick lintels can up in weight and can be worth while to separate depending on your local scrap market and current scrap prices. If there is copper water piping then it's always advantageous to sort it out. Did a 7 house demo back in June, 2 of the houses had 3" copper waste lines.:cool2 The key to making money in demo is keeping the debris contained in as small a space as possible and sorting the debris according to local disposal regulations. For example if concrete, brick and block are considered "clean fill" in your area then you don't want to send that to the landfill. The hardcore material can go to a clean fill site at a much cheaper disposal rate.
I don't know how it is where your from but around here dust controll is a must. It takes a lot of water to keep all that old dust and insulation from becoming air born and covering homes and cars for a city block. When we can we make a "donation" to the local fire department and they roll up with a fire truck and a couple of guys to stand there and soak it down while you put it on the ground.
Your question is kinda like asking whats better apples or oranges. Oranges are good for you and tasty but ya sure wouldn't put it in a pie! Just like apples and oranges they are both good and both have their place. Consider this. If you are starting out doing small residential are you going to be able to access every job site like a roll off truck? drive around town and see how many houses you could get a end dump trailer into. But then if you can an end dump sure is gona haul more. Plus you got a tractor to pull other trailers like lowboys and such so its more versatile. Ok so heres the catch with a roll off. Can you afford one just starting out? Its a pretty specialized truck thats pretty darn expensive. End dump set up is much much cheaper. One advantage to roll off though is you can have one on the ground while other is being loaded. Its a tough question to answer as they both have their uses and both would be nice to have. One option that may be middle of the road for a start up that could be cost effective over a roll off is to find a daycab cab over truck. stretch the frame long enough to install a good 30 yard or better dump box. this way you got max haul capacity = to 30 yard roll off but a truck shorter than conventional roll off truck so you can access any job site. just a thought.
Hey thanks alot cm1995, actually to tell you the truth I have read 8 books on construction anything from residential to commercial and I'm currently working construction with my dad so I've learned quite a bit since I started when I was 14. When I was 12 I used to sneak inside construction sites to see all the framing. I'm pretty familiar with different types of of construction, wood frame construction, steel frame, cast concrete, prestressed/poststressed etc. I have also read books on the technical side of construction such as contracts, bidding and law.