Everyone here seems to have moved away from end dumps and are now going to side dumps. Anyone have any experience with these? They might be a better option than end dumps for some of our newer drivers.
They seem to be a big seller. I do know they aren't the best with sticky material. An outfit here rolled theirs over because the driver dumped it and the material didn't slide out fast enough.
I tipped over with a loaded Athey off-road side-dump a long time ago, was pulling it with an OTR Autocar tractor in a pouring rainstorm. One big rear wheel slid off the road and before I could stop her over she went. We later figured that the road gravel in the dump became highly saturated and shifted like slurry when the right wheel went off the roadway. It tore the tractor up some and the windshield wipers nearly beat me to death as I had to go out of the cab via the busted out left windshield. The battalion that relieved us cut the cab off and fixed the rest up and put it back to work. Saw it a year later running down the highway. The trailer was never hurt. We used OTR side-dumps on the tailings project in Grand Junction for hauling larger debris like trees, structural timbers and steel. Once you got over the adrenalin rush as the off-side wheels came off the ground once in a while, they were OK. These trailers would dump to either side depending on which side you unlocked. You wanted to turn the tractor slightly away from the side you were dumping on so as to pull away from the pile on an angle instead of straight forward. Advantage to them is they don't go so high in the air as an end-dump and material doesn't plug in the gateway, which sometimes causes the end-dumps to tip over. Those that tip on just the rear axle are particularly dangerous and prone to do this. But these trailers are no good in certain situations, so not as good an all around end dump. Side-dumps will tip all the way over, but usually they just go till the top hits the ground and then they stop, usually...........
I can see advantages and disadvantages. Not many around here, a lot of guys running gravel, asphlt etc hard to run ashphalt in a side dump.
Seen a lot in the midwest, but none out here
We were the first in this part of the State to use a side dump. Now they are everywhere. They just make more sense. We were able to lap other end dumps several times throughout the day. They just cant touch the unload times. The biggest issue I had was it was frequently overloaded when we were hauling for other companies. They would see that big tub and want to fill it all the way up. I put a Vulcan scale on it Saved me way more money than it cost. I sold the truck and trailer for what I paid for it 5 years prior. The market is crazy out here for a used side dump. I will get another one this time it will be air ride.
We haul alot of stumps, so they wouldn't be good for us.
We haul a lot of stumps as well and they are perfect for stumps as it does not matter how big the stump is it will come out of the trailer. There are not many drawbacks to these trailers. It is tough to spread on the run but doable if your truck is set up for it. I found that fast hyd. and a good selection of low gears works well.
Yeah, they are really good for stumps and other debris type materials. If you can get it in the tub lengthwise, it will come out and not hang up. That's one of the good features about side-dumps.
They come out fine, but don't they roll back under the trailer ???
Nah! The top edge of the dump body generally goes nearly to the ground when fully extended. In fact, like I wrote above, it often hits the ground and tips the trailers axles off the ground on the opposite side. Not far, just a foot or two, but enough to get your heart cavitating a bit. Anyway, it's rare for something to get under the trailer so long as you make a steady and fully extended tip. If you stop halfway or more, there may be a chance some material will sluff off and get under, and the trailer may not stop going over either, thus lifting the offside wheels way up in the air. (More heart trouble and it's hard to swallow) But it will stop -- eventually -- and then you start breathing again and figure that you need to set it down gently......
How well do side dumps work for stockpiling material? Does anyone have pcitures of some material stockpiled from these trailers?
I worked for a company that used them alot and they worked great for sliver fills on the side of the highway, some of the drivers didnt even stop to dump. They also worked well for hauling away logs. Ive been told that they are hard on your dumping side springs and fith wheel plates. As far as stock piling they would probably work fine if you had the room for the trucks to pull in and drive full circle and something to keep the piles pushed up with. Obviously there are some situations that an end dump would be just as if not more practical.
Welcome to HEF Red! :drinkup