Loading issues on Dump Trailer

[deezler]

Well regardless, I'm still gonna cringe.

 

[bigtiller]

A Deere 644 payloader with a 4 cu.yd. bucket will weigh about 40,000 pounds. AND they are fun to operate!

 

[Midniteoyl]

Mark the sides in hi visibility paint and stencil "Dump centered HERE".

 

[ljjhouser]

I agree with many posts that say - insist the loader operator load where you need it. I stand on the other side of the trailer. If he is too far forward, wave him off and move him back a little. But you might want to also want to carry a concrete come-along or shovel. Just in case you get the load too far aft. Doesn't take much to move 200-300 # forward if you need. But even if it is loaded correctly, a weight distribution hitch is probably a good idea.

 

[paulfun9]

Forgot to add photo, this was one of the loads from today:

View attachment 714089

Never let them load without giving them direction.
If the person doesn’t want to listen don’t pay till they get in and shovel it where you wanted it.
I almost always direct to the loader how to load, with the only exceptions really being those who I have dealt with for so long that I can trust them to get it right based on the trailer. What you need to understand is many of those guys loading in some places have very minimal training and sometimes the person training them has no real experiance and really isn’t qualified to be a pimple on an operators butt!
Remember there is a difference between someone who can get some dirt moved around and a Real operator.

 

[TMGT]

I always direct the loader where to place the load for my dump trailer (except for mulch because it pretty much fills up the entire trailer), only takes 1 time of being loaded wrong and having to shovel the load by hand to make you not let it happen again! And with a 16ft bed it leaves a lot more room for error on heavy material like wet clay.

The problem I see with these style dump trailers is the tongue is so short it really increases the sensitivity of load placement, especially with a lighter duty truck like your 1500.

 

[4570Man]

I think some arrows on the side of the trailer that say load center would go a long way to fixing this problem.

 

[Fallon]

A Deere 644 payloader with a 4cf bucket will weigh about 40,000 pounds. AND they are fun to operate!

What's a 40k lbs loader only doing with a 4 cubic foot bucket? Loading uranium or black holes?

 

[4570Man]

What's a 40k lbs loader only doing with a 4 cubic foot bucket? Loading uranium or black holes?

It’s probably 4 yards struck and close to 6 heaped. And 10,000 pounds of machine per yard of bucket isn’t a bad ratio. The local quarry loads with a 95z Kawasaki loader which is 63,000 pounds and has a 5.5 yard struck bucket and 6.5 yards heaped. BTW commercial equipment isn’t like tractors where you pretty much get one bucket option. You can get several different buckets options. You can get small and very strong buckets for loading shot rock, regular buckets for gravel and huge buckets for sawdust or mulch. Edit I just released you said cubic foot vs cubic yards.

 

[sandman2234]

I bought a new Chevy truck in 91, and didn't like the way it pulled the inlaws camper. Weight rating was fine, WD hitch helped, but still didn't feel right. I asked Chevy, and they were ok with it, as long as I didn't exceed limits. So I installed a set of coil helper springs above the axle on rear leaf springs. It kept the truck from squatting so much when I went to max tongue weight.
Adding spacers, etc to the box is asking for trouble, and it will only take ONCE, for you to get a rear heavy load up to speed and when you let off the gas to level out, it starts fish tailing. I put a new 80 Chevy with less than 5k miles on it in a ditch, jackknifed, both drivers side tires flat from rolling off the bead. Haven't forgotten that ride! Give me tongue weight!
Another idea, is put a broomstick thru a pocket or weld a piece of pipe (hose clamp it?) and paint the broomstick red and green to match just how much tongue weight you can stand. When it gets to the red, more goes on the rear, not enough on the front, put more up front.
I probably still have those helper springs if you need a visual. The first time we tried it, we added Ford Fiesta rear coil springs to a 84 Ford pickup. They were too tall, but the guy said leave them, so we did. They shouldn't support any weight until the leaf springs start to straighten.
David from jax

 

[bigtiller]

What's a 40k lbs loader only doing with a 4 cubic foot bucket? Loading uranium or black holes?

woops...I fixed the typo.

 

[Redlands Okie]

A word about loaders and “flattening” the load. Some inexperienced loaders will attempt to use the bottom of the loader bucket to press down the load to level it up or spread it. Lots of problems can occur from such practice. Tipping the bucket and raking it across the top of the pile to spread it out is much safer and effective.

 

[woody]

A word about loaders and “flattening” the load. Some inexperienced loaders will attempt to use the bottom of the loader bucket to press down the load to level it up or spread it. Lots of problems can occur from such practice. Tipping the bucket and raking it across the top of the pile to spread it out is much safer and effective.

I guess I should have explained better but this is how the loader operator knocks the top off, he does not press it flat. my trailer is 14 feet so his bucket does fit inside and he just racks the top to the sides.

 

[deezler]

Yeah exactly, redlands. I've had it done both ways. The bottom-of-the-bucket down pressure method is what hurts to watch.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I have that same 6x12 trailer. The problem here is the loader the quarry uses has a 10' wide bucket. Doesn't leave much room for adjusting where the load is dumped.

I know this doesn't help you much but, as another poster suggested, I eventually traded my GMC Sierra 1500 for a 2500HD.

 

[LD1]

I agree with those that say you need to direct the loader operator a little better.

Its funny how you should spend tens of thousands of dollars and upgrade trucks too. I think according to some, a half ton should haul nothing more than groceries or a few bags of mulch and should never tow anything...

 

[deezler]

Nothing wrong with a good half ton pickup. It's just that.... they are so easy to overload, or be tempted to pull way over your maximum legal tow rating with. And we all have to share the road with you (whoever it may be). Sure, your f150 or 1500 can take the abuse ok, and you've been lucky for the last dozen years without necessarily realizing it. But then one day something suddenly breaks on the highway, or some idiot pulls out right in front of you, and it all goes wrong. And legally, you are to blame.

My generous neighbor with the 10k 6x10 dump trailer I borrow used to haul it behind his 2002 Ford Ranger. With a 2" ball in the 2 5/16 trailer coupler. And no brake controller. Until he finally bent the frame. And then bought... a v6 f150. Still way over his capacity, still no brake controller, hopefully using the correct sized ball now (I should check). Thankfully he really only uses it to haul manure from the horse farm up the road.

 

[4570Man]

I agree with those that say you need to direct the loader operator a little better.

Its funny how you should spend tens of thousands of dollars and upgrade trucks too. I think according to some, a half ton should haul nothing more than groceries or a few bags of mulch and should never tow anything...

I’d spend a hundred bucks to have 22 tons dumped where I want and be done with it.

 

[LD1]

Nothing wrong with a good half ton pickup. It's just that.... they are so easy to overload, or be tempted to pull way over your maximum legal tow rating with. And we all have to share the road with you (whoever it may be). Sure, your f150 or 1500 can take the abuse ok, and you've been lucky for the last dozen years without necessarily realizing it. But then one day something suddenly breaks on the highway, or some idiot pulls out right in front of you, and it all goes wrong. And legally, you are to blame.

My generous neighbor with the 10k 6x10 dump trailer I borrow used to haul it behind his 2002 Ford Ranger. With a 2" ball in the 2 5/16 trailer coupler. And no brake controller. Until he finally bent the frame. And then bought... a v6 f150. Still way over his capacity, still no brake controller, hopefully using the correct sized ball now (I should check). Thankfully he really only uses it to haul manure from the horse farm up the road.

Too many variables in half tons anymore. And depends on how modern it is.

No one would be giving him a hard time if he was pulling said trailer with a 3/4 ton truck. But everyone is giving him crap for doing it with a "half ton".

Compare the payload and tow ratings of a 1999 3/4 ton vs a modern half ton. Aint much differences. And depending on how trucks are equipped, axle ratios and transmission etc....many times a modern half ton is rated for more than a 20 year old 3/4 ton.

Its the blanket statements that "you sould get a 3/4 ton truck cause it is better" that is the issue.

A modern half ton with 9000 pounds behind it is not excessive or exceeding ratings if properly equipped. And Id much rather do that than the same load behind a 25 year old 3/4 ton

 

[deezler]

No one would be giving him a hard time if he was pulling said trailer with a 3/4 ton truck. But everyone is giving him crap for doing it with a "half ton".

Compare the payload and tow ratings of a 1999 3/4 ton vs a modern half ton. Aint much differences. And depending on how trucks are equipped, axle ratios and transmission etc....many times a modern half ton is rated for more than a 20 year old 3/4 ton.

Its the blanket statements that "you sould get a 3/4 ton truck cause it is better" that is the issue.

A modern half ton with 9000 pounds behind it is not excessive or exceeding ratings if properly equipped. And Id much rather do that than the same load behind a 25 year old 3/4 ton

Well I generally agree with you in full, but to be fair, it sounds like you are making some of the same over-generalizations in the other direction.

Just because some modern half-tons have high numeric trailer tow ratings, still doesn't make it a good idea to max them out on a heavy haul. One thing about old 3/4 ton pickups (like my '03 2500HD) is that the tow rating might be fairly low, but the payload ratings were almost always quite a bit higher still. So you don't have to worry about excessive tongue weight so much, IE, the problem our OP is having. Furthermore the 3/4 ton trucks are heavier themselves, with heavier duty suspension, frame, brakes, hitch, transmission, etc. Add it all up and it makes for a much safer and more stable towing experience.

But on a half ton, you don't know whether some jacko on the road, or random internet person has a tow rating as low as 6 or 7000 lbs, or the max tow with 12-14k ratings nowadays (yikes). Or say a 2014 ram that might have a pathetic payload rating under a 1000 lbs, and really shouldn't have any weight on the hitch at all. So in general, and on average, it is true to say that you would be safe doing hauls like this on any 3/4 ton less than 20 years old, whereas only the top 10-20% of half ton configurations would be appropriately rated. You're right that many of them can do 9000 lbs safely now. But with a trailer like the OPs.... you can accidentally have a 13k lb load, or 2500 lbs on your hitch, which no half ton should do.

My 2003 Sierra 2500HD is only rated to tow 10,500 lbs because I have the lowly 6.0L LQ4 gasser. But! The very same chassis would be rated at over 18000 lbs if I had the duramax, so mine is essentially just de-rated for power and marketing considerations.