Off-loading material from a flatbed trailer

[S854]

In an attempt to make my rural life easier, I purchased my first ever tractor equipped with a FEL… (Kioti CK2610 if it matters)

Following that purchase, I’ve invested in a flail mower, pallet forks and various other minor improvements to make my tractor “mine”…

That being said, the purchase of an 8 to 10 thousand dollar dump trailer is currently off the table…

I have a small Aluma 638LW (63” wide, 8’ long) with a removable loading ramp… the trailer‘s GVWR is #2000… enough to transport my current needs…


(this isn‘n a great pic of the trailer but it’s all I could find)

I’ve hauled 1/4 yd of 3/8” chips, 1/4 yd topsoil and as much compost as would fit… I’ve attached 12” sideboards to keep material from escaping…

Everything goes great til I get home, the trailer is 63” wide, my tractor bucket is 66”… I don’t want to approach from the side as there are rather expensive-to-replace aluminum fenders in the way… so, out come the shovels for offloading… a real pain in the back…

I‘ve mulled this over and have come up with what I hope is a workable, albeit Rube Goldberg style, solution… something akin to a ”truck bed cargo unloader” (this setup won’t work on my trailer as the bed height won’t allow the crank handle to clear the ground)

Instead of rolling the “tarp” off the back, If I were to use a section of chain link fence to cover the trailer bed, cover that with a tarp, then load whatever on top… I could use my tractor and a chain to hook on to the front of the chain Link and pull/roll the load off the back end…

sound like this might work?

 

[Doorman63]

Sounds reasonable.

For construction debris we used an old tire with a chain on it laid at the front of the truck or trailer.

 

[Boss 302]

Sounds like it certainly is doable, let us know how it turns out.

 

[LouNY]

For many years we used false front wagons for unloading silage.
These wagons had a tailgate that lifted up and then we would prop it open.
In the front was a false front on a ski like bottom that had a cable attached to each side those cables cam back to about a 3 or 4 inch pipe on the rear of the wagon by turning the pipe the cables pulled that front to the rear of the wagon.
The same thing could be done by fastening cables or chains attached to a head board hooked to a stationary point and driving forward.

 

[yanmars]

I have such a system for my 1/2 ton pick up. It works well IF the load is not too heavy. If I put in too much gravel I then have to still shovel of enough until it is light enough to crank. Lighter/ less material and it works quite well.

 

[S854]

I have such a system for my 1/2 ton pick up. It works well IF the load is not too heavy. If I put in too much gravel I then have to still shovel off enough until it is light enough to crank. Lighter/ less material and it works quite well.

That crank system won’t work on my trailer… the bed is too low to allow for the rotation of the handle… bummer…

on to your issue… I’ve read that if you place a large sheet of vinyl (I.e. old billboard covers) under your conveyor it makes the handle MUCH easier to rotate… regardless of the load…

 

[2manyrocks]

I suspect the chain link is going to be really rough on your trailer deck. What I've done is to get a free piece of used carpet from a local carpet store. Wrap a chain around the carpet to have something to pull. Then put your load on top of the carpet. Pull the carpet out to unload the material.

yanmars' experience with the bed unloader is similar to mine. Too much material and it doesn't work. I have a plastic bedliner in my truck. That is also helpful in sliding material out.

 

[S854]

I’m finding it difficult to explain my unloading theory…

In what I’m visualizing, the chain link or the tarp on top of it wouldn’t “slide” on the aluminum trailer bed… I would grab the front end of the chain link and lift it/pull it to get the material to roll off the back… I probably would also need to secure the rear of the chain link to the rear of the trailer so it doesn’t pull loose before the material is unloaded…

Once the weather warms up a bit I’ll give it a go and take a video of my contraption in action… that way you guys can either: A: give me props for a job well done… or B: have a hearty laugh at my foibles…

One way or the other I can see this YouTube going viral…

 

[oldnslo]

I have watched people unload cardboard at a recycling center with a system similar to what you describing. They used what looked like heavy canvas but principal was the same to lift and roll material off vs slide off since them the canvas would still be under the load only on the ground.

 

[2manyrocks]

Type of material to be unloaded also matters. A load of tree limbs would poke holes through the tarp and get stuck in the chain link. Mulch/gravel shouldn't do that.

If you could get your hands on some real road bed filter fabric, that stuff is very tough material that would probably outlast a tarp.

But one key is to determine how much material you can pile on without the weight getting to the point that the material isn't going to budge unless you manually shovel some of it out.