Giant truck dumping ramp - photo

[Frank S]

It's not the norm but a few grain haulers will either drive in teams while training a new driver or a hauler's wife accompanies him on the runs. When the rig is secured on the ramp all persons and if they have a pet with them are required to exit the truck for safety reasons. One time I was driving by the one in Saginaw to my shop when I suddenly started hearing a dog barking excitedly and a woman screaming and cursing at the top of her lungs. It was easy to hear where the sounds were coming from as her screams and cursing's could have been heard for a mile or more. I looked over and could just make out a very frantic woman and quite anxious dog trying to get out the window of the truck she looked like she was having a difficult time in holding the large dog from jumping. About then the ramp started lowering So I decided to stop and watch the event when the truck was back on the ground this slightly portly woman and a German Shepard came tumbling out. That was when things got really interesting argument wise even from a couple hundred feet away. Everyone stopped on the road got quite a show. Better than any Jerry Springer episode I can assure you. I decided that I needed to get to my shop so I drove on the remaining couple hundred yards but when I got there all of my employees were standing outside trying to figure out what all of the ranting and raving was about.
I heard a few days later from a police officer friend, that a driver had pulled on the ramp to be dumped and left his wife and dog asleep in the bunk because she could be a real um' handful when wakened from her beauty sleep so he decided to just let sleeping dog's lie meaning the pooch and her. Turns out he would have been better off dealing with her wrath by waking her. According to the officer when he was called to investigate the altercation the driver was laying on the ground in rather severe pain holding his groin with 2 bloody eyes and a broken nose. The officer said he bets the next time the driver will make sure both dogs are out of the truck before the ramp goes up.

[Scotsman Hosie]

I bet the view from the cab of the truck would feel something like a Nasa rocket launch if the driver stayed on board through the full cycle.

My only question would be how – what are they using – to secure the trucks to the lifts? I can't imagine setting the brakes would do it. Neither can I imagine operators of these lifts, counting on the brakes holding, if they did.

[Frank S]

My only question would be how – what are they using – to secure the trucks to the lifts? I can't imagine setting the brakes would do it. Neither can I imagine operators of these lifts, counting on the brakes holding, if they did.

the driver backs all the way to the chute which is tall enough for the corners of the trailer to be caught in it to insure straight alignment while backing there are low rails on both sides of the ramp of about 6 inches high.(see post #6) yes they set the brakes but those are of little to no use at the slope angle the ramp will reach. There is 1 more securement a pair of hooks on chains that secure the front of the tractor but they are kind of like the safety chains on a bumper pull trailer just much heavier duty and are there for the just incase

[skibo]

Where I worked the lifts never had any hooks and these were rather new lifts, only the wait of the truck and tailor. Notice they are not going up to an unsafe angle! We never had any fall off the lift! I'll tell you thing spooky that happened once, a hydraulic cylinder did fail at the top and caused quite a problem! This is why nobody rides in the cab, not even a dog during dumping, the chip company fires them and the company receiving the chips bans the driver from coming on the plant site!

[Jon]

[Frank S]

I've rebuilt a lot of those telescopic cylinders and those are scary being that long.

[neilbourjaily@gmail.com]

That's 80,000lbs being lifted on those rods. Wow!

[Frank S]

That's 80,000lbs being lifted on those rods. Wow!

Judging from their length and approximate size I would say they are probably 9-8-7-6-5 At 9" diameter piston area 1000PSI will raise 63,000 and change per cylinder
the 5 inch final stage will raise 58,900 per cylinder at 3000 PSI however by the time the last 2 stages begin to come out much of the load has already been emptied.
the platform and rig for the cylinders probably weighs an additional 20 to 30K so you can't forget that. and often times grain trucks will be overloaded or have extra axles so their weight could go up to 100K easy SO make the total start weight at 130K that would just be around 1,100 PSI. the 5th stage would not be able to push 130K but by the time it starts out the weight might be only 50K even if a large portion of the load had not shifted, less due to the triangulation of the fixed pivot versus the distance to the base of the cylinder mounted from it and the top pivot goes from starting out as an obtuse angle to an acute angle

[Tooler2]

A lot of weight is bourne by the hinge pins, it is not a straight lift.

[ncollar]

Back in the day I drove live bottoms that was the nicest dump there was and fast. I delivered ground up pine trees for a electric company north of Jacksonville Florida. The only drawback was whatever time you got there, there was a waiting line. Bring your breakfast or lunch or whatever. I remember the 90,000 plus loads.
The good old days, not.
Nelson