End-Dump, Assisted Dumping

Has any end-dump driver had their PTO Hydraulic pump go out while loaded? Recently I had this happen. What we will have to do is use another truck's PTO Hydraulic pump to dump. We connect the hydraulic hose from the assisting truck to our trailer. The tractors must be very close, as the hose is not very long. Then the assisting tractor must creep backwards with the tractor/trailer being helped. This is very, very dangerous. If the hydraulic hose breaks/blows, the trailer is coming down fast, and most likely will take out both tractors. Here's what it looks like.


In the 2nd image the arrow points to the hydraulic hose going between the tractors.

 

Um, maybe I'm missing something. ...Why not just unhook the truck with the blown pto from the trailer and hook the good pto truck up to it?m

 

Too much work lol. Keep it simple.

 

Guess the pics don't show the Trailer Stands very well. Our dump trailers do not have common landing gear like hopper bottoms or freight boxes. They are very light weight stands. They will collapse in a second, they're not made to hold the weight of a loaded trailer.

 

Gotcha.

 

Or, if the load isn't going to set up (like concrete) or temperature-sensitive (like asphalt), and it isn't cold enough to freeze in the bed, why not just buy another pump and spend the hour or so to pull the old one off and install the new one? Not that hard to do...4 bolts, 1 bracket, and 2 or 3 hoses. A lot of the time, it isn't even the pump that's bad...just the air solenoid that actuates the pump. That's about a 10 minute job to repair or replace.

Sure beats tearing up 2 trucks if something goes wrong. Besides, that "helper" truck controlling the dump doesn't have a very good eye on whether it's going up straight or if it's leaning one way or the other, and he's got to watch the other truck's motion while working the clutch to back up (which if the clutch isn't out, the PTO isn't turning, meaning the bed ain't going up).

Too much can go wrong too quickly for something that is so easily fixed.

 

Yep, but this is how our company wants to deal with it. In this case it was the solenoid. I suppose you carry extra pumps or parts? Then I'd be sitting there in the way of other trucks coming in to dump. It's not as simple as you seem to make it out to be. Our boss will not call a service truck period. We cobble things to limp to where ever, or if the truck simply will not move on it's own, he will call a tow-truck. This has happened to some of our drivers, so it's nothing new.
I guess when we're doing this, it's like Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, close quarter maneuvers..

 

Ive had this happen 2X while end dumping, countless times while running live floors. We keep a set of extension hoses up on the tipping deck, makes life WAAAY easier!

 

Safer too probably. A guy got killed here a couple years ago when his truck tipped over on top of another truck while dumping.

 

yea they dont let anyone dump on either side of you while you are dumping anymore, there was a roll off driver who backed in beside an end dump while was dumping and the wagon went over and crushed the cab killed the driver. So now they clear the deck and let the end dumps have the deck. Its a PITA but everyone goes home at the end of day