Straight Dump Newbie

Hey guys, I've been asked to be a fill-in driver, doing some cash weekend work for a family member with a small dirt work / forestry business. I've got 3 months of CDL School and 3 months of Tanker experience. So not much, in other words. I figured my tanker exp might come in handy, since it stands to reason a dump will also be top heavy, with no parking on soft shoulders, etc. Its an older freightliner FLC, with looks like a 16' dump bed on it. I'll be hauling mainly rocks and gravel. I haven't taken a close look at it yet but from the pictures it seems to be in decent shape.
I guess what I'm asking for is any advice or pointers you can give to guy who's never run a dump. I'm hoping I'll get to ride at least a day with his regular driver to see how to operate the pto and hydraulics, but chances are I'll get called to work before then. My main concern is operating the dump bed. Any help is appreciated.

 

Don't forget to unlock the tailgate before you dump. Check your box every once in awhile to make sure material isn't building up .

 

Check that PTO in the cab, Make sure it's smooooth. You do not want problems when you have it balanced feeding a paver and 9 ton of something teetering up top of the bed.

Check your gate. Chain it too. Always. Unless you are told to take the chain off.

Never. Ever. Never never never dump with any angle of lean the long ways against that poor truck. You might flop over.

Finally not last, when it begins to rain, and you are empty running for to get a load, you best watch your braking, she will get away from you pretty dam quick and slide. If you got something like a Mack Super Liner with a large steerign wheel, then it's not a problem to recover her. Provided your tires are halfway decent.

Dump is fun. Fun. And fun. Maybe a little play time too. I prefer a front end loader Cat 936 wheeled. Thats my favorite activity. I can jump into one right now and feed a rock pile or sand pile into the ready mix for hours and hours without worry about the money. That will take care of itself.

Have fun.

However. If something comes up, fix it. Always fix it. Do NOT let it just slide. It might break something important and you would wonder what the hell happened when you dumped 10 ton of rock on the interstate.

 

Make sure tailgate is unlocked before you dump otherwise you'll be staring at the sky!

 

And if you do, don't yell, scream and carry on. Sit quietly someone will be along to flip you back down soon enough.

 

And watch for high lines!

 

All good points mentioned above. Unlock the tail is always #2 AFTER looking for power lines!! Check occasionally to make sure material is not building up in the bed, but Hauling rock / gravel you should be fine. Depending on the truck suspension will depend on how "unlevel" I would raise the bed. If you ever do haul dirt and it builds up in the bed, have the operator clean it out for you just as I'm doing here. No sense in trying to Shovel if he's a good operator. Trust me.... there are throttle jockies on equipment too!!

 

As youre dumping the product keep moving forward and dump slowly.Make sure no low wires or trees.Always check to make sure your PTO box has oil.Make sure PTO is on before you raise it otherwise you could burn the PTO and that cost a lot of money to replace.Once your done dumping give the dump a few shakes to make sure all the product is out then slowly lower the dump and make sure its lowered all the way down then turn PTO off.Make sure PTO is completely in the lowered position before turning it off.Once you're done for the day raise your dump with tailgate open and leave it.You may have to scape it out sometimes.When you run the PTO you'll need your trk is neutral and slowly give it gas that's what raises it.

 

Are you referring to checking the hydraulic fluid level? The PTO is bolted to the transmission and shares the same lubricant. 2 different oils in 2 different places. Just asking.