used belly dump trailers - what to look out for

Asking flatbedders about belly dumps is like asking pig farmers about horses. While they both are raised on farms, there just ain't that much more that is similar. You may want to pose your question in the dump truck forum.

 

do ya need a wet kit to operate a belly dump? or is the dumping done via air? thanks just trying to ed-ja-ma-cate myself.

 

The ones I've seen dump with air cylinders. They have adjustable chains to control how far it opens. They usually have a large air tank on the back to have enough capacity to dump. Always remember to close the valve on that tank at night, if you have an air leak it could take 30-45 min to air it back up in the morning.

 

you want to keep the rams lubricated to prevent the o-ring from rolling or tearing, manually or a lubricator. the versa valve is an item to watch, they last a long time but are spendy to replace. make sure wiring is good so you don't loose ground and dump your load in the wrong place. if your ram o-ring is torn, it can leak around and open the gates also. it's nice to have your gates timed properly so you can pinch the load( asphalt, gravel) off and not leak material. pretty simple trailers but their are good and bad designs, they all work, just some better than others. hope you got a good one.

 

Just curious, but what have you got for axles on the tractor?

 

My biggest concern would be making sure the gates wern't tore up from something stupid like someone tryin to haul rip rap with it. Sounds funny but stranger things have happened. Hauling gravel you'll be bound to come acrossed some DOT guy saying he "saw" you leaking material so he pulled you over, then he may as well run you over his ever so accurate porta scales and or give ya a full blown ispection, just while he's got you stopped anyways. This summer one pulled me over claimed that he saw a rock come out of my tailgate. I told him that was kinda funny as I hopped up on my tire, grabbed some sand (Was hauling 1/4'' crusher sand) and showed him what I was hauling. He wasn't too amused but I breathed a sigh of relif when my drivers came out to 35,500 on his prota scales.