Potash tips?

Discussion in 'Tanker, Bulk and Dump Trucking Forum' started by Long FLD, Aug 21, 2019.

  1. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    I seem to be slow no matter what I try. 10psi, 15psi, and everywhere in between. Is it just a slow product no matter how you do it?
     
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  3. slim shady

    slim shady Road Train Member

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    Liquid? Stuff is thick, So I get as much pressure as I can
     
  4. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    No, dry bulk that we take to a feed mill.
     
  5. rbrtwbstr

    rbrtwbstr Road Train Member

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    Having no experience with potash, I'm assuming it would be similar to unloading fly ash, which I haul a lot of. So, what I tell you may or may not work....

    With flyash, I've found that slowing the blower speed and keeping your tank pressure up helps tremendously. On my truck, with a Tuthill blower, they recommend I unload flyash at 1000 rpms. I started messing around with it one day and slowed the blower to 900, while maintaining 15 psi in the tank. I shaved 20 minutes off my unload time.

    Having said that, the blower runs hotter when you slow it down and really push things. I've melted the heat plug twice doing this, but both times it happened, I wasn't watching it closely (was in the truck doing paperwork). So you gotta be mindful of that. And once you're finished unloading, idle the blower a minute or so before you turn it off.

    I can't promise it'll help you unload faster, but it might be worth a try.
     
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  6. ChicagoJohn

    ChicagoJohn Road Train Member

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    I thought potash was granular?
     
  7. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    The stuff we haul to the feed mill looks a little like sugar and will melt if it gets hot. So we don’t use the fluffers at all and I suck at using only top air.
     
  8. slim shady

    slim shady Road Train Member

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    Tha potash we haul is caustic liquid
     
  9. Powder Joints

    Powder Joints Subjective Prognosticator

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    The Potash I used to haul was a potassium salt type product, kind of caustic, And like salt you do not want to get it hot, But I absolutely unloaded it using bottom air, and vibrators, I had a temp gauge on the output of my Gardner Denver, high pressure will raise your temp and cause it to bond together.

    Potash I have hauled is more like soda ash, then flyash.

    Nothing like flyash at all, but the properties of flyash changes with where you get it, some will unload with no line air at all, others require lineair and aerators.

    I really have little use of top air except on liquids. there no line or aerators.
     
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  10. Powder Joints

    Powder Joints Subjective Prognosticator

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    try running your blower a little higher, keep your pressure around 10 to 12 psi, use more line air, this keeps the product moving once its out of your tank, you can also experiment with cutting your product valve back just a bit make sure you dont plug it up.

    If your blowing softplugs your doing it all wrong, your getting your blower way to hot to melt out the plug.
     
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  11. Muddydog79

    Muddydog79 Heavy Load Member

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    Just get a hopper bottom...comes out like last nights taco salad
     
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  12. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    True but also hard to shove it up the tube into the tank.
     
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