Dump trailer - Advice on using lift axle?

I'd run it down whenever loaded and lift it for the sharp turns, just like you would with a Class B tri-axle without a steerable lift. Theoretically, you could run with it in the up position if your weight on the trailer tandems is 34,000 or less, but I'd just prefer to have the extra set of brakes working for me.

 

I run a 39 ft spread/lift axle end-dump. I'm guessing that your trailer has air-ride suspension. It's very important that the suspension is always inflated while running down the highway. If not it could do some serious damage to the air bags. Next, this is what I was instructed to do, and do...

While empty the lift axle is always up, anytime I'm loaded it's on the ground, EXCEPT when making turns. When you make tight turns, ie; corners, and loaded, you could rip that axle out from under the trailer. In tight turns the tires on that axle will skid. So when making tight turns I'll flip the switch once I start moving into the turn. Once I straighten out, flip the switch to lower it. I've found that doing it this way, the axle really never fully lifts, but lifts it enough to remove a lot of the pressure so as to not cause damage.

Frame-less always make sure the air suspension on both the tractor and trailer are dumped. Stand it up without and it will start to dance around the 3rd or 4th stage of the ram, which most likely will result in it laying over. With suspension inflated, the system will constantly try to level, which causes the dancing, or swaying.

Is your's rigged with the valves inside the tractor or outside on the side of the trailer? Hopefully on the outside, as this gives you the motivation to double check everything, especially to see if it's sitting level. Other things to double-check..
1. Load locks, air controlled and manual if so equipped. If they're not released and undone, gate of course doesn't open, material slams against gate, and things could get exciting.

2. TARP. Do you have a manual roll tarp or the lazyboy roll? I have a manual. Most of the time I will un-roll it before dumping, especially if I'm hauling material that tends to stick. This way I can get out and look to see if all the material came out. Times that I tend to not open the tarp, is during high-winds. Too easy for the wind to catch it, and then you're holding on to a 39 foot sail, it's coming off. It will not take off and fly away, but on the side of the trailer. Now you need to figure out how to get that thing back on top. If you do un-roll it in high winds, place your trailer so that the secured side of the tarp is up-wind, with the roller down-wind. This way it's harder for the wind to get under it, instead it will be blowing it down. I've had some experiences having a hold of that 39 ft roller/crank when the wind has grabbed the tarp. It's like trying to hang on to P-OD bobcat with stick.

3. DUMPING. You stated that you set the tractor/parking brakes. The only time I set the tractor brakes is if I'm on rock-solid, very level ground. Setting the tractor/parking brakes with a frame-less will cause the trailer to walk. If you're on soft, uneven ground, just a little 3" bump in front of one of the trailer tires can cause the trailer to lay down. So I will set the TRAILER BRAKES OR USE THE TROLLY BAR, the tractor will then gently roll back while the bed is raising. If you get a lot of material spilling around your trailer tires, stop raising, release the trailer brake, and with your foot on the service brake, let it gently roll forward. It may do this, due to the pressure of the material pushing against them. Once you're forward enough then you can continue raising. Then once it's at the final stage, of course wait for all the material to empty. If you have a vibrator on your trailer engage it, make sure your hand-valve brake (tractor or trailer) is set, NOT THE TROLLY BAR, get out and look to see if you have material sticking. If so you'll of course need to deal with it, lower, sweep/shovel it loose or out. I will repeat it... DO NOT USE THE TRACTOR BRAKES TO DUMP!!!

Now with saying that, I will add that we do haul salt to some locations where the area we dump is flat/level concrete. What I do there is dump with the trailer brakes set, until the material is about halfway up on the trailer tires. I release the trailer brake, and set the tractor brake. The trailer will then roll forward. This helps with the material being in a nicer/neater pile, instead of strung out. If I'm not on good solid ground, I will not use this method. Too easy to get that trailer rocking and swaying.

While the bed is going up, and you're looking in the mirrors, watch those trailer tires. They may give you a good heads-up on if your bucket is starting to lean. If one tire seems to be "flatter", then there's something going on to cause more weight on it, and that is leaning. This can be caused from the load being off-center. If that's the case, then there's not much you can do. You might have to dump a little at time.

(About the 4th editing my post.. keep thinking of something else)

One major difference between frame and frame-less dumping....tractor and trailer must be in a STRAIGHT LINE WITH A FRAMELESS. I know with frame trailers you can dump with the tractor at an angle. With frameless, you can not, period, end of story. If you do, you will push the trailer over.

Log Books, the yellow copy is yours, the original must be sent or given to your company. What I do, is put the original in an envelope with my BOLs, then tuck my yellow copy in the pocket of my logbook. At the end of the day, I make sure that I only have the 7 preceding days in that pocket. I have another envelope in my briefcase where I put all my older yellow copies. BRIEFCASE is the operational word. Anything that DOT has no business seeing goes in there. Mine is a combo locking one. If DOT bear thinks he can just look in there, guess again. I will spin the dials to lock it, and then he must obtain a search warrant to force me to open it. Any BOLs for material you have already delivered, fuel tickets, scale tickets, daily logs 8 days old, are not any of DOTs business. DOT has no business needing to know what you hauled yesterday, or for that matter one hour ago. If you hauled rock to site, dumped it, went to another location loaded sand, and are loaded with that, then the rock delivered earlier is null. Don't let them con you into producing old documents. If they want that info, they can audit your company.

Hope that helps...


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When loaded, don't lift or dump that axle, while being weighed at a scale house...a driver of ours found out that you'll be overweight.

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