Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

I pulled out of OH a lot with a hopper . I'd bring poultry meal to Doane's in Washington Court House then usually go to Dayton or Logan to get wheat midds going back south . I have also hauled midds out of Cleveland . Rates were low . As a driver I take home more with the tanker than I grossed with a hopper and work about 10 hours a week less .

 

RickG did you have an extra tall trailer? I pulled MIDDS once and only got 20 tons on there full and it screwed me basically. That stuff is light and I have a 43' trailer. Trying to figure out which trailers these midds are priced for.

 

So is there a trade-off for that weight though? Arent' the high trailers heavier which would have me carry less of the usual stuff? It seems you really need to know your market.

I carried sunflower seeds (jumbo stripe) once too and that really messed me up. I had no business hauling those.

 

No , we had low side trailers . In Dayton I'd only get about 22 tons on . Logan would sometimes get 24 tons on . Cleveland actually overloaded me by 2 tons once . It depends how much fines they have in the load .
Peanut hulls were the same way . We'd haul 2 or 3 loads a day out of GA to Purina in Nashville . We were paid a 24 ton minimum but could never get more than 22 on . One day my boss couldn't cover the loads and brokered one out . The truck that picked the load up had high sides and got 25 tons on . It was one of Garber's trucks and we ended up losing the contract . A high sided trailer would take a minimum of 2 hours to onload though . Peanut hulls didn't come off easy .

 

How tall would you guess my trailer is? I know it's 43' long but I don't see any markings for height or width. I hauled peanut hulls actually the first time I was a tad overweight. Said they were going to britain to burn for energy... get high BTU's out of 'em.

 

I pulled a hopper out in the plains for 2 years doing the wheat harvest then fall crops up in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. During the winter I pulled grain and feed products through out Kansas and was based out of Hutchinson, KS. Man those were the days...I just wish it payed better.

As for the tips. I had a high sided Timpte and hauled wheat midds a lot (nobody else had a high side...oh joy). When unloading I just carried a big rubber mallet and it worked great. On the rare occasion that I did have to climb into the trailer I had a rope mounted to the inside of the hopper slopes (front and rear) with knots tied in it every foot or two. When not in use I just wrapped the rope around the bows. Make sure you keep the trap door rails clean and everything adjusted. This makes life so much easier. I hated pulling someone elses wagon that was out of adjustment. Also watch out for dust and dirt building up on the fifth wheel plate and rear frame. Not only will ya gain weight with the dirt, but it will hold in moisture which will rust out the plate or frame. Carry a extra trap handle or a large enough socket and ratchet depending on what ya got. Don't for get about carrying extra pins for the traps and tarp handles

By the way nice ride Pharm. Thats a Wilson trailer you got correct?

 

Thanks. It's a Peerless.

Where can I get tarp handles or an extra crank for the hopper doors? I bowed my tarp handle and always worried about leaving the crank behind.

Also my vibrators are tiny, where can I get some larger ones?

Thanks again.