Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

yes we do .
the miles we got on the set we just replaced was 75,000. is that good or bad?

 

when you said tag axle i was thinking about the ones that i see on hoppers. Sorry about the mix up.

 

that was my mistake , again sorry about that.

 

The tires have to overcome the caster angle in the axle and the spring pressure in order for the axle to steer. That, and the fact there is only one tire on each side holding the weight, really eats a tire up when turning.

The main thing is to not have the springs too tight, and to have them adjusted so that the tires are pointing straight ahead, and not off to one side a little, as this could cause the tires to scrub going straight.

I have seen axles without any springs, and used a lot of caster to keep them tracking straight. One dump company here has two to three on each truck and gets decent mileage out of tires. The only thing that might be a drawback is that when the axle is lifted, the tires will point off to the side after a few bumps, as there is nothing to keep them straight ahead.

 

I pull a hopper, New O/O as well, nothing like the feeling i git driving around all day and not makin ######

 

Well, I was able to get through the shop today and get a few things done to the trailer - and found out alot more about the wagon I'm pulling. Turns out my ABS isn't a common system (not Bendix or Wabco and I forgot the name again) and only powers up when the brakes are applied. They weren't able to plug into it because of that - but checked it over and said it was probably the connectors getting wet. The rear hopper door gearbox has been giving me trouble, and that got replaced, along with 3 tires, a tire repair, and some valve stems. So I'm back on the road again .

Was able to reschedule and run back across the NE at a good rate, stop over in PA long enough to get the trailer worked on, and roll back into MA for the morning. Still seems strange to wake up at midnight to start a day, but you gotta do it sometimes.

For those of you in the PA area or coming through - Emm Sales and Service in Ephrata, PA is one of the best trailer shops I've ever seen. They're down to earth folks, and their shop knows what it's doing for repairs and service. We were able to get everything done today, including the tires, instead of having me run out and go somewhere for those. They're a Wilson trailer dealer, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for good work quality.

On the down side, I just found out that one of the members of the subframe is cracked clear through on this trailer, and is going to be somewhere between 2 and 3 grand to replace! I didn't spot it until now thanks to the trailer being so dirty underneath, and they knew where to look while they were under it in the shop. It's a deal breaker on the trailer for me, and I'll have to see if the lessor is willing to pay to have that replaced - because I'm not doing it.

And for those of you with older Wilson trailers, whenever you replace a hopper door gearbox (2 speed), it's best to replace the box hanger with it. The bracket won't accept the new style gearbox very easily, and takes some work (redrilling) to fit. Since the new bracket is about $45, it's far cheaper to buy the part than to rework the old one. Be sure to ask for new decals, those are always free from Wilson. Also, when you change the box out it's better to use a cross drilled sleeve of pipe, than to reweld the box to the driveshaft like they are from the factory. Makes changing the bearings and U-joints easier down the road, and puts some give in the driveline (also cheaper on the labor side of the bill).

Well, it's off to MA tonight for the morning. Best to you all, and have a great weekend when it gets here!

 

At least you got to drive around. I could have taken a 10 waiting on the loader to be fixed.

 

I got a Cargill story for you, so I dumped DDG in Elwood,Ill around 2 o clock, so i dead head roughly 60 miles and pick up some soy beans in some little illinois town that go to Lafayette, IN cargill which is awesome (unload til 3am) so i get going stop get something to eat take a shower i pull into the cargill locked up tighter then tight i cant find anyone i find a sign that says VISTIVE BEANS 8am-4pm, so i wait til the morning and sure enough i dont have these VISTIVE BEANS on so i have to wait until they clean everything up so i can dump, and i was supossed to be sleeping at the Clymers, IN ethanol plant to get loaded in the morning F'ed up my entire week