Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

Seen a big ole purple Peterbilt today at the feedlot and a green flattop Pete heading north on Hwy 81 today. Those Kramer trucks looking sharp. They are also hauling some good corn. I was looking at the test on them as DOC was rejecting my trashy corn. Loading one in the morning going back down their will see if they take it. A lot of trash in the corn around here.

Was stopped by the DOT today as they were set up in Pond Creek, OK and stopping trucks going north and south and ones coming from the east. I had my rejected corn on when he stopped me asking for my weight ticket which showed #86,700. This is how it went.

Officer: Looks like you are heavy
Me: Yes been this way the last twenty or so years.
Officer: I meant the load.
Me: Yes that too.
Officer: What are you hauling
Me: Corn
Officer: Where did you load at
Me: Medford
Officer: Where are you going
Me: Medford
Officer: That does not make any sense
Me: It is rejected corn and taking it back
Officer: Why was it rejected and from where

I explained it to him then told him I had a Ag permit and showed it to him along with my registration and he told me to have a good day. With the permit and with my length I can haul up to #89,700 and they cannot axle me. That $100 permit was a good investment. He stopped two Jadansa trucks and they were both weighing around 83 and both had Ag permits and they let them go yesterday. But I have talked to several guys down here and they don't have the permit. Does Kansas have anything like it?

 

Kansas doesn't have overweight ag permits that I'm aware of, and I didn't know OK had them...tell me more about them! We have overweight permits in TX for our trucks that pull spread axle trailers, but you have to get them county by county and they're only good to 84,000 lbs. (TX doesn't recognize a spread)

Sorry no pics of the new trailer yet...it rained up there right before I got it, so the truck and trailer are both filthy, and I can't have pictures of that floating around!

 

Wheathauler, clear out your messages cannot reply due to your stored messages are full.

The Annual Special Overload Permit (Variance Permit).

The permit cost $100 a year and will let you go 5% over 85,500. You have to be registered for the highest amount Oklahoma will let you register for which is 90,000 on your cab card. Make sure you get a Agriculture one because their are different ones. With the permit depending on your length you can haul 5% over 85,500 and they can not axle you. I am 60ft, with five axles and have the permit so I can haul up to 89,700 legally. This was told to me today from DOT Officer Logan. This is the Oklahoma web site to find out more and how to get them.

http://www.occeweb.com/tr/VariancePermit.htm

Hope this helps. I know Jadansa from Russell, KS has them in all their trucks.

 

A dirty Kramer truck, say it isn't so.

Did you have to go thru a dealer or straight thru Timpte on the new trailer?

I needed some parts for my trailer and called Sanders and a good size Timpte dealer in Memphis for prices. The dealer in Memphis has one hell of a mark up and Sanders was okay but had to order most of it. I called the Timpte factory and was given their parts dept. number in Council Bluffs, IA. The parts guy their was very helpful and had everything in stock. He was cheaper and gave me a great deal on shipping so they will get my future business. I just replaced all my bearings on the bottom of my doors and found the bearings .10 cents cheaper at Orielly's but when I called Timpte with my order I told him that I found them cheaper and he came back with a better deal and since I was buying 48 of them he sold them to me .41 cents cheaper and no extra on the shipping.

 

Oh, they get plenty dirty, trust me!

We bought the trailer through Sanders but didn't want to pay the $500 to have it brought down, especially since there's always something coming back south from up there. No complaints about Sanders from us. They've always been fair with us.

 

To be perfectly honest, Steve, it's the same reason we don't pull Cornhuskers: We don't think the trailer will hold up as well. The newer trailers are already about 1,000 lbs lighter than the same size trailers we've had that were built back in '97, so they're taking the strength out of them more and more each year in the name of weight savings. Just looking at the bow down the side of the loaded trailer is amazing. The newer ones have quite a bit more flex to them than our older, heavier trailers did. The Superlite Timpte's use an aluminum upper coupler and rear subframe to accomplish the weight savings. I'm just not convinced they'll have the longevity of steel in such a highly stressed component, and we fully intend to keep the trailers that we buy new for at LEAST 5 years, and most likely longer.

Secondly, they want a pretty hefty upcharge for the Superlite option, so it takes a while to recoup the cost, with the possibility that you'll experience problems later.


Lastly, when we're doing short haul and transfers into town, we're not watching our weight THAT close, so an 800 pound weight savings isn't going to show up on the radar

On a side note, I asked the guy when I picked the trailer up how many trailers a day they build, and the answer astonished me...25 trailers a day! Where do they all go???

 

Depends on whether they sell worldwide and they probably do. 25 a day wouldn't be near enough.

 

That is a lot of trailers, then you have the other manufactures of hoppers. Who is buying all these trailers?

I have talked to several that trade every three years because of cracks and not holding up like the old trailers. My sub frame was cracked and had been repaired before and cracked again, they replaced it before I bought it.

Bill, what is the oldest trailer you have? The purple Pete I seen looked like he was pulling an older short sided trailer.

I like my 03' Timpte and it pulls straight. Needed to have the rear suspension and frame sandblasted and painted when it slows down. Have my new old style Timpte mud flaps to put on and have some stainless Hogebuilt quarter fenders to put on in front of the axle, need to dress up the trailers to. Know if I can talk my nephew into buffing the trailer, the paint is a little dull. I am thinking about putting the stainless rear panel on since I have a good dent on the rear know, I priced it at Sanders not bad price but that sure is a lot of rivets to do. I think it can be done in one Saturday afternoon and a case of beer.