Walking the hoses

We taught chem drivers to roll the hose as we sometimes had 2 or 3 lengths from trailer to tractor pump.

Once we visually saw the tank was MT we closed the trailer valves and opened the suction hose, stood about 6 ft up and bent it over to form a loop with the pump running and walk the loop to the pump draining any residual product into the pump. Actulally lift the loop higher than the pump inlet. Rolling a loop prevents any product from draining back towards the trailer and the product you poured into the pump [gear pump] couldn't come back.

Then you goose the throttle a few times to push the pump and discharge line clear and you can shut down the pump and the receiver can close his valve. Always had a bucket to catch anything that didn't clear from the discharge hose(s).

 

Strenuous? I'd say no. It takes a certain amount of effort but I've never seen anybody who couldn't do it.

 

Not really, you basically hold up an empty end and make the loop. You are always rolling an empty loop until you reach the pump and it isn't too hard to lift the loop as the pump is already sucking the last of the product out as you lift.....most o the time you are only handling the weight of an empty hose.

 

Maybe if it's a long 4" hose full of diesel.

 

Usually most of the fuel drains out of the hose, but there are occasions when it doesn't. Like if the grade of the parking lot slopes toward the truck. In that case, you'll have more fuel left in the hose and it can be kinda heavy. But the absolute worst is having two 4" houses coupled together. It's strenuous for sure. That doesn't happen often though.

 

Try 3" chem hoses with latex [think Elmer's glue in mass quantities] delivered a 3 pot of Rhoplex [Air Products brand latex] to a funky paint plant in Paterson, NJ needed a pickup truck for all the 3" hoses needed.

The last tank was a rectangular wooden monster up on end looked kinda like a packing crate for the jolly green giant. and there is a guy up on top who was lifted up on a pallet with the end of about 120' of hose and he sticks it on the top and straddles it giving us the OK to pump...thick stuff, had the pump knockin and complaining at an idle.

I was waiting for a slug of air when the pump sucked the compartment dry and see the hose fling the guy across the building but it didn't happen.

It filled a 55 gal drum draining out that hose!

OSHA would have had a fun time at that place!