Dumping on a steep hill, question for experienced dump driver

I have a customer whose driveway is too steep. Last year I declined to lay down more road base on it, because I figure it will just washout again and hurt my business rep. We agreed on a plan to bring in a dozer guy and build a proper switchback about 60 yards to the side to climb that hill slowly. I gave them my proposal. And waited...months.

They finally got back to me. The poor guy has cancer, skinny as heck, and his wife just left him, to fight cancer alone. So the nice new driveway with a switchback is off. He has to polish up their place and sell it, so the karen can get her share. I agreed to fill the ruts in that steep driveway and compact some good road base on top.

Now that I have a tri-axle (aka tandem) dump truck, I believe that I can safely dump loads on that slope. But I'm not real experienced at doing that. I'm looking for one of you who has dumped a lot of loads to recommend whether I back up and dump downhill, or do it the other way. My hunch is to back up then dump going down (no chains on the tailgate though). Then park the truck, jump in my maintainer and blade the piles smooth. Rinse and repeat till the hill is done.

So what would you experienced dump truck drivers recommend? I want to help this poor guy out. He's 16 years younger than me but looks older what with the cancer and his wretched, unfaithful wife dumping him.

It will be safer to drive down the hill and dump but you'll lose some of the pitch on the body. If you try to dump and spread driving up the hill and the load shifts you'll go over in a heartbeat, Be very certain there is a minimum of side to side pitch, that will take you over too.

It's going to be down to traction, no matter what your desires are. Backing a loaded truck up the hill is no fun, some wheel hop and spin and you can break something fast. If you have enough traction to drive up it, and a place to turn around you could do that and dump coming down the hill as Steve suggested.
Since you are not hanging any chains, you might do yourself a solid and grade it with your maintainer ( I have no idea what this piece of equipment is ),
drive the maintainer up there, get the truck up and turned around, and just dump some piles. You can raise the bed and dump a little out, then let the bed down and move forward slowly, and repeat. That way you are not moving with a raised bed in a situation you are not comfortable with.
I know it is extra money but a roller would be a huge help in firming it all up.

I should specify that my WB is 18' and the bed is short, only 12' long. The big quarry loaders have to spill off the back to avoid damaging my tarp roller. So that short bed is safer when dumping, regarding pitching over. I will stay as level as possible side to side, thanks for the reminder.

The only place to turn around up top would be on the guy's lawn. His realtor would kill me.

Dumping a few piles is my plan, then blade them. A maintainer is what Texans call a smaller grader. Mine weighs 7 tons and has a 10' blade, bucket up front, rippers in back, 4w hst and a Cummins 4BT. There's another guy here @cuttin edge who runs the same machine. They're pretty rare.

Yes I do plan to put a 7t roller/vibrator in my bid.

OK. That helps. I have that same short bed thing going for me, I have to clean the tailgate most times.

skyking1 said:

grade it with your maintainer ( I have no idea what this piece of equipment is )

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I'm not sure if he's referring to the same machine but in the 70s and 80s there was a machine called a "Maintainer" that was popular with small paving companies in my area. I can't remember the manufacturer's name but it was a stretched commercial tractor with a front bucket, center mounted grader blade on a turntable and York rake out back. They used them to dress driveways before paving. Used to see them quite often but now that it's been mentioned here I can't remember the last time I saw one.

we have huber graders out west, but they never have a bucket on them. You stand on them. I ran one briefly for a paving outfit.

Steve Frazier said:

I'm not sure if he's referring to the same machine but in the 70s and 80s there was a machine called a "Maintainer" that was popular with small paving companies in my area. I can't remember the manufacturer's name but it was a stretched commercial tractor with a front bucket, center mounted grader blade on a turntable and York rake out back. They used them to dress driveways before paving. Used to see them quite often but now that it's been mentioned here I can't remember the last time I saw one.

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I didn't see one of those for sale except old and beat up, but that would have trouble grading a smooth road with that short WB. It already takes constant attention with mine, which is shorter than a dedicated grader WB. This pic is from before I "unfixed" the rippers. Somebody had welded bar steel across them to use it as a mini-blade in back.

Found one! Huber was the name, and while looking they seem to have been available with different attachments

never saw one with a bucket out here. Or that cab!

The machine you have is the same concept but on a longer chassis and might explain why we don't see the Maintainer much anymore

Steve Frazier said:

View attachment 252428

Found one! Huber was the name, and while looking they seem to have been available with different attachments

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If only there were still any in that condition !!!

I have trouble remembering back that far anymore but I seem to remember they were bought out by Ingersol Rand which is when the color went from construction yellow to the white you see here.

There is one of those around here used by a small paving contractor. Pretty rough and it pulled something apart for the grader blade on a job a couple of years back and I welded it back so it could be loaded back onto a trailer. There was no bucket out front but hell for stout hydraulic scarifier teeth. Trying to remember the name and think it was Schram but not certain. I know that name was air compressors for sure.

RenoHuskerDu said:

I didn't see one of those for sale except old and beat up, but that would have trouble grading a smooth road with that short WB. It already takes constant attention with mine, which is shorter than a dedicated grader WB. This pic is from before I "unfixed" the rippers. Somebody had welded bar steel across them to use it as a mini-blade in back.

View attachment 252427

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They call them a maintainer here as well. Our 88 was built by Puckett Bros, then a 99 Alitec, then your PSI, and now Mauldin. I think there might have been some incarnations in between. If you back down and dump, keep it in gear. I see guys that put their truck in neutral and hold the brakes. I'm a big believer in having as much control as possible.

This is not the one I was referencing but just like it:

https://www.auctiontime.com/listings/farm-equipment/auctions/online/195201803/1985-schramm-ht300b

Years ago, the guys I work for had 3 asphalt plants in different areas. One area, the town of Dalhousie, is know for steep roads. They were paving one of these hills. Back then it was single axle gas jobs loaded heavy. The trucks had to pick a driveway to pull into, and then back into the spreader. If they tried backing all the way down the hill, the front wheels would come up when they hit the brakes. They couldn't pave facing down hill because the asphalt wouldn't come out of the box, and the old hydraulic brakes wouldn't keep the truck in the spreader.

Can you drive up to the top of the driveway and turn around so you can dump going down ?

He said that no, there is only a lawn up there to destroy

skyking1 said:

He said that no, there is only a lawn up there to destroy

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I know the type. My mother in law asked if I could not tear the grass up when removing unwanted shrubs from around the house with my skid steer.....