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Looking to haul more gravel materials

renovator

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2011
Messages
69
Location
New Mexico
I have noticed just in the last couple years all the big guys and quite a few little guys are running the 7 axle super dumps, and in the last month I would bet that every week there are another couple dozen brand new ones running around:)
View attachment 198219
I've watched Strong Arm's video. They claim some enormous weight for a straight truck. I believe the way they make it work is a combination of the "bridge" (steering axle to Strong Arm lift axle) and overall number of axles. Those intermediate axles probably don't carry much weight. They are just there to be counted (the real weight is on the steer and drive axles). I think where this falls apart is in states (like my beloved New Mexico) where they actually look at axle spacing and axle groups. I haven't seen any in New Mexico, but I saw a lot of them in eastern Arizona when I was out there last year. I must admit however, that I have been out of the game for quite a while and things have changed.
 

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
I haven't poured out of a rear discharge mixer it 25 years .

What I like a front discharge is the driver has great visibility and controls it all from the drivers seat . Sure helps out on " Flat Work " . Good driver just stand back & let him put the mud where it needs to be .

Save's on labor .:D
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,425
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Saw the first, and last front discharge Macks come into St. Louis in '77, the Material Service Company(Kienstra) bought four where after number three went nose first into a foundation hole they sold all that was left. That company is currently locked in on 12 yarders with wishbone rear drop axles.
 

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
Saw the first, and last front discharge Macks come into St. Louis in '77, the Material Service Company(Kienstra) bought four where after number three went nose first into a foundation hole they sold all that was left. That company is currently locked in on 12 yarders with wishbone rear drop axles.

That's interesting . No front discharge mixers in Missouri ?
 

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
If you think of the "strong arm” in the rear as a being like a floor jack underneath a pintle hitch on a conventional 3 axle arrangement on a dump truck and on every load you had the floor jack jacked up you would move a bunch weight to the nose. Now add the drops.... lots of stress up front.
Yeah, to break the frame on the top side leads me to believe the drops were carrying too much of the weight is where I was going. The engine and front mounted pump were pulling down on the rail to crack the top. Kenworth C-500 and the crack was just behind the front cab mount. Went down about an inch and a half and across the top flange. Talk about a b*tch to repair.
 

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
I haven't poured out of a rear discharge mixer it 25 years .

What I like a front discharge is the driver has great visibility and controls it all from the drivers seat . Sure helps out on " Flat Work " . Good driver just stand back & let him put the mud where it needs to be .

Save's on labor .:D
Used to have a ready mix outfit around here that had a couple mixers with side mounted conveyor belts that could throw the stuff where you wanted it.
 

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
Those intermediate axles probably don't carry much weight.

Agree renovator . Those little axils & tires are just for show .

This is an east coast west coast thing .


CM put up a good example of an east coast tri-axil .

Axils are all under the truck where they should be for hauling & stability .

KW triaxle[1].jpg


And Ronsii has a good example of a west coast truck of the same capacity .

suprdump[1].jpg

Of the two trucks what would you fellers rather drive ?
 

Mother Deuce

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2016
Messages
1,603
Location
New England
Agree renovator . Those little axils & tires are just for show .

This is an east coast west coast thing .


CM put up a good example of an east coast tri-axil .

Axils are all under the truck where they should be for hauling & stability .

View attachment 198273


And Ronsii has a good example of a west coast truck of the same capacity .

View attachment 198274

Of the two trucks what would you fellers rather drive ?
I am in the bridge building business and that 1st one has created enough damage to see me through to retirement. Bring on number 1!
 

Crummy

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2017
Messages
918
Location
Idaho
I still get the WSDOT email notices for road restrictions and saw recently that some of the old bridges they are weight limiting are "legal axle weight only to 105,500, no overweight/permit or super solo". That would bite if a guy spent all the coin on one and then all of a sudden a bridge he used a lot couldn't use anymore.

In Washington at least the lift axle has to be self-steer, solid axle dual won't count unless it's permit for weight. 'I know a guy' that got popped over weight on the drives pulling legal 105,500 quad flatbed with a dual 20k pusher on the tractor. Told him lift the axle & re-weigh the drives.
 

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
I still get the WSDOT email notices for road restrictions and saw recently that some of the old bridges they are weight limiting are "legal axle weight only to 105,500, no overweight/permit or super solo". That would bite if a guy spent all the coin on one and then all of a sudden a bridge he used a lot couldn't use anymore.

In Washington at least the lift axle has to be self-steer, solid axle dual won't count unless it's permit for weight. 'I know a guy' that got popped over weight on the drives pulling legal 105,500 quad flatbed with a dual 20k pusher on the tractor. Told him lift the axle & re-weigh the drives.

About time to start voting the other direction ...:)
 

Mother Deuce

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2016
Messages
1,603
Location
New England
East Coast builds better bridges .:D
About time to start voting the other direction ...:)
I don’t know about better but I do know that we have lots of them to work on!
Washington’s roads and most the other western states are in much better condition generally speaking than a lot of what I have experienced here. Washington’s and Oregon commercial vehicle enforcement people are very aggressive about making sure you see it their way.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,425
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Used to have a ready mix outfit around here that had a couple mixers with side mounted conveyor belts that could throw the stuff where you wanted it.

See those more here than any variant of front discharge.

What does happen on large scale paving jobs here is use of dump trucks to haul batch and dump in front of slip form pavers.
 

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
With a good driver (which is the key) those front discharge mixers are as handy as a shirt pocket.

Very True !

And it works both ways . Funny story …. We were doing the grade & dirt work for a customer installing a patio and sidewalks .

The concrete crew were a bunch of arrogant potheads . Constantly complaining about how slow the job was coming along .

We got it all graded out and forms in place . Potheads started complaining about how long it was taking the concrete truck to show up …

It showed up & buddy Mike was driving . Damn good man that will put the mud where it needs to go . :cool:

These numskulls started in on buddy Mike how slow he was pouring . Then came the grin . That aint good when he grins like that :eek:

Mike wound up the front discharge and opened up the gate on them full bore. :)

Man they was a yellin & waving there arms like the Rapture had begun with all the mud flying .

" Slow down ! " " Please Stop ! " LOL :D:p
 

Kiwi-truckwit

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2016
Messages
315
Location
New Zealand
Agree renovator . Those little axils & tires are just for show .

This is an east coast west coast thing .


CM put up a good example of an east coast tri-axil .

Axils are all under the truck where they should be for hauling & stability .

View attachment 198273


And Ronsii has a good example of a west coast truck of the same capacity .

View attachment 198274

Of the two trucks what would you fellers rather drive ?
Those "super 7" trucks look bloody hideous, and unwieldy.
Would a twin steer, tri drive not achieve close to the same?
Twin steer, tandem drive with a 4 or 5 axle pull trailer is the norm here (Not my picture)
FB_IMG_1561170939554.jpg
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,425
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
The twin steer does not do so very well, Dowell Services had twin steer KWs K100s in the early 80s and took a Fresh paved pasture to turn one. Unwieldy is being nice.
 
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