Unusual trailer advice sought...

[scsmith42]

A friend of mine is bidding on a contract to haul fly ash, and is looking for a suitable trailer.

He will be moving it entirely off road, (about a 5 - 6 mile round trip over gravel roads) and would like a trailer suitable for hauling 40 cubic yards, 25 tons of material, with the ability to spread the ash as it dumps rather than leaving it in a big pile.  His thoughts are to haul the trailers behind some large tractors (ag type, not road type).

He will probably be in the market for several trailers.

Since fly ash is a bulky, rather than heavy product, does anybody have any advice re what companies he should contact about trailers, or suggestions regarding other means of transport.

Thanks.

Scott

[isawlogs]

Can I ask what " fly ash " is .... ???   :P   

[Furby]

Sounds like you want a walking floor trailer.
They are a semi trailer with a floor that "walks" the material out the end.
I have no knowledge as to wether or not they work with fly ash though.

[scsmith42]

Marcel, Fly Ash is leftover from burning coal in a smelter, incinerator, boiler, etc.

Furby, good idea re the walking floor trailer.  A local company that hauls compost uses these, but theirs typically dump in large piles instead of thin layers...  I wonder if one is available that would dump about a 6" - 9" layer?

[Reddog]

Scott,

Some thing like a side discharge speader on a JCB fast track would work well.

http://www.kuhn-usa.com/internet/webus.nsf/0/C1B856157CA3A2FAC12573D00058F2F0?OpenDocument&p=13.4.2

Kuhn is just one supplier. H&S has truck mounted. Most will custom build for the application if needed.

[Greg Cook]

I have a neighbor who hauls sawdust and mulch in a 5-th wheel dump trailer.  Think I have seen those up around the 20 yard capacity.  He could chain the endgate just like the guys spreading gravel from a dump.  'Course, he wouldn't want to be going around a hill.....

Greg

[zopi]

hmm..pulling with an ag tractor..you could pull a semi trailer with using a pup tongue..or tandem hitch...hafta figure out something for brakes maybe...

i'd think a walking floor with a modified rear door would work...or a bulk bottom dump...like they use for asphalting..or of ya really want to tick off the neighbors..get an old manure spreader..<GRIN>

[scsmith42]

All - thanks for the ideas. 

It may make sense to use a common tri-axle dump truck.  If I'm doing the math correctly, you could carry 40 cubic yards of material in a dump bed that's 8' wide, 8' tall, and 17' long.  Chain the tailgate and dumping shouldn't be a problem.

Bigger would be better too, because fly ash is fairly light per yard.  Since the haul is completely off-road, the vehicle does not need to comply with the 8'6" max width DOT requirements.

Said differently, I wonder what the most economical way is to haul/spread bulky, but light material (such as compost)?

[Jeff]

http://www.sidedump.com/usedtrailers.html

[Dave Shepard]

Dump it in a big heap and put a Degelman (sp) silage blade on the front of the tractor and spread it in one pass.


Dave

[Ironwood]

Scott,

I thought immeadiately about a walking floor as well. One challenge could be WET fly ash. Not fun and heavy, perhaps the walking floor would have another advantage ( auotmatic sliding tarp once loaded), also invision trying to dump a wet load way up in the air while moving  , my Dad once stood his Transtar up on it's tailgate with frozen load of coal. . It could get interesting moving while dumping.
   
Ironwood

[Furby]

My concern with a dump and the rear gate being chained would be the material bridging.
Same with a stone slinger or the like.
There are some attachments that go on the rear of a dump that will allow it to be spread off to one side or the other.
I'm wondering if there is one, or one could be made up that would be towed behind either a dump or walking floor and used to spread. Maybe along the lines of a modified salt spreader on wheels, minus the big hopper. Or maybe get some ideas from a concrete/asphalt spreader.
That way only one "spreader" is needed for several trailers and what ever type of trailer you can come up with will work.

[Faron]

I think the tri-axle might be a good way.  I think you should be able to spread the ash by chaining the tailgate like the gravel haulers do.  If the gravel road is pretty decent, you ought to be able to make better time with a truck than a farm tractor. 

A large lime  spreader might also work, though I don't know that you can get one that large.  Farmers use them around here for turkey manure.  Stolzfus (sp) is most common. 

www.stoltzfusmfg.com/

In looking around their site, I think their soil stabilization spreaders might be exactly what you are looking for.  It even mentions spreading fly ash.  We have had one of their 5 ton spreaders for many years.  It is a good product.

[customsawyer]

What about a truck like the highway dept. uses to spread sand/salt on the roads. I don't really know just thinking out loud. The walking floor was the first thing that came to mind, I think the reason that some end up in a large pile is that they aren't moving while dumping. I have never seen one of these work so I don't know if you can dump while driving. I would not like to be the driver of a dump truck dumping while driving unless it is just a short distance.

[Reddog]

here is a 20yrd.

[Dave Shepard]

There are a number of manufacturers of manure spreaders that are made for dry, or drier, manure that have very large capacity and serious beaters on the back. If you are thinking large ag tractor, this might be the most readily available solution.


Dave

[Gary_C]

Scott

When I think of fly ash, I think of something that is very fine, like a powder. If that is true, walking floors would not work very well as that powder can act just like water.

Also, if you have to unload in a field, stay away from end dumps. They tip over sideways very easily. One driver hauling turkey manure in a semi type end dump was killed when the trailer tipped over while dumping and took the tractor with it. When it flipped on its side, the mirror arms were smashed into the truck and killed the driver.

I would say the best thing is one of those floaters like the one in Reddogs picture. They are used all around here for hauling and spreading fertilizer, lime, and turkey manure. They go down the road fairly fast too. Plus they allow you to spread without much soil compaction.

You could not go out in a field with a semi around here.

[footer]

I have worked numerous years in the concrete industry where we used flyash as a filler in the mix. Fly ash, if looked at in a microscope is round like a ball bearing. I has a flow characteristic almost like water, and has to be transported basically in an virtually watertight container. If it doesn't hold water, it probably won't hold flyash.  It will actually flow through a stopped auger. Don't ask how I know that.

[limbrat]

Like Footer and Gary c said the fly ash we used to suplement cement in concrete is a very fine dry flowable with sperical grains. It is like adding grease to concrete it will increase the slump and make it easier finish out. A bulk truck lost a 6" line while filling a silo once and when that stuff hit the ground it flowed like water. I have only seen it hauled in dry bulk tanks like for cement or hydrated lime. There the same trailers used to spread it for soil cement.

[HOOF-ER]

I help out on a  dairy farm. He uses sand for bedding. We use a Knight (KUHN) side discharge spreader. They make these very LARGE. He has one of the larger ones with 300HP ag tractor on it. I would think the way it handles sand , fly ash would be a breeze. (We have lots here so I do know what you are talking about.) The spreader uses large augers to bring to the discharge. Beaters rotate at high RPM , chunks of steel maybe 3-4 lbs. each. Will discharge sand and manure 0- 30'+.