Problem
Brian Humphries, owner of a general hauling company, explained, “The green waste compost is a very sticky material, and it has a tendency to stay in the dump body, even when the lift is fully extended.” Like most drivers, Humphries sometimes used sudden stops/starts to try and dislodge the material, with limited success. “We were finding that there would be 1,000 kg or more of compost clinging to the dump body,” he continued. “Sudden stops would help loosen the load some, but with the trailer body so high in the air, there’s always the risk of tipping over the truck or shearing the body mounting brackets. We ended up shoveling most of it out by hand,” he said.
Solution
Brian Humphries contacted Martin Engineering. He explained to UK Sales Manager Dave Harasym that they were running Scania R480 three-axle trucks, with Schmitz three-axle dump trailers. The setup gives Humphries Haulage 70 cubic yards of capacity, with a gross vehicle weight of around 44,000 kg. “Incomplete emptying is a common problem with dump trucks of all sizes,” Harasym observed. “Even fairly dry materials can be affected by weather and other conditions, making them extremely difficult to evacuate completely. A short vibration cycle can be a very effective way to break the surface tension and allow the load to slide out,” he said. Harasym recommended the Cougar® DC Truck Vibratorugar®, an electric design that delivers 4,000 vibration cycles per minute (VPM) with 3,200 pounds of force, while drawing just 62 amps from the 24V version. “We had to experiment a little bit to find the optimum location for mounting the vibrator,” Humphries continued. “Once we settled on the best configuration, we found that we were able to cut about 30 minutes per load from our dumping time.”
Result
Tipping time has been cut in half by using a high-performance 24V truck vibrator to more efficiently empty dump beds. Humphries Haulage reports faster turnarounds and an ability to make more runs per day, while improving safety by avoiding the need for manual cleanout. Company officials have also cited reduced stress on truck brakes and body mounts among the benefits, as drivers no longer need sudden stops/starts to break loose stubborn loads.
