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Whether hauling
equipment, fill, or waste materials, today's tractors and trailers
make it easier for contractors to do the job more quickly and more
profitably.
By Joseph Lynn
Tilton
When it comes to the
grading and excavation industry, the major challenges still involve
getting the necessary machines to the site; removing unwanted materials,
both manmade and geologic; and bringing in the desired fill. There
are also profit margins to consider. Hence, the quest to find ways
to save weight and time–safely. Thanks to competition, trailer
and other equipment suppliers continue to refine and improve their
products. Successful contractors also find ways to use equipment
more efficiently and more effectively, which also helps ensure a
better bottom line.
New England Contractor
For the past 18 years,
John Costley of Costley Trucking in Sabattus, ME, has been putting
98,000-110,000 mi. a year on his Freightliner FLD 120, hauling bark
mulch, construction demolition, and related materials throughout
New England. He's had a live-floor trailer for the last seven
of those years. He says, "Here in New England, versatility
is the name of the game. You have to maximize your profits by staying
loaded as much as possible."
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Costley has done this
by going from a standard steel trailer to a three-axle aluminum
live floor. "An aluminum trailer will save you 3,000 pounds
over a steel version. But I've been able to save another 1,500 pounds
by going to a Titan Thinwall, and I've lowered my maintenance time
and expense." A typical day for him begins between 2 and 3
a.m., when he picks up a load of bark mulch in Maine. He hauls it
180 mi. into Massachusetts to unload, still in the dark. Then he
drives 60-70 mi. to the Boston area to get a load of demolition
debris to haul to a grinding plant 45 mi. away in Epping, NH, or
120 mi. up to Lewiston, ME. From there, Costley takes on a load
of demolition wood chips for a biomass plant in Livermore Falls,
ME, arriving home around 7 p.m.
Costley reports that
the typical New England crowned road "plays hell with the trailer.
The white line is 6 to 7 inches higher than the edge of the two-lane,
50-mile-per-hour winding road, and the vehicle is constantly trying
to walk down into the ditch. There is also quite a bit of potholes
and pavement cracking from constant freezing. Our best roads are
on par with the West Coast's worst roads. A live floor up here
typically lasts only five years, and a trucker does quite a bit
of welding on stress cracks on the door frame and top rails due
to the flexing and twisting involved."
Costley reports that,
at the time of this interview, he was on his 191st trip
with his new trailer and has had no repairs. He adds that the Dupont
Imron 6000 base coat/clear coat paint gives his trailer a better
appearance. "Moisture cannot pass through polyurethane paint.
This keeps the aluminum from corroding and makes the equipment look
better when I go through a DOT [department of transportation] check.
When I picked up that new trailer, it was shinier than my tractor.
Titan was the only aluminum trailer manufacturer that I could find
who would paint my trailer at the factory."
One of the features added
at the factory includes a 24- x 40-in. door in the nose. The door
allows Costley to step from the tractor's deck plate to the
trailer's interior while he's unloading. "At a lot
of sites where I unload demo or municipal garbage they push the
debris away with a bulldozer or bucket loader. Now instead of waiting
15 to 20 minutes while the trailer pumps out the load, I can get
in as soon as there is room and start brooming off the walls and
floor. When the load is finished, I sweep out the last few shovel
loads and leave. That door saves me a good 10-15 minutes on each
load. That's a small savings in the course of a day, a huge
savings in the course of a year."
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He also likes the four
factory-harnessed backup lights because they allow him to back up
at off-road sites in the middle of the night. "In the past
I had to tap my brakes and try to work with the light they provided.
I also like the standard LED lighting and the virgin-grade aluminum
used by Titan, because recycled aluminum is more prone to cracking
because it's more porous and not as hard as virgin grade. Another
plus is the wedge-shape top rail that slopes to the inside of the
trailer, making the rails essentially self-cleaning. It's also strong
enough to take the hits for hauling demolition debris.
"Most of the smaller
demolition contractors can't separate out pipe and other metals
on a site, so they go in with the rest of the debris. The contractor
is paying by the load, not by the ton, so he tends to pack it in
with his excavator. Piping can dent, even puncture walls. When the
haulers started swapping to aluminum, they had to put in three-eighths-
to one-half-inch plywood, but with this new trailer I don't
need a plywood liner. The aluminum walls are built like a corrugated
box, and the walls resist punctures better than my old trailer."
Furthermore, Costley's latest trailer has fewer problems with
bark mulch freezing to the sides.
Pamela Goodale, customer
service specialist for Titan Trailers Inc. in Delhi, ON, adds, "Regular
aluminum trailers are post and panel construction. The Thinwall
is a hollow core panel that is 1.5 inches thick with horizontal
running ribs inside. This makes for a very lightweight but extremely
tough side panel. This weight savings, as well as sleeker sides,
helps give contractors up to a 15% fuel savings. Furthermore, with
the sandwich construction, what happens on the inside doesn't
affect the outside. These tough panels can carry the roughest sort
of construction and demolition material without piercing the wall.
Aluminum sides and Keith Walking Floors are a winning combination."
Costley reports that
his current tractor is a 1996 Freightliner FLD 120, which replaced
a 1993 model of another brand he had on lease. "I like having
the Air-Ride suspension that's rated at 46,000 pounds. The
suspension systems are a little bit lighter than earlier versions
and don't transfer as much road shock into the tractor. With
Air-Ride, I don't have to worry about door latches, hinges,
or even light bulbs. Yes, this one's due to be traded in, but
there's a glut of used trucks, so we independent truckers are
holding on to them a bit longer. That's why I've just
rebuilt the front rear-end that houses the power divider."
He adds that newer electronic
engines also are offering a 750,000-mi. range and that synthetics
used in transmissions or rear ends make a million miles feasible
for long-haul operators. "But with off-road conditions, I'll
go through a transmission or rear end in 500,000 miles. I also use
four-wheel Rockwell lockers so all the rear wheels on the tractor
do the pulling when necessary. This means I spend less time spinning,
and I don't need tire chains to pull back onto the hard road.
It gets a man out of a situation where he might need a push or pull
and saves a lot of time in a typical day."
Another Titan trailer
user is Murray Keenan Trucking of Ephel, ON, which is near Lake
Huron, 100 mi. northwest of Toronto. Owner Murray Keenan has been
in trucking for 35 years and has had his own business for 20 years.
He uses a 2001 Western Star (recently taken over by Mercedes-Benz)
tractor, which he likes because its higher ground clearance makes
it easier for him to get around construction sites. "The old
truck was still like brand-new–no component problems. But I
traded for a longer truck with a heavier back end."
Both end-dump trailer
and truck have antilock brakes. Both are easily cared for, with
all truck fittings conveniently reached, except for the drive shaft.
This allows Keenan to do nearly all of his maintenance standing
up. The combination also handles winter temperatures well, in a
province that can see -43ºC (-45ºF). "We're
in the Snowbelt, and large-scale projects, such as highways, basically
shut down in mid-November and don't start up again until the
first of May."
So what does he do during
that time? "I'll haul highway salt between here and Pennsylvania.
I haul coal, silica, gravel, grain–anything that will go into
a dump. I also subcontract to larger carriers. The good thing there
is they pay right away. As soon as I offload my product, I send
the bills in and get my check by return mail, versus [waiting] 60
to 90 days for private jobs [to pay]."
Moving Forklifts and
Bobcats
Another challenge facing
contractors is how to move pieces of equipment, such as Bobcats
or forklifts, that have short wheel bases or low ground clearances.
The problem is driving the machine up relatively steep ramps. Premco
Products Inc. of La Verne, CA, has answered this challenge with
the Triple L trailer (for load, lower lift) that lowers its bed
to the ground. Users then can drive the forklift or other compact
piece of equipment up the low-angled ramp and, with the push of
a button, the hydraulics raise the bed for highway travel. Cycle
time is as short as 58 seconds.
Says Dave Medbery, Premco's
national sales manager, "The newest Triple L model is the 1012.
It will handle 10,000 pounds on the deck. We have no external fenders;
our fenders are part of the chassis. We sell a great deal into the
rental industry. A lot of our customers come from the construction
industry and use our products for loading Bobcats, small rollers,
and other low-clearance equipment."
Looking at the industry
in general, he adds, "Typically a contractor buys a trailer
for one specific purpose, then finds several other uses as time
goes on."
User Bob Fromm in Madison
Heights, MI, says his company, National Ladder & Scaffold, bought
its first trailer to deliver scaffolding and ladders last October.
Since then, it's become a Premco dealer. Fromm states, "I
bought the trailer to move equipment around, not to become a dealer.
But we've found a wide variety of uses for this trailer, and
our rental customers are adding it to their equipment lineup. There
are no ramps, and it makes for safer, easier loading. I've
had my trailer for four months now, and I've not had to recharge
the battery. It is efficient and only takes a little bit of power
to run the hydraulics."
Newer Materials
Advances in trailer construction
also includes new grades of steel, giving a stronger breaking strength
yet allowing for lighter gauges. Speaking for Dakota Manufacturing,
manufacturer of Trail-Eze Trailers in Mitchell, SD, Eastern Sales
Manager Don Huber relates, "When I first began with the company
in 1987, we were using MF-80 steel, which ranged from 80,000- to
100,000-psi breaking strength. Today we're using SMI-130, which
has 130,000-psi breaking strength. This allows users to haul larger
payloads because we can keep the weight down." He points out
that MF-80 steel trailers had 0.75-in. walls, while the newer models
need but 0.5 in. This has helped reduce trailer weight on their
detachable models by 2,500 lb.
"The old MF-80 steel
was chemically treated, while T-1, introduced in the early '90s,
was heat-treated. SMI-130 steel is only a couple of years old. It
is more like a spring steel because it has more flex and will spring
back upon discharge." He notes that there are three main trailer
types used in the industry: 50-ton detachable models, hydraulic
dovetail models, and slide-axle models with Air-Ride or spring suspension.
Over the years, this manufacturer has been working to get the hydraulic
dovetail improved by reducing weight and increasing capacity.
Speaking of the hydraulic
dovetail models, he points out, "The wren tail has a 4-foot
section that's easy to put back in place when the operator
is ready to take off. Depending on temperatures, a hydraulic dovetail
takes two to four minutes to cycle. The colder the temperature,
the thicker the oil and the slower the action."
Looking to 2002, Huber
says, "There's always something new. One of the things
we've come out with this year involves our slide axle. Basically
the axle will slide forward, allowing the bed to tilt. This gives
the operator a 7.5º loading angle. On track and paving equipment,
you don't have a break-over point, so you avoid scraping equipment
against the ramp. All the operator has to do is slide the axle forward,
ramp up his equipment, put the axles back, and take off. He can
load several pieces of equipment and have them ready for travel
in just 15 to 20 minutes."
This is an improvement
over the old, rigid style with a beaver tail and a flip-over ramp.
That load angle on a 48-ft. trailer would be 15-20º, depending
on the beaver tail. "Now we also can open up our axles to a
10-foot, 2-inch spread and get a full 40,000 pounds instead of 34,000,
the normal legal limit.
"The newer slide
axle also has four-beam construction and comes with a true knife
edge at the rear of the trailer for smoother loading. A lot of smaller
equipment couldn't make it because the final 18 inches of ramp
had a 20º slope. Now all have just 7.5º, and there are
no more spinouts when trying to load."
Huber also reports that
contractors are finding secondary uses for their trailers, such
as hauling equipment for other companies, motor homes, buses, and
the like. "Successful companies are becoming more versatile."
Looking to the future, he adds, "I think the industry will
steady itself again and we'll start seeing new growth. When
I first started, contractors in the Northwest used tag trailers
and did a lot of hauling with dump trucks. Now just about everybody
is using the lowboy and their own tractor so they can load multiple
pieces."
Doug Mann, a foreman
with Apac Inc. in Asheville, NC, points out that their equipment
lineup includes five 50-ton Trail-Eze trailers. "We are the
largest paving company in western North Carolina and do about $33
million a year in contracts. We had to go to bigger machines, which
meant bigger trailers. Before we got these 50-ton models, we were
using 30-ton models that had been beefed-up to 40-ton capacity."
Because they carry 90,000-lb.
permits, they can load two 12-ton Dyntac rollers on the same trailer.
"We like these trailer models because we can lift the center
of the bed, and that lets down in a 45º angle, which allows
us to load and unload almost anywhere. We don't have to unhook
the trailer, pull the truck away, and then have to tilt from the
front. Now we can unload three pieces in just 30 minutes. Before,
it took 45 minutes to an hour just to put one or two pieces on an
old detachable trailer. Furthermore, if we were loading a paver,
we'd have to put down blocks to keep the screed from hanging
up on the ramps. If you damage a screed, you can't lay a good
mat, and changing a $1,500 screed takes three mechanics a good five
hours."
The strategy is to back
the paver up the trailer so the screed goes on last. "We try
to protect all of our equipment. We hire people who know how to
move equipment, and we have our own training program. Each new person
gets at least a month's training with an experienced mover
before [they go] on the road alone."
The training program
has helped this contractor win an award for more than 2 million
man-hours without an accident. Mann reports that the firm does a
lot of private work–with small lots taking just 250-500 tons
of material, while restaurant parking lots and subdivisions might
need 500-2,000 tons. One project, at the time of interview, involved
8 mi. of Interstate 26 in Asheville, NC.
Mann adds that a sliding
fifth wheel helps drivers get into tight places. "We have a
lot of tight areas, a lot of little bridges to cross. Sliding axles
2 feet closer together on a 51-foot lowboy changes the turning radius."
Safety also is a concern
when they select their tractors. "We have the new Mack 2000
with antilock braking systems, just as we do with our trailers.
When we hit wet weather, the driver has better control. There are
no lock-ups, slides, or jackknifes, which can happen with a regular
braking system."
Their newest Mack has
an eight-speed, with low-low, transmission that Mann reports is
ideal for getting into hilly areas. "The transmission keeps
the speed down and keeps us from overrevving the truck. The Jake
Brake, which is something we have on all of our trucks, helps us
avoid overheating the brakes."
A Look at Liquid Loads
Rare in some areas, pumping
and dredging equipment can be part of a contract in others. Hal
Reigi, owner of Dyna-Vac Equipment in Floyd, NY, states that their
trailer-mounted equipment is sized for the contractor's need. "We
just built a unit for a company that wanted to do jetting because
of utility lines. We designed the piece so the components could
immediately evacuate the water used in jetting so they could see
what they were doing. High-pressure water and vacuum is a nondestructive
means of digging around utility lines."
Tim Russell, building
inspector for the Town of Marcy, NY, which maintains 80 mi. of sewer
line, says, "We have a Dyna-Vac Sewer Vacuum trailer with a
1,000-gallon carbon steel vacuum tank and a 15-foot extendible boom.
We've been able to vacuum as much as 25 feet deep because the
machine has a pump strong enough to pull that distance. It's
too cold here in the Utica area to use it in winter, but we expect
we'll keep it busy from March to November. It sure beats using
buckets on our nine pump stations and 42 grinder pump stations."
What About the Future?
Even when the economy
lags, successful manufacturers and contractors continue to improve
their products and their performance. In his 33 years in the construction
industry, Marvin Odegaard, sales manager for Trail King Inc. in
Mitchell, SD, has seen a number of ups and downs. "What I've
been seeing while traveling this past year is that the housing industry
has grown. The road-repair and new-highway industry has really been
strong. I think it will continue to be strong so long as the federal
government doesn't take highway money to do something else.
Despite all the talk about a recession, our sales to the construction
industry were up for 2001."
As with other manufacturers,
he attributes some of that success to the work to make a stronger,
lighter trailer, improving all elements from the metal to the paint.
"We've gone to a two-component polyurethane primer and
paint [Four Seasons] as standard. Enamel paint was a constant headache
and gave contractors just six months to two years before it started
to fade or peel. With polyurethane, you're looking at three
to five years before the need to repaint."
The company also has
changed woods for the decking, going from oak to apitong, a tropical
hardwood from Malaysia. The newcomer wood is knot-free and stronger
than oak. "We've also lightened up our belly dumps by
1,500 to 2,000 pounds, thanks to going to higher tensile-strength
material [120,000 and 130,000 psi in addition to the more traditional
80,000 and 100,000 psi]. For the paving industry, we've gone
to a tapered beam design with our hydraulic, detachable gooseneck
trailers. The taper goes from 16 inches by the wheels down to 8
inches at the front. This eliminates carrying a bunch of boards
to lay out in front of a trailer so you can get a paver on or off."
Trail King's Red
River Live-Bottom asphalt trailers have had some in-house modifications
that provide for a longer belt life. "Under normal applications,
we expect eight to 12 years without any chain failures."
Today's users of
any equipment–whether bought or rented–expect that piece
to stay on the job or in the fleet for years to come. By meeting
the physical challenges involved with excavation and contracting
by upgrading the equipment line, both individuals and companies
can focus more closely on taking care of their customers.
Joseph Lynn Tilton
is a frequent contributor to Forester Communications publications.
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