Straightening a slightly twisted dump truck bed?

[KYErik]

I picked up a load of gravel yesterday at the quarry with my 1961 Chevy C60 (2 ton). It has a 12.5 foot by 7.5 foot grain bed (tongue and groove wood floor, metal sides).

I told the loader driver I wanted 5 tons, but he gives me a whole scoop (this is a HUGE loader with a bucket that is 10 feet wide) and he dumps it off center more on the passenger side. When he dumped, (from my seat in the cab) I saw the passenger front corner of the bed drop about 3-4 inches and then rise again as he backed up and poured more to the center.

He ended up giving me 6.5 tons, but anyway, when I get home and start to dump, as I raise the bed it starts to twist (single central hoist cylinder). The passenger side (still loaded more heavily than the drivers side) was raising less than the drivers side.

I just raised it about halfway and then I used my backhoe to pull the gravel down and out. And now the bed will twist only slightly when raised (empty) hardly noticeable compared to the amount it was twisting when it was loaded. However, when the bed is completely lowered, the driver's side front corner is still about 1 inch from hitting the truck frame, but my 220 pounds of weight can briefly pull it down to touching if I bounce on it.

No metal is obviously bent or broken, it just must be slightly sprung.


So here are my questions:

1. Should I even attempt to straighten it?

2. If so, how?

I thought about chaining the front corner of the driver's side of the bed to the truck frame and then slowly raising the hoist.

Or using a come along to pull down on the drivers side when the bed is half raised (and blocked for safety).

Or using the backhoe loader to pull down on the drivers corner when the bed is slightly raised

Or going back to the quarry and telling them to load me heavy on the drivers side this time so hopefully it will even out

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[john_bud]

I vote for either not making an attempt hoping that it will relax with time and use.


jb

 

[LK3054KIOTI]

Hello I Have a 1960 C-60 with a 13 foot scissor lift hoist also. I have this problem too. I just dont worry about it and next time I get dirt/gravel it either twist back the other way or doesn't make a diffrence or the next time the other side might be up, I gave up on the aggervation of worrieng about it , I have hills to contend with that gets it all twisted up,(dumping crosswise on a hill) , I am more concerned with my clutch not disengaging or getting the old widow maker wheels worked on than the bed to sit flat

 

[hdbikercouple]

wow i think the quarry should be told. our the local quarry will not let you leave if you are over loaded. and if you wanted 2 ton and they gave you 6.5 i hope you did not pay for more then you ask for the 4.5 that you did not ask for .

 

[KYErik]

wow i think the quarry should be told. our the local quarry will not let you leave if you are over loaded. and if you wanted 2 ton and they gave you 6.5 i hope you did not pay for more then you ask for the 4.5 that you did not ask for .

Good point- actually I saw a dump truck there dumping off a little rock in teh quarry lot and then reweighing so I suppose that is an option, BUT with my grain bed, I just stake in a short back "gate" and then remove the back when I get home. I have to unload gravel from around the back before I can remove it- this would be way too much trouble to do at the quarry to reduce my weight.

I was 3/4 ton over my truck's max gross weight so I was sweating a little bit on the way home hoping I wouldn't be stopped by the police. I think next time I will ask for 3 tons and if they give me 2 tons extra, it won't be so bad.

 

[KYErik]

Hello I Have a 1960 C-60 with a 13 foot scissor lift hoist also. I have this problem too. I just dont worry about it and next time I get dirt/gravel it either twist back the other way or doesn't make a diffrence or the next time the other side might be up, I gave up on the aggervation of worrieng about it , I have hills to contend with that gets it all twisted up,(dumping crosswise on a hill) , I am more concerned with my clutch not disengaging or getting the old widow maker wheels worked on than the bed to sit flat

It sounds like we have pretty much the same truck- how many tons of gravel do you usually haul per load?

 

[wushaw]

That's the problem with tall sides, the loader operator is used to loading commerical trailers/trucks all day that are designed to carry to the top of the sides and then someone brings in a light duty dump with tall sides and the operator just dumps a bucket full in it.

 

[KYErik]

That's the problem with tall sides, the loader operator is used to loading commerical trailers/trucks all day that are designed to carry to the top of the sides and then someone brings in a light duty dump with tall sides and the operator just dumps a bucket full in it.

Yeah- that is probably part of it. I suppose that being the loader driver, its hard for him to judge how much he gets in the scoop when he drives into the pile and its also impossible for him to know how much he actually loaded into the truck since he has no direct connection the to guy that weighs the trucks afterwards.

I think next time I'll tell him to pour the big scoop in slowly and centered and I'll tell him when to stop dumping.

 

[KSopocy]

I would leave well enough alone. Possibly place a few hundred pounds in the front driver side corner and let it set. If only one inch of the frame it may relax back with the weight just sitting in the bed.

As for getting 6.5 tons instead of 5 tons, I am sure you paid for it, because that is how gravel is sold. I suggest that next tine you go to get gravel, get out of the truck and step up to watch as the guy running the loader is getting ready to dump into your truck. A few hand signals can help him tremendously. (No universal sign language though )

And with that big of end loader, it is difficult to dump the first of the load slowly. Been there done that.

 

[Dirthog]

You could try and chain the bed to the frame and rase it but all the more it is out not worth the trouble It will spring back on its own I would NOT get out of your truck in the quarry in Pa. that will get you at best run off the property and worst case a Large fine it starts at $10,000 unless you have hardhat steel toe shoes and the required safety courses ( 40 hr plus 8 hr. refesher every year) And the fine is Yours to pay the Quarry owner will have one of his own to take care off.