Dump trailer angle of the dangle

Artisan · Sep 28, 2012

So, I need to figure out how to calc a hydraulic cylinder for
a dump trailer and all the angles so it works. This thing is about 8'
or so long and about 3-4' wide.

The blue is the moving tilting dump bed.

The lower white is the fixed trailer bottom.

The magenta color represents a cylinder w/ a 12" stroke.
The extended and collapsed measurements are per mfg in lenght real time.

If I do it the way I have drawn there is 11* of angle when closed and
45* of angle when open.

Yes, No?

Is 11* enough to initiate a lift?
Is 45* high enough to dump dirt?

I want to use the BH hoses on my BX25 to power this.

How do I calc what size cylinder I need?

davedj1 · Sep 28, 2012

I think when I built my dump trailer I ended up with about 13*, don't quote me on that though. I know I don't dump to 45*, somewhere around 40*. I have dumped it full of wood and no problems.
Mine is 10' long, 5'-8" wide and 2' sides.
I will tell you the more angle of the dangle you can get in the down position the happier you will be. Mine is a low profile so I couldn't get any more, I have a 24" stroke ram.

Stimw · Sep 28, 2012

I have worked on many different types of dump equipment from small dump trucks to large dump trucks to scissor/dump (the kind that the whole platform raises up to roof top level or it will dump) trucks to 38' semi dump trailers.
My best advice and how I would approach it would be to find something similar in size and copy it. There is a lot of geometry involved and it would be much easier to let someone else sort it out.
Some even use compound arms and rollers to go from level to full dump. It always seemed to me that the starting lift would take so much more pressure than 50% on up.

Artisan · Sep 28, 2012

Stim I would if I could I guess...

there must be some formulas regarding this ...

Artisan · Sep 28, 2012

Thanx Dave, I want to try to keep the ground clearance uniform.
I"might" be able to push the upper mount up a tad and perhaps get 13-13*.

Artisan · Sep 28, 2012

I dunno...I hope a seasoned trailer builder sees this and gives
me an opinion. I keep looking at this and it almost seems like I
should go w/ a long stroke and move the cylinder forward.
Additionally in reading I see several guys suggesting that
45* is not enough for sticky dirt, but more like 60* is
better...

I just do not know so I ask !

pat32rf · Sep 28, 2012

Right now my two " dump trailers" consist of homemade ( strong!) utility trailers that get dumped using my FEL.....
I need at least 60deg to get damp dirt to move with either a wood or steel bottom box.
And yes, once you get above 45 deg the force needed drops off quickly. If you have a front cylinder on your box you will start out by lifting 1/2 the weight of the box and its contents....

Hooked_on_HP · Sep 28, 2012

Here is a link to a dump trailer I built a couple of years ago http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/161183-tandem-axle-wagon-build.html . You need at least 60 to 70 deg of angle to get dirt to come out. I am sure a mechanical engineer could tell you exactly how to position your cyl. but that would make things to easy

. I did mine by trial and error. Every thing works great. I can heap it up with dirt untill it is running over all 4 sides and still don't have a problem dumping it.
Bill

swick1 · Sep 28, 2012

I'll send you a spreadsheet on how to do it tomorrow if nobody beats me to it. You can line it with vinyl flooring if you want to dump something sticky.

Basically you want to raise the deck and lower the frame to get a better angle. You can use helper springs too