Yet another slightly offbeat assignment...

[Defective]

Actually, this design DOES use 2 of the sheets full size & uncut. They are spaced about as wide as the hole you're filling.

My reasoning for the design I basically pulled from my butt as I typed...

The overall shape at the top matches up fairly well with the shape of a FEL bucket.

The depth (full sheet to full sheet) matches the hole you're filling.

The smaller ply pieces are angled from the width of the hole (at bottom) to 8' apart (at top). This creates the funnel.

You could also play around with the shape of the 2 smaller pieces of ply & maybe widen the opening at the top. You'd have to do something to stabilize it when it's sitting over the hole then. hhhmmm... Probably have to stabilize it anywho...

The overall shape of the whole thing lends itself well to transport. Just put the FEL over top & throw a rope on each end. It'll also sit on your trailer fairly well for transport to the job site.

As far as nailing vs. screwing...

Most of the stress this thing will take is going to be trying to push the ply away from the 2x2 framing on the sloped sides. In my experience, nails will pull out. Drywall screws have almost no shear strength but lots of pull resistance. Plus...they're cheap enough to put one every couple of inches if you like.

One added benefit of screws over nails is that you can pull it apart for design adjustments on site. Just make sure your drill batteries are charged.

I'm still trying to think up an effective yet simple method to brace this thing so it doesn't flop over onto a flat side. So far picturing another sheet of ply cut corner-to-corner and attached to the ends with 4 4' lengths of 2x2. hhhmmm... I think this would work...

 

[Defective]

Darnit!

Now I have this funnel all worked out in my head, I need an excuse to make one. I'll bet it only takes an hour...

 

[Dougster]

I don't know if this would work in your situation, but I have seen concrete mixers deliver sand. would a mixer with a 20 ft chute reach the manholes?

Thought you were talking about one of these for a mnute there... a motorized wheelbarrow often used for delivering concrete:

Never seen an actual concrete mixer truck just delivering sand... but with a long enough, steep enough chute; yes, I suppose it would work.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Actually, this design DOES use 2 of the sheets full size & uncut. They are spaced about as wide as the hole you're filling.
My reasoning for the design I basically pulled from my butt as I typed...
The overall shape at the top matches up fairly well with the shape of a FEL bucket.
The depth (full sheet to full sheet) matches the hole you're filling.
The smaller ply pieces are angled from the width of the hole (at bottom) to 8' apart (at top). This creates the funnel.
You could also play around with the shape of the 2 smaller pieces of ply & maybe widen the opening at the top. You'd have to do something to stabilize it when it's sitting over the hole then. hhhmmm... Probably have to stabilize it anywho...
The overall shape of the whole thing lends itself well to transport. Just put the FEL over top & throw a rope on each end. It'll also sit on your trailer fairly well for transport to the job site.
As far as nailing vs. screwing...
Most of the stress this thing will take is going to be trying to push the ply away from the 2x2 framing on the sloped sides. In my experience, nails will pull out. Drywall screws have almost no shear strength but lots of pull resistance. Plus...they're cheap enough to put one every couple of inches if you like.
One added benefit of screws over nails is that you can pull it apart for design adjustments on site. Just make sure your drill batteries are charged.
I'm still trying to think up an effective yet simple method to brace this thing so it doesn't flop over onto a flat side. So far picturing another sheet of ply cut corner-to-corner and attached to the ends with 4 4' lengths of 2x2. hhhmmm... I think this would work...

Darnit! Now I have this funnel all worked out in my head, I need an excuse to make one. I'll bet it only takes an hour...

There is never an AutoCad station around when you need to use one!

Just remember two of the key rules of successful bin design: Keep the sides as steep as possible... and NEVER taper where you don't have to. In this regard, I don't believe I'd want to taper in the (tractor) axial direction... just the lateral direction to accommodate the 78" wide bucket. Remember that I can feed the funnel VERY slowly... so there is no real need for extra depth (i.e., width between the sheets).

Dougster

 

[schmism]

dont you have these things in your area?

its a live bottom truck with like 30' of conveyor on the back to deposit material "on location" so there is no need to move it again.

they use them for delivering gravel and stuff inside basements and such.


If it was me id rig up a metal 3 sided funnel that was on my bucket. it would flip up out of the way when i scoop in my dump trailer, but then i could flip it down (hindgeed on the top of the bucket) to dump sand in the hole.

 

[Dougster]

dont you have these things in your area?

its a live bottom truck with like 30' of conveyor on the back to deposit material "on location" so there is no need to move it again. they use them for delivering gravel and stuff inside basements and such.

Oh Lordy!!! Never seen one like that around here... but it doesn't mean they aren't out there somewhere!!! Mama Mia!!!

We really need to get back down to earth here with the most practical & economical way to get sand out of a remote dump trailer... transported a short distance (~300 feet)... and deposited into a series of manholes... all while spilling as little as possible. All other solutions including cement trucks and 12-axle mega-monster-trucks are not going to happen due to economics, the relatively tight working space around these manholes and abutter issues (property access, fence removals and curbing/median strip to jump) which the client simply does not wish to broach. As I said before, this is very likely why he is calling little old me!!!

The plywood funnel clearly fits the bill best... although I'd sure like to use that stump bucket if there were an easy way to channel the sand coming out of the dump trailer to a one or two foot wide stream without $600 worth of steel modifications.

And please no more suggestions of manual shoveling. I abhor bringing it up again... it embarrasses me... but I am physically handicapped since birth (some would say mentally handicapped too) and I'm simply not going to shovel 30,000 lbs of sand with my one good arm.

Dougster

 

[philbuilt]

Dougster,
Call the concrete company and order just the sand. (10yds one load)It will come out of the truck dry. Buy the small bucket and have the driver pour it in the bucket. I have had crushed stone delivered this way to put drainage in a basement. The sand will cost a little more but time will make that up.
Phil

 

[Toiyabe]

Yeah, but then the mixer truck is going to have to sit there all day while Dougster shuttles pissant little loads around. If he's halfway smart he'll make Dougster pay for that.

Seems like with the funnel the client will be happy and Dougster will make a reasonable profit. What more could you want?

 

[LarryD]

So how much money you want to spend on this job?

Berlon: Sand Shooter

 

[Dougster]

Dougster, Call the concrete company and order just the sand. (10yds one load) It will come out of the truck dry. Buy the small bucket and have the driver pour it in the bucket. I have had crushed stone delivered this way to put drainage in a basement. The sand will cost a little more but time will make that up.
Phil

I'll check it out Phil. Nothing to lose. The guy at the equipment rental place had nothing I could use and essentially told me he thought I should do the same thing... but if you knew how low I bid this job, you'd really feel sorry for me.

Dougster