dump trailer tailgate

[tnjind]

I have a tandem axle dump that currently has a tail tailgate that can be used as a ramp or to spread with. This gate sucks! It is very heavy, falls off etc...
This trailer hauls everythig from dirt, concrete,pigs, skidsteer, asphault, firewood...
I am going to build a two piece gate that hinges on the sides. What I am having trouble with is the gate latch style, I have seen a few but don't think they will hold up.Any ideas
Thanks, Tim.

[tnjind]

PLEASE, any ideas. Any ideas are REALLY welcome.

There are lots great people here.

throw some ideas please.


I don't say please often.
thanks.

[tnjind]

I posted again so it would be on top of the stack, I really could use some ideas. Once I do this it needs to be useable. This trailer has paid for itself many fold, but ain' done yet.

[Jim-TX]

I think your question has sparked some interest, however, others must be like me and not really know how to latch (or I should say safely unlatch) a gate in the middle that will have the weight of a load of dirt against it.

[tnjind]

Well thats were I'm at . sides, gate is about 24-32" tall, I may do the solid bar through the heavy plates, or round, as a "dead bolt style. That will hold but opening with wieght against it is my concern.

[Jim-TX]

Can the gate have any sort of framework above it? If so, you might use a cam type system similar to the way rear doors are closed on those 18 wheeler enclosed trailers. You would be able to open it with weight against it, but the top framework might interfere with some of the stuff you haul.

[AnotherDano]

How about a chain binder rig?
Adjustable, replaceable and strong.

Add a standoff where the doors meet so the chain won't be straight across with no strength, and would create in-pressure on them. I can see a heavy chain secured to one side, crossing the standoff (cam) and the binder attached between the end of that chain and a short piece on the opposite side. That would leave the binder to the side of the opening, away from the spill as it cracks the door. It would also give you a safety factor in that the doors would have limited travel when cracked open.

Is that worth 2 cents?

[tnjind]

Chain, binder great idea, hadn't thought of that. But I wonder if it will give enough slack to unhook with dirt,gravel whatever against the doors?

[tnjind]

JIM-TX,
Thanks for the idea, but yeah the upper frame will be in the way of the skidsteer and tractor.

[theclutch92370]

You might want to consider making the gat you have multi-function, open from the side or from the top. You have to have a set of pins in the side as hinges for the side opening(One gate). Remove these pins and install them in either top or bottom hinges for ramp or spreader gate. Would take some looking at, but can be done. Good Luck.

[HMW]

Maybe if the frame for the 2 doors was heavy, they could be pinned at the top, where they meet and the bottom could be pinned together into the deck of the dump. So the only real stress would be at the top pin holding the gates together at the top. If the top rail and pin mechanism was made out of something pretty stout it would hold them together. I have a dump trailer with a gate the pins either at the top or bottom. One piece gate not a door. Usually dirt is not loaded to the top of the gate so with a little effort the pins might still come out. I have no idea how hard the pigs will be on the new gate

Take pics of what you end up doing

We have a dump trailer at work that has doors but its not in the yard at the momemt. I'd take a pic if it was.

[welder_one]

i thought about this one today. why not use electric screw jacks or hydraulic cylindersmounted inside the bed, at the top of the trailer.running alongside the sides. put a cover over them to keep the "trash" off of the actuators. pin them to the doors, and you would have a way to keep the doors closed, open them with weight on them, not have a frame above for the tractor to be able to be set on the trailer, and best of all, you could open the gates as little or as much as you wanted to. and you could set the controls inside the truck and have another on the trailer, that way you could open the tailgates when "feathering" a load of dirt. i have seen something similar used on off-highway dump trucks. if you think this would be a good idea and would like to get an idea of what i am talking about, ask me and i will draw it up for you.

[tnjind]

That is an interesting idea, I like automation. That is one of the things I do at my "regular" job. This application would not be feasible for that. Skidsteer,tractor has 2-3" clearance, also gets loaded from the side by alot of people. This trailer is no longer pretty. But it still gets the job done.
The deck is low to the ground only about 18-24" from the ground. That makes it hard to provide enough swing. I will have to be able to chain the gates to the sides while dumping.
I have hauled, dumped probably about 200-400 different loads, one day 54 loades of dirt 4-5 tons each, It was close about 1/8 mile. I left the gate off then.
This trailer truely hauls alot of different things, no kidding.
The pigs were two pot bellied pigs. Then later the hog for the October hog roast, I shot it in the trailer with the 9mm, just missed the lift cylinder. I didn't think it would pass through the skull. Should have used a .22 but I did not want the hog to suffer. Live and learn.

I am looking for a simple, reliable, way to lock and open the gate. The semi trailer kind idea woudld work if I could utilize a top bar, but I can not.
Please keep passing ideas, ALL are more than welcome.
Thanks to all.
Tim.

[welder_one]

can you post a pic of the trailer so that we can get a better idea of what you are up against?

[swamp donkey]

hey there i hope this might be of some help. Im thinking you might be able to use a 3 door system like the endgates i see on the back of alot of grain trucks. In the first picture is what the back of the box usually looks like. Three doors and two of the doors are hinged together. Where the two doors are hinged together the one on the right stays closed with a latching system similar to what a semi van trailer uses. So with that one closed you can open the middle door to let whatever out and the outer two doors stay closed. Once the stuff is out resonably you can open the two side doors. The middle door has a lip on the left side to seal over the left hand door.
( in the drawing the hinges are represented as red blocks, the latches as blue)

Now i know you said that there cant be top frame work so im thinkin that you could use the semi latching system for the bottom and just leave the top part out of the picture because also on grain trucks there is a somewhat of a gusset as shown in the second picture. Basically all there is, is a pipe welded vertically in the corner of the left and right doors and to somewhere on the side of the box. ( shown as green circles) Then all that is done is a bent bar
(shown in blue) is placed in these pipes. they are held in with pins (shown in red) And these can be taken in and out whenever you need to open the side doors.

I hope this idea may help or at least get some creative juices flowing... sorry everyone but i cant get any pictures cause my old mans grain truck is 3 hours away... so i guess the paint pictures will have to do for now