40' HOPPER

Nov 28, 2014 at 10:15 AM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. Does anybody run a 40' long hopper OTR? Just wanting to confirm bridge will be ok with a 229'' wheelbase tractor.

Replied on Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 04:33 PM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. Yes, I'm trying a 40' x 96" hopper right now. We pull KS, OK, NE, and SD with it. If you look in the front of the Rand McNally Truck Atlas there is a chart with Federal Bridge Regulations. The chart didn't do me much good to determine where I needed to be, but if you look below the chart there is a formula. Using that formula I'm able to pull a 40' hopper with a 240" wb truck completely legal. The wheel base of the truck really has no difference if you are using that formula and as long as that formula is accepted by DOT because I used the length from the tractor tandems to the trailer tandems (4 axles). You won't pick up any space necessarily between both sets of tandems by going up to a 260" wb. Kind of confusing but I'm running this 40' and liking the empty weight and haven't ran into a problem yet! Good Luck

Replied on Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 04:33 PM CST

Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.

Yes, I'm trying a 40' x 96" hopper right now. We pull KS, OK, NE, and SD with it. If you look in the front of the Rand McNally Truck Atlas there is a chart with Federal Bridge Regulations. The chart didn't do me much good to determine where I needed to be, but if you look below the chart there is a formula. Using that formula I'm able to pull a 40' hopper with a 240" wb truck completely legal. The wheel base of the truck really has no difference if you are using that formula and as long as that formula is accepted by DOT because I used the length from the tractor tandems to the trailer tandems (4 axles). You won't pick up any space necessarily between both sets of tandems by going up to a 260" wb. Kind of confusing but I'm running this 40' and liking the empty weight and haven't ran into a problem yet! Good Luck

Replied on Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 05:53 PM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. Measure your inner bridge, center of front drive to center of rear trailer axle. If you have 36' or more you are legal for 80000# fed bridge.

Replied on Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 09:15 AM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. Trailer has to be 42' to legally bridge 80,000 lbs

Replied on Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 09:16 AM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. At least in Nebraska anyway.

Replied on Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 09:38 AM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. I would like to know where this is stated? Please inform me. Apparently, I didn't see this in my research.

Replied on Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 10:11 AM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. You may be able to make the inner bridge with a shallow pin setting on a 40ft. But your fifth wheel will be all the way back not being able to get 12000lbs on your steers. You need at least 42ft to achieve being leagle on your axels. Unless you have a tridum.

Replied on Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 12:39 PM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. http://scloggers.com/Documents/Transportation/SCTPA%20Federal%20Bridge%20Formula%20pdf.pdf

Replied on Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 11:29 PM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. how do all the 39 and 40 foot end dumps make it work?

Replied on Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 06:08 AM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. My 39' East dump has a 20" pin and I measure 36'7" on the inner bridge with my kingpin splitting the drives. My Pete has a 280" wheelbase and I get more than 12k on the steers when at 34k on the drives.

Replied on Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 09:20 AM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. so if u had a short wheelbase it wouldn't work?

Replied on Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 11:21 AM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. Quote: "how do all the 39 and 40 foot end dumps make it work?" I have heard that if hauling aggregate, they are exempt from the bridge laws. I have a friend pulling for a company and they run the short spread axle trailers you are referring to. If hauling rock, sand, "road materials" they can run 85.5k. Otherwise they can only legally bridge around 78-79k with other products like grain. What gets me is most custom harvesters run the 36-40 tandem trailers loaded to the top, and never get bothered. If we tried to haul "commercially" with short trailers we'd get stopped all the time

Replied on Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 11:21 AM CST

Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.

Quote: "how do all the 39 and 40 foot end dumps make it work?"

I have heard that if hauling aggregate, they are exempt from the bridge laws. I have a friend pulling for a company and they run the short spread axle trailers you are referring to. If hauling rock, sand, "road materials" they can run 85.5k. Otherwise they can only legally bridge around 78-79k with other products like grain. What gets me is most custom harvesters run the 36-40 tandem trailers loaded to the top, and never get bothered. If we tried to haul "commercially" with short trailers we'd get stopped all the time

Replied on Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 11:37 AM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. You only need 51' outer bridge to legal 80000 so you can get by with a 39' trailer with 20" pin and a trractor that is about 180" and be legal. Look in a Motor Carrier road atlas at the bridge law table and you can see what you'll need. If you are near a DOT scalehouse or a CMV office most of the guys are good about educating you on these laws.

Replied on Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 12:49 PM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. That's what I thought that as long as you had 51 feet from center of steer 2 the center of the rear trailer axle nothing else matters otherwise how could all those end dumps be 39 but if that's true why doesn't anyone run a 40 foot hopper everyone seems to run 42 or 43

Replied on Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 12:55 PM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. They can get just a little more capacity. We run 40' and have not had any problems as far as the bridge is concerned. As far as capacity a 42' can haul about 50 bushels more, a 43' about 150 bushels more. Not worth the extra weight, and having to drop the longer trailer on smaller scales. The 40' works the best for us, but that is all upto the individual and their needs.

Replied on Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 12:55 PM CST

Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.

They can get just a little more capacity. We run 40' and have not had any problems as far as the bridge is concerned. As far as capacity a 42' can haul about 50 bushels more, a 43' about 150 bushels more. Not worth the extra weight, and having to drop the longer trailer on smaller scales. The 40' works the best for us, but that is all upto the individual and their needs.

Replied on Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 01:15 PM CST
Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member.	Posted by a private BulkLoads.com member. thanks for replies.