Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/452309
AGGREGATES MANAGER February 2015 30 customizable tailgate for any truck body. Then, find a tailgate that lifts instead of drops down for maximum efficiency. A dropdown tailgate is sometimes slower when opening and closing and is more susceptible to damage from the dumped materials. These designs often rely on pins or hydraulic systems, and when there are more grease points, cylinders, and joints, the risk of failure increases. They might seem like quick, economical solutions, but dropdown tailgates end up costing more for repairs and replacement in the long run. Ultimately, a lifting, scissor-style tailgate has fewer moving parts so there's less potential maintenance. Also, be sure these few parts are tough enough for the job. A tailgate won't last long if it can't withstand the breadth of material being hauled. Find a tailgate that's built with durable materials, such as high-strength steel, and fea- tures strong components including steel alloy chains and bushings that don't require ongoing lubrication. Customizations to tailgates are also a way to tie them into the truck fleet methodology employed at any site. Truck bodies frequently have sideboards that add height onto the sides for either added volumetric capacity or to keep material within the bed. In this case, having the tailgate built up to the height of the sideboards creates a unified height around the entire bed, as opposed to a high-sided body with a low-sided tailgate. Adding cushion pads to a tailgate will soften the blow when it is raised and lowered in harsh worksite condi- tions. When operations have extreme- ly bouncy haul roads, or when mining underground, the cushion pads minimize noise and increase the tailgate ser- vice life and other truck components. Operations that haul large amounts of wet material arguably need a tailgate more than any other operation that uses off-highway haul trucks. In these applications, a tailgate with a fluidic seal can create a near-perfect seal, resulting in minimal fluid leakage during transport. While it is impos- sible to contain 100 percent of the liquid material, it is not uncommon to decrease wet material spillage by up to 99.5 percent when a truly engineered solution is implemented. Lastly, make sure the tailgate lifts high and fast enough to get out of the way before unloading. The last thing you want is the tailgate to hold back the load during dumping rather than allowing it to flow freely out of the back of the truck body. Fast dumps lead to increased efficiency and productivity. Materials left behind in the bed or stuck in grease points damage hinges and overall structure, and the amount of carryback reduces the volume of the next load. ROI and beyond The return on investment associated with a tailgate is significant, and scissor-style tailgates take it even further. From increased volume and reduced maintenance to fast load dumping and safe operations, an off-highway tailgate quickly pays for itself, even with the average cost between $18,000 to $28,000 — based on the size of haul truck and options chosen. Six, 70-ton-capacity trucks hauling ag- gregates bringing in approximately $7,490 in additional profits per day will start seeing an ROI on the purchase of the six tailgates after 22 days from the volume boost alone, not to mention the additional fuel and tire cost savings associated with the addition of tailgates to a truck fleet. And when it comes to profits, who doesn't want more? AM Josh Swank is the vice president of sales and marketing for Philippi-Hagenbuch. He oversees the mining industry sales group and has been with the company for 12 years. A tailgate optimizes the loading target and equalizes weight distribution while reducing the risk of damage to a truck's frame and suspension system. Quarry managers rely on tailgates to increase load volume and jobsite productivity. EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT