Q:  WHY A CHAIN DRIVE INSTEAD OF A DUMP?

A:  A chain drive offers a variety of improvements over a dump. The first being that it is much less likely to go over due to the fact that nothing is being lifted. The insurance companies therefore tend to have less problems with the liability for a chain drive than for a dump. They can unload into a bagger, yet they unload just as quickly as a dump into a pit if need be. A dump restricts you as to which chassis it can be mounted on, whereas a chain drive can be mounted on any type of suspension.

Q:  HOW FAST DOES A CHAIN DRIVE UNLOAD?

A: It is our experience that the customer wants to unload as fast as possible and get that truck back into the field for another load. Therefore, by design, the do unload quickly. An extreme example is a 30' Semi that the customer put on a 36 GPM pump because he thought his PTO was only 80% of engine speed. He later found out that it was a 2 speed PTO and in the second speed was 144%, so he is therefore unloading that semi in approximately 50 seconds. But on average, most of the trailers unload in about a minute and a half, and the truck bodies in about a minute.

Q:  DO YOU HAVE ANY USED SIDE DUMPS FOR SALE?

A:  It is a very rare occasion that we have used side dumps for sale and when we do get them, they usually go fast. The used DANCO side dumps that have been sold have held their value very well. Many times selling 10 years later for the price they were originally purchased for new.

Q:  WHAT TYPE OF HYDRAULIC CYLINDER TO YOU USE?

A:  Our current hydraulic cylinders are manufactured by Hydrolico, in past they were manufactured by Del Hydraulic Cylinder and Edbro Hydraulic Cylinder, all which have interchangeable parts. Their main claim to fame is the fact that they are internally cup sealed. What this means is that there is not an O-ring or Chevron type seal that the ram sits on while in the down position. Since when a side dump is down the rams sit at a slight angle where just their own weight could rest on another type of seal causing a flat spot. They are not a highly polished cylinder and some might even consider them crude, but their polished surface is on the inside where the cup seal rides. Therefore, in dirty conditions where most side dumps are used, if you were to score the outside of the cylinder it would not harm them in any way.

Q:  HOW LONG ARE THE SIDE DUMP CYLINDERS?

A: The cylinders are 29 1/2' closed pin center to closed pin center and have 65" of stroke.

Q:  WHY DO WE SANDBLAST BEFORE PAINTING?

A: We sandblast everything before painting to cause a better adhesion of the paint to the metal. You could hand sand, but the labor takes just about as long and you can never get into all of the crevices as well. We therefore do not primer the metal. We have had paint companies come in and want us to try their method of preparation, so we would do a test. On one piece of metal we would sandblast and paint as usual, and on another we would prep the surface however they required, usually handsanding, then primering, then painting. Those companies would then take both samples to do twist type tests to see which paint job adhered the best. We have as yet never heard back from any of those companies. This tells us that our sandblasted sample held up better.

Q:  HOW LONG ARE YOUR CHAIN DRIVE SEMI'S?

A: We originally started out building them 28 1/2' long so that they could be pulled in doubles if need be. That didn't seem to happen, so customers began requesting 30'. Now, after these trailers have been in the field where customers originally thought that they were too big, they are finding that they are doing the job very well and we seem to be building quite a few 32' long trailers. Basically, because of the federal bridge laws, the longer they are, the more load they can carry legally. But there is a happy medium for being long enough to legally carry a large load, and for being able to make the tight turns in the field.