What are the extra wheels on a cement truck for?

What are the extra wheels on a cement truck for?

The lift axle helps spread the weight of an especially heavy load. Instead of 60,000 pounds of dirt and rocks pressing down on three sets of tires, the load is now pressing down on four sets of tires. The road underneath won’t take such a pounding.

What is additional axle?

Adding an extra axle to a truck allows the truck to carry more load. This modification is common in the construction industry, where dump trucks can quickly reach maximum carrying capacity. If it’s ahead of the tandem, a lift axle is called a “pusher”.

What is the purpose of a pusher axle?

A pusher axle adds stability to the truck’s chassis during cornering and takes some of the weight from the tandem and steering axle but can make it difficult to get the maximum allowable weight on the truck’s front axle.

How does a steerable lift axle work?

Lift axles are also known as “cheater axles,” because unscrupulous truckers raise them or reduce air pressure on them while running loaded. The solution is the steerable lift axle. This type caster steers only when moving forward, so raises automatically when the driver shifts the truck into reverse.

What is a super dump?

A Super Dump is a dump truck equipped with a Strong Arm™ trailing axle, which allows the truck to transform on demand, significantly stretching its overall axle length so that it can carry substantially more weight in compliance with bridge laws (legal vehicle weight limits).

What is a drop axle on truck?

A dropped axle is the axle of a vehicle that is bent upwards towards the ends, i.e. the centre is ‘dropped’.

What is a floating axle?

: a live axle used in a self-propelled vehicle to turn the wheels, the dead weight of the vehicle being carried on the ends of a fixed axle housing or casing.

What is tandem axle?

Tandem Axle Trailers: Like the name implies, a tandem axle trailer has two sets of axles – one right behind the other. The extra tires allow the trailer to carry more weight and to be more stable at high speeds and highway conditions. Bigger payload capacity means more room for whatever you are hauling.

What is the difference between a pusher axle and a tag axle?

“Whereas a tag axle is located behind the drive axles to take some of the weight off the rear drive axles when the vehicle is fully loaded, a pusher axle is positioned in front of the drive axles, adding stability to the chassis during cornering,” Mastroianni says.

Why do dump trucks have floating wheels?

When you load a dump truck with gravel, the weight can easily exceed the per-axle limit, so the extra wheels/axles are lowered to make the truck legal. They are raised at other times to improve gas mileage and eliminate wear on the tires.

What is a steerable axle?

The wheels on self-steer auxiliary axles swivel, allowing them to steer themselves by following the path of least resistance. Because they can remain deployed and load bearing while their wheels articulate, steerable lift axles enable a vehicle to maintain proper load distribution and remain in compliance.

Is a dump truck business profitable?

Payscale estimates that a dump truck owner-operator can earn anywhere between $40,000 – $197,000. The longer one is a dump truck driver, the more likely one is to make a higher salary.

What are the lift axles on a dump truck?

Axle – Wikipedia. Some dump trucks and trailers are configured with lift axles (also known as airlift axles or drop axles), which may be mechanically raised or lowered. The axle is lowered to increase the weight capacity, or to distribute the weight of the cargo over more wheels, for example to cross a weight restricted bridge.

Can a 4 wheel drive vehicle have a full floating axle?

However, if a vehicle is built to do a lot of heavy-duty driving or carry big loads, then it will have a full-floating axle. Some 4-wheel drive vehicles may have a full floating axle in their rear as well.

What are the disadvantages of a full floating axle?

The Top 2 Disadvantages To summarize the disadvantages of using the full floating axle, below are the 2 biggest disadvantages. Expensive – You might wonder why everyone doesn’t just use a full floater axle in their vehicles. A big reason is that they are more expensive than semi floater axles.

What do you call the drop axle on a truck?

A2A in the States, they are referred to as your “drop axle.” certain situations and challenging terrain/hazardous road conditions may require the driver to lower their spare axle, but the primary function of a drop axle is to gross more weight.