Belly Dump Loading and Tarping Question

I'm installing an electric flip tarp on my belly dump trailer. With all the construction here in Colorado, I'm hoping to find some work with it.

I have an old Fruehauf double hopper belly.

I see a lot of belly dump trailers have wooden forms at the top of the hoppers. My trailer doesn't. I have loaded 25 tons of crushed asphalt without overflowing. But as I'm adding a new tarp system, now is a good time to add wooden forms at the top.

Do any of you more experienced dump trailer operators think there is a benefit of adding forms at the top of the hopper?

I included a couple of photos so you can see what my trailer looks like.

I think a lot of trailers where built to have the forms added at the top. Mine wasn't. The top edge of my trailer is kind of tappered

Thank you

 

I expect to haul a lot of dirt and aggregate. Hoping to find work with some of the gravel pits around here. Only problem is that there are some big fleets here that have day cab trucks with brand new belly dumps which I bet are lightweight.

Its been a while since I scaled loads in this trailer but I know I was about 85,000/86,000 lbs with crushed asphault and still had some room. That was about 50,000/51,000 lbs of material. I think I weight 35,000 empty.

 

Thanks for your input everyone!

I've never done belly dump work for hire. I bought this trailer a few years ago for a large driveway job that I did in a rural area. It was the same cost to buy a trailer and haul it myself VS paying the have the agregate hauled in.

Just want to make sure I'm all set up right to start working.