Pneumatic Tanks. Any advise?

I did this for 3-4 months and it was not my cup of tea. I imagine if the company had better equipment then it would not have been as bad.

Things I learned that I can pass on - keep a supply of rubber hose seals, a spare heat plug, and maybe a spare hose lock or two if they happen to break off.

Also check your air lines, if one has even a small leak in it, you will have trouble building pressure.

Also, when you have to get your tank washed, make sure it is dry before you load the next product, or it can clump up and cause a lot of hell for you.
In warm weather this is not a big deal because you can open up a hatch or two while driving and let it air out, otherwise, you'd have to dry it by blowing air through the tank for a while.

Be careful with soda ash, because that crap can burn your eyes. In fact, I'd just make it a habit to wear goggles at all times. All that dust from any load can get into your eyes and irritate them. Once, I had a seal go up while unloaded cement into a small silo. -5 degrees and windy as all get out. I had a roll of duct tape that I used to try and cover up the air leak in the seal, did not do very well. I got cement into my eyes to the point where they were almost cemented shut. And I had to drive like that until I got to the Petro 45 miles away. It was hell.

I only got paid 34cpm for this job, and I don't think I'd EVER do it again for anything less than $2,000 a week with good equipment. But that is just me, that is what I'd have to be offered to go into this field again.

But then again, some people do love doing this type of work and wouldn't do anything else. It just wasn't for me.

The good thing about it is that there is rarely any kind of waiting time to unload. You really don't have to wait for one truck to leave the dock so you can dock. You pull up to the silo, or pit, do your thing, and once you're done, have the bill signed and then you go.

One more thing - if your truck has a gauge that tells you the air pressure on your air bags, this will help when you're being loaded, so you can get a real good idea when you're close to 80k gross, if you're not being loaded on a scale.

Good luck, have fun!

 

Living in Newbern you must be going to work for the company I work for, if so you probably will be going with a guy that hauls silica sand to Clarksville. It will be easy to learn and that stuff comes of pretty quick[less than an hour]. Once done there if you go otr then you will be hauling a lot of clay, lime, talc and some sand, but mostly clay. You will be looking at about and hour and a half unloading time on the clay. You will get the hang of it pretty quick and I look for you to be with the guy for 1 week, then you will be on your own. Well you may follow somebody for a trip or 2, but you will be in your own truck. Is the company is Gleason?

 

Figure out what works for you procedure wise,then follow it everytime.

Don't be one of those guys who sits in the truck,check pressure walk around truck and learn your valves.

You're getting alot of good advice here from the others.

Read it,learn it,live it.

Good Luck!

 

Pneumatics in general:
1. The way to check your product level in the trailer is to beat on the side of the trailer with a rubber mallet. Use ONLY a rubber mallet. Never hit a pressurized tank with a metal hammer - the tank can explode. We had a driver die in a trailer explosion, because he hit the trailer with a metal hammer.
2. Pay attention to your tank pressure. Keep it between 12 and 15 PSI (no more than 12 if unloading "dolo").
3. Only use the minimum amount of jet line pressure that you need to avoid "plugging up."
4. If you don't use enough pressure in the jet line (discharge line), the product will stop flowing, and you will have "plugged up." Ask your trainer to teach you how to suck a plug back into the trailer. If he doesn't know how, PM me and I'll explain it to you. Dropping the jet line really sucks, its messy, and the customer doesn't want to lose that product.
5. Keep your discharge hose as short and straight as possible. This will shorten your unload time.
6. Blowers are loud, even with a muffler - use hearing protection. I didn't, for 5 years, and now I'm borderline legally deaf in my left ear.
7. The heat from the blower will cause the gaskets in your "hot hose" (the hose that connects the blower to the trailer piping) to get brittle and crack. Replace them once a month, or they will leak.
8. Always carry spare gaskets.
9. If the camlock ears don't want to close, don't hit them with a hammer, or they will break (they're made of soft brass or aluminum). Instead, push the ear closed with your hand. At the same time, hit the opposite side of the fitting with your hammer.
10. When you finish unloading and are done with the cleanout, leave all the product valves open, and stop the blower. Let the tank pressure escape through the jetline; don't open the blowdown until tank pressure reaches zero. This will prevent dust from kicking up under the blowdown line, helping you stay clean, and the customer will appreciate it.
11. Carry a boxcutter, a 5/16ths nut driver (or flathead screwdriver), and extra hose clamps. You'll need them if you have to repair a hose.
12. When you pull your hose out of the hose tube, don't let the fitting on the forward end fall to the ground. The fitting will become out-of-round (egg-shaped), and that will make it harder to connect, and/or more likely to leak.
13. Carry a wire brush, and use it on the customer's fitting before you connect your hose. Product tends to build up in the camlock groove, and on the face of the fitting where it seats against the gasket.
14. If you're unloading lime, cement, or fly ash, and it leaks a little from the camlock opening, pour a little water into the leak. It'll stop.
15. When one pod goes empty, the aerators will get louder. As soon as this happens, open the next pod, then close the empty pod as soon as tank pressure starts to drop. This will help keep the product flowing, and help prevent you from having to pressure back up.

Lime:
1. Take a big jug of white vinegar with you. Lime is activated by moisture. If you get it on you, and you start to sweat, it will burn you. Pour the vinegar on, and it will neutralize the lime. And I second Bullhaulerswife's suggestion of rubber boots.
2. Be aware that lime will abrade your hoses from the inside. Always watch for bubbles in the hose, and always carry a spare hose.
3. If you're hauling heavy product (pebble or crushed quicklime, cement, fly ash), use the aerators. This will cause the product to flow down into the product valve. If you're hauling light, fluffy product (like hydrated quicklime), use top air instead. This will push the product down into the product valve.

 

That's some good info there RockinChair.

I always forget about the hearing protection,go figure got muffs on my hard hat.

 

Any advise on how to get good at sand hauling ?

 

That is some great advice, I think the only think I would add is the way I use to know when your trailer is empty.

When your trailer is almost empty stand on the hose so you can feel the product moving through it. Once you dont feel anything and the hose collapses under your weight you know it is empty. You can't tell by the tank pressure or the banging on the sides when it is completely empty. I always swing the bottom air line open and closed a few times to allow things to settle and fall out at the end and give full air to the discharge to push the last of hte product up the pipe so you don't leave a plug for the next guy.

As for unplugging there are two ways I know. The first is, just run all of your air through the product line to see if you can force the plug out. It can help to pound on the hose with a hammer if you know where the clog is.
The other is to use negative pressure to try to pull product back towards the trailer and loosen the clog. You run air down the product discharge line with your product valve closed and your blowdown relief valve open, so that there is no pressure in the tank. Then open the product valve, this will make the trailer jump as it sucks some product and air into it. If you do this a few time it should hopefully get the clog to loosen and coupled with the constant air should allow for the back up to clear out.

I will repeat it as well. Use hearing protection. You will regret it in a week if you don't. I have been not even close to the blower for less than 5 minutes and can hear my ears ringing when I am meeting with a driver. Spend some money, get hearing protection you like, if its custom fit ear plugs, disposable ear plugs or ear muffs.

 

Been hauling lime for about 5 months now so of course I'm still learning but here is what I've discovered so far:

Although all the tanks operate on the same principle, each tank is different. Ideally you are with an outfit that keeps the tractor and trailer together.

I try to keep my line pressure and tank pressure about even. Too much of either and you are looking at a clog.

My tank is a three-hopper. I will unload starting with the middle, then the rear, then the front hopper. I use the bottom aerators normally, but will top air for the final clean out.

Short hoses are fine but I normally use a 20' hose without any problems. Avoid sharp bends and kinks.

Occasionally I will do a bottom dump. When you do, wear your respirator as it gets very dusty.

Let your blower cool down some before shutting it off.

With a bit of practice you should be able to unload 52,000 # of lime in about 90 minutes.

I really like pneumatics. Way, way better than hauling freight or produce. Quick loading and unloading, rarely any excessive waiting and I'm home every other night. Some of our drivers are home every night.

Good luck.

 

LOL ! I used to open all three at once. Just to see if I could manage it. Bored , mostly. You'll get there . I plugged one up once. What a thrill. To see a 55,000 lb trailer jumping up an down . LOL !