Tip It or Walk It Out

Garbage is hauled from the transfer station to the landfill in refuse trailers. These trailers are built either as tipper trailers that empty their load at the landfill using the tipping platform, or they come equipped with a moving floor (unloaders), explains Charlie Benton, product manager, refuse trailers, for East Manufacturing, which produces both types.   

When time is money, trash haulers want to deposit their stash as quickly as possible and get back on the road. Tipping platforms and moving floors accomplish this task and can provide some additional benefits as well, but choosing the right system depends on several factors. 

Tipping platforms reduce the size of the working face of a landfill as well as offloading time. Whether portable or fixed, such a hydraulic tipper generally empties a trailer that has been decoupled from the cab in about half the time it takes to empty a moving floor trailer, resulting in lower operational costs and, thus, increased revenue. This option is effective for wet loads because the trailer’s floor is a flat sheet, welded solidly around the perimeter, making it resistant to leaking, according to Benton. It’s also ideal for heavy loads with big items, where a thicker floor and thicker walls are needed. 

A tipper trailer, or tipping platform transfer trailer, is a hydraulically operated trailer commonly used for high volume or wet loads. Although it comes with a sizeable price tag, it’s generally less expensive, not to mention easier to maintain, than a moving floor trailer. “The primary advantage of a tipper trailer over a moving floor trailer is that it is less expensive to purchase and operate,” Benton states. It’s also typically lighter weight, allowing it to handle more payload per trip. 

A moving floor trailer features parallel slats along the length of the bed that carry trash to the rear of the trailer instead of lifting the trailer to empty it. Benton says the moving floor trailer is ideal for remote locations because it is self-unloading, not dependent on a separate means of unloading. “The primary advantage of the moving floor trailer is it walks the load out to discharge it out the rear of the trailer and doesn’t require the trailer to be raised.” 

Designed for solid waste, a moving floor can be more versatile than the tipper because it operates as a stand-alone trailer; therefore, it’s more likely to acquire backhaul loads. However, Benton mentions, additional hydraulics and a reservoir wet line kit are required on the tractor to operate the floor, which makes each trailer a higher investment and heavier than the tipper trailer.  

How do you choose? 

Size Matters, But Not As Much As Quality 

Choosing a tipper for use at a landfill relies on selecting the correct size, or capacity, for the operation, says James Allen, Technical Development Manager, SSAB Special Steels. In addition to size, durability is a key attribute. “A tipper that weighs less can have a higher capacity, but must be well-constructed of high-quality materials to stand the test of time.” 

Allen believes that an easy way to identify a high-quality tipper is to look for a “Hardox in My Body” sticker. “This sticker indicates that the manufacturer uses the highest quality steel: Hardox wear plate.” He says SSAB works with all the HIMB members to verify they’re using the latest technology in steel development.  

The company even developed two new types of steels suitable for innovative designs in tippers: Hardox 500 Tuf and Hardox HiAce, Allen adds. Hardox 500 Tuf is a 500 Brinell hardness steel that is also workshop-friendly. "It can deliver approximately 30–40% lifetime improvement over a 450 Brinell hardness steel," Allen estimates.  

Hardox HiAce is a 450 Brinell hardness steel that is “great in a higher corrosive environment that generally eats away at carbon steels,” Allen continues. “Using this wear plate can equal and sometimes exceed the lifetime of a tipper produced with stainless steel, but at a much lower cost.” 

A high-quality tipper can be lightweight and high-capacity without sacrificing durability. “When considering a solution for landfills, it’s important to look at the total cost of ownership, not only the upfront investment,” Allen advises. “With the right choice, managers can experience a long-lasting solution that uses less fuel to transport and holds its value over time.” 

Safety First 

While tippers are a capital investment in the improvement of a landfill’s capacity rate, landfill managers should also consider other factors, beginning with safety and followed by speed. Together, those aspects prove the quality of the product, according to Allen Mercer, vice president of sales and business development for Columbia Industries, LLC. In addition to these qualities, he advises judging the responsiveness and reliability of the manufacturer. 

"Columbia tippers incorporate several safety features, such as an environmentally-controlled front-facing operator cab, self-cleaning ramps to prevent trucks from slipping while backing onto the tipper, wheel guides to assist the driver during backing up, and solid structure hoops to hold the trailer in place should something happen during the process," Mercer lists. They also use guardrails on the catwalks since tippers are usually working in high-traffic locations, and they provide dusk-to-dawn lighting to illuminate the area. They even included an optional windsock that provides a visual warning in high-wind areas. 

“Landfills are dangerous places to work, with heavy equipment moving in all directions,” Mercer observes. That’s why he believes it’s critical to move large numbers of trailers through a landfill as safely, quickly, and efficiently as possible. 

Tipping out refuse is one thing, but tipping over is another. A well-engineered tipper with appropriate torsional stiffness should provide stability, and, therefore, safety. Since Columbia tippers are mobile and have self-leveling characteristics, they can be relocated and set up quickly, with minimal downtime. Mercer says that a Columbia tipper can safely tip anywhere between 10–12 trailers in an hour, while still operating in a condensed space. This allows landfills to increase their volume.    

Efficiency 

Productivity isn’t the only advantage of a tipper. Efficiency is also a key asset. When evaluating a tipper’s performance for efficiency and productivity, Jacqueline Gay says it’s necessary to consider the gross vehicle weight, its full load capacity, service life, and how well it lasts in corrosive environments. 

A trailer’s performance adds to or takes away from peak efficiency. Gay believes that using the same efficiency evaluation for steel applications offers opportunities for savings, which leads to improved profitability. Running with optimized equipment from top to bottom provides the highest return on investment. 

“By decreasing weight and using a high-strength steel, like Hardox wear plate, for example, manufacturers can offer a higher payload capacity and lower GVW for improved efficiency,” she elaborates. Moving more material in fewer trips saves fuel and time.  

To maintain strength and wear life while reducing overall weight, manufacturers can offer the lightweight, fuel-saving efficiencies of a design with Hardox wear plate, Gay explains in more detail. They can also boost productivity with less downtime and longer lifespans for landfill equipment by using a material designed for more corrosive applications like Hardox HiAce. 

Gay says SSAB works closely with forward-thinking manufacturers to develop improvements in material flow, tipping speeds, structural designs, and wear patterns through access to technical engineering experts to improve productivity and efficiency.  

Similarly, Columbia uses the latest engine technology to achieve the most fuel-efficient and reduced-emissions units possible. “Our Human Machine Interface Control Module allows operators to continuously monitor operating conditions of the engine, the hydraulics, and the tipping process,” Mercer says. If a problem occurs, the HMI will alert the operator and provide a self-diagnostic code for troubleshooting.   

Columbia has several electric tippers in operation at landfills where the environmental regulations are more restrictive towards diesel-powered equipment. Mercer hopes to see Columbia Industries develop a hybrid or fully battery-driven tipper in the near future. “With the engineering that we have done on our new Horizon, coupled with electric tippers, it is a short put. I am sure that certain areas of the country will lead this kind of requirement sooner rather than later.” 

Versatility and Performance 

"There are three aspects to the tipper's successful operation," Mercer postulates. "The skill set of the driver, the traffic controller, and the properly sized trailer. Each plays a role in the efficiency, safety, and cost of operating a tipper and a landfill successfully." Columbia's portable low-profile landfill tippers are designed to tow over the road easily. A smoother ride could save as much as $100,000 in operating costs the first year. 

However, Keith Eastman, marketing manager for Trinity Trailer, stands firm about the extra expense in time and capital a tipper adds to a landfill operation. “A tipper can ideally be used as a fixture in any operation that is set up to run one product constantly,” he admits, but cautioning that “where a tipper can limit an operation is in versatility. A tipper by nature is a permanent fixture. If an operation is particularly productive, trucks and trailers can end up idling [while] waiting for the tipper to become available.”  

Eastman believes the best option for saving time and money while adding versatility is a Trinity EagleBridge belt trailer. “With an approximate three-minute (or less) unload,” he estimates, there is time saved.  

More time is saved due to less downtime than other live floor trailers, he claims. And because Trinity provides a "clean unload," drivers save time sweeping out the trailer and can stay safely on the ground, out of harm's way. 

The trailer’s ability to flex 18 degrees in both directions over uneven terrain makes unloading fast and safe. According to Eastman, Trinity EagleBridge trailers can be and have been used in landfills, waste, and recycling operations for several decades because they are “built to take the unpredictable.”  

Also, it’s possible to unload multiple trailers at a time with three different unload systems available from Trinity, which offer the ability to haul trash, crushed glass, cardboard, fly ash, auto fluff, wood chips, mulch, gravel, sand, compost, and much more. “There’s your versatility,” he states.  

Smooth-Sided Strength 

No matter which type of trailer an operator prefers, strength and durability are important. “East Genesis refuse trailers meet the increasing customer demand for smooth-sided refuse trailers,” Benton says. The aerodynamic design consists of unique two-inch-thick, double-wall extruded aluminum panels, robotically welded vertically inside and out for superior strength, resistance to side bowing, and to protect the outer wall from dents. Vertical panels are lighter than competitive horizontal-panel systems, resist bowing better, and reduce maintenance costs. In addition to maximum strength, welding inside and out reduces corrosion from road salt penetration.  

Benton further describes the construction behind the strength of their trailers: Advanced wall-to-floor construction secures the critical point for trailer strength—the welded union of cross members, floor plates, and sidewalls. For a super-strong floor-to-wall attachment joint, cross members and floor plates interlock into the bottom rub rail, forming a pocket to accept the sidewall panels. “The three-inch spacing of interior panel ribs give eight times more wall support than external posts positioned every 25 inches, and the inside walls stay flatter, resulting in longer life.”  

East offers optional thicker aluminum in high-wear areas like the inside last eight feet of the trailer. East Genesis refuse trailers are aerodynamic and easy to clean, Benton adds, with smooth-sided walls that don’t show “pings and dings” on the outside like traditional external post-style walls.  

However, if a traditional sheet-and-post trailer fits a customer’s application, East offers an advantage in its welding process. “Maximum-strength sidewalls are thicker than most competitive models,” Benton reveals, “and posts are continuously welded for greater durability.”     

Side posts are welded directly to the bottom rail. Then, dirt-shedding wedge plates are added for maximum attachment integrity with the bottom rail. A full-length boxed top rail interlocks with the sidewalls and side points, which prohibits the sidewalls from deflecting.  

All outside joints are continuously welded for greater load-bearing strength and durability. Stronger 5 1/4-inch extruded I-beam floor cross members offer 30% more bending resistance than the 4-inch cross members used by competitors, Benton concludes. 

Furthermore, Genesis increased the width of East’s refuse trailer by 4 inches, which granted up to 5 cubic yards of extra payload. 

A high-quality trailer is essential to every trash-hauling company. Selecting the right one for the application can be a complicated algorithm to solve, with so many options and features from which to choose.