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Unloading steel track Ex on a 2 laner?

fastline

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2011
Messages
1,104
Location
OK
Looking at a piddly job and appears I will either have to decline due to a lack of access, or consider dropping on a 2 lane paved road. It would be considered a highway but not really a busy one.

Because I have never had to do this, I am curious what you guys think? Obviously done plenty in a pinch but we are already over width, then you get the wound up soccer moms that will just drive right to their death. Do you request police assist? Any other ideas?
 

Tones

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
3,062
Location
Ubique
Occupation
Ex land clearing contractor, part-time retired
I've unloaded on paved roads plenty of times. Being careful, no sharp turns etc =no damage and cold pavement is best so early morning unloaded and early morning to load.
 

fastline

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2011
Messages
1,104
Location
OK
can you jump it off the side of the lowboy? that goes pretty quick.
Trucker won't allow that on his trailer, nor do I want the stress. If we are offloading on a highway, there is little difference in just disconnecting. To get access to the dig site, we can get there, it is the lack of turn around that is at issue. I'm not going to force him to back 1000ft through a neighborhood.
 

fastline

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2011
Messages
1,104
Location
OK
I've unloaded on paved roads plenty of times. Being careful, no sharp turns etc =no damage and cold pavement is best so early morning unloaded and early morning to load.
I would not risk it and would throw wood or something down. Would be my superior luck that some Ahole would find a tiny scratch in the pavement and sue me to repave 5mi of road.
 

Junkyard

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
3,621
Location
Claremore, OK
Occupation
Field Mechanic
We unload in the road more than we do on site it seems like. Get some plywood and have at it. If you can get a couple people to flag traffic and hold them while unloading you’ll be fine. Some police are super helpful and some aren’t. Smaller towns are generally more helpful.

Backing up that far ain’t bad at all. 6 miles is my current record lol. Give the driver options, unload in street or back a ways out. Either one is all in a days work. We use 4x8 sheets ripped in half long ways unless we have a lot of sharp turning then we use full sheets to be sure we don’t cut off a sheet and into the pavement.
 

Raildudes dad

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
411
Location
Grand Rapids MI
I was managing a job a number of years ago. The gravel trains had to back up about a half mile around a lake to get to the job site. Directions were to go to the intersection of Woodward and Reeds Lake and then back to the left. Well one driver didn't know his left from right and backed the opposite direction. He got deeper and deeper into a subdivision, all curvy streets and didn't see any swamp where we were raising the road. He ended up calling his dispatcher who told him to back to his other left.;) I got to give those guys credit. I know practice helps but they can back those trains better than i can my car :p
I work for our local county highway dept and we don't take issue with unloading on the road unless the driver / operator does something stupid. The flat pad tracks might leave some white marks on the pavement but that's not a big deal. No gouges please:) If the road is busy, flashing lights on the truck and someone "flagging" traffic will suffice.
 

Oldcatpusher

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 29, 2019
Messages
161
Location
Arkansas
Looking at a piddly job and appears I will either have to decline due to a lack of access, or consider dropping on a 2 lane paved road. It would be considered a highway but not really a busy one.

Because I have never had to do this, I am curious what you guys think? Obviously done plenty in a pinch but we are already over width, then you get the wound up soccer moms that will just drive right to their death. Do you request police assist? Any other ideas?

I walked a 25 ton rental trackhoe 5 miles down a US highway in Oklahoma. Just tell them it's for the farm.
 

JLarson

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
656
Location
AZ
Occupation
Owner- civil and heavy repair/fab company
They let the lawn care engineers lol, out here shut down lanes with a shitty mini bar and a couple 18" cones, I have no issue lighting up the service trucks and siting there while we drop or hook up something.

I usually just have whoever is operating for us avoid any real sharp turns on pavement. You can get away with a lot with triple grouser track hoe pads.
 

Tones

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
3,062
Location
Ubique
Occupation
Ex land clearing contractor, part-time retired
The funny thing with triple grouser on pavement is the rumbling noise cars get when driving along the marks. I don't now how many times I've seen cars stop and the drivers checking particularly the front wheels.
 

Pops52

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2016
Messages
293
Location
Penn Valley, CA
Occupation
Worn out lowbed driver "retired"
Trucker won't allow that on his trailer, nor do I want the stress. If we are offloading on a highway, there is little difference in just disconnecting. To get access to the dig site, we can get there, it is the lack of turn around that is at issue. I'm not going to force him to back 1000ft through a neighborhood.
A good driver shouldnt think twice about backing out. That should be HIS worry, not yours.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,465
Location
washington
I've side loaded/unloaded a few times with 200 class machines. If you have a couple of crib blocks it is easier, but I did it without.

last time was at the corner of Henderson and MLK in Seattle, to do the light rail project. The young fellow driving the Nelson lowboy had no experience and asked me to do it.
( Nelson's yard is just down the road ).
one was a regular machine, no problem. The hoe pack one was more of a challenge.
https://goo.gl/maps/tRzv4KkRmaFV69EPA
A good driver shouldnt think twice about backing out. That should be HIS worry, not yours.
I like the way you phrased that. Only a knucklehead would back in loaded. It does not stop the know-nothings from asking though.
 
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John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
We used tires for the dozers with the long toe nails.
 
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