Solving tough problems for its customers is important to SmithCo, and its team works with customers every step of the way to make sure they get what they need to do the job better.
That's why when Kevin McGee of V McGee Inc. in Tennessee told SmithCo about his unique situation, sales manager Gerred Zeising dug in to develop a unique solution.
McGee needed a special set up for hauling coal ash (also called fly ash). Coal ash hauling is notoriously difficult and must adhere to special regulations.
V McGee Trucking had been using end dump trailers for these loads but started to think seriously about side dump trailers. It did not want the possibility of the end gate opening and leaving ash on the highway. This is especially important because any leak of fly ash during transport can lead to large fines and other penalties.
"I'd been using end dump trailers, but I needed something safer and more reliable for hauling fly ash," said McGee. "SmithCo helped me design and build a quad-axle box truck, which was outside of their normal scope. We designed a configuration that was able to do big hauls without a lot of extra weight in the trailer."
The SmithCo engineering team collaborated with Zeising and McGee and designed the right setup for the job, a custom SHV-style truck-mounted bodies on a quad axle. This setup met McGee's load hauling needs (about 80k pounds) without adding too much extra weight from the trailer itself.
The result? V McGee can now haul more loads of coal ash with more efficiency and less risk.
"The team at SmithCo was great from start to finish. The job wouldn't be possible without these trailers," McGee said.
For more information, call 800/779-8099 or visit sidedump.com.
