What are these things?

[Douglas]

Those extra set of wheels that are not touching the ground... what are they for? Are they outriggers? (Used to keep the truck balanced from tipping over when dumping)?

[TK THE TRUCKER]

It's a pusher axle. It's so you can legally haul more weight. 8)

[Douglas]

Oh... What does it do?

[TK THE TRUCKER]

Well let's say that truck has a 20,000 lb front axle and 46,000 lb rear axles, that's a gross weight rating of 66,000 lbs. By law you can't go over that. If you load up and your 70,000 lbs, you would be overweight. That pusher axle looks to be a 12,000 lb. Now your gross weight rating is 78,000 and you van legally haul that load by lowering that pusher axle pneumatically to the ground. But each state is different. You may have a gross vehicle weight rating of 78,000 lbs but according to that states bridge law they will only issue you an overweight permit for 75,000.

For instance the company I work for in New York we have a couple walking floor trailers we haul garbage with. Our trucks have a 14,600 lb front axle, 46,000 drives, and 50,000 lb trailer axles for a gross vehicle weight rating of 110,600. But due to the bridge law they only issue us a overweight permit for 102,000 lbs. We could add a axle to the trailer to gross 107,000 lbs but they weight of the extra axle itself would eat up over half of the increase and only give us maybe another 2000 lbs of payload 8)

[Sealord]

I think the terminology for the extra axle to carry more weight is "tag" axle. "Pusher" implies it's a powered axle which it's not. As a previous poster stated, it increases the GVW of the truck. BOL

[TK THE TRUCKER]

I think the terminology for the extra axle to carry more weight is "tag" axle. "Pusher" implies it's a powered axle which it's not. As a previous poster stated, it increases the GVW of the truck. BOL

I have always thought that if it was in front of the drive axles it was a pusher and if it was behind them it was a tag axle. I've never seen a lift-able powered axle. Wouldn't be the first time I used the wrong terminology, or second time, third,.............

[century451]

Dont most states put something like 58,000 gross on dump but with a pup trailer the gross goes to 80,000?

[Blind Driver]

I can haul 80,000 with a tri-axle in Ky....legally. Indiana it's only 68,000 . I don't know why some companies use tractor trailer dumps. Those are scary looking when they dump.

[Phantom433a]

I don't know why some companies use tractor trailer dumps. Those are scary looking when they dump.

Yea but when they fall over....its slow and cool I drove for a company local pulling a 22' dump....only fell over once, and yes....its a tag axle where I'm from.

[Mr. Ford95]

We call them pusher axle's here.

[Kranky]

We call them pusher axle's here.

Here we call it a pusher axle if it's in front of the drives, or a tag axle if it's behind the drives.

Or, you can call it a lift axle no matter where it's located.

Here a triaxle (a tandem axle truck with one lift axle) can legally gross 65,000 lbs.

A quad axle (tandem axle truck with two lift axles) can legally gross 73,000 lbs.

[Aligator]

So how does the scale man know the weight rating of the front axle when you drive through?

[Mr. Ford95]

Or you can call them a pony axle.

I have no idea how they calculate it Gator but the scalemaster's for my quarries say that I can haul up to 12 tons with my little dump truck. Problem is that the truck can't actually take that much, it can take 11 tons but the bed is entirely filled with no more room for any additional rock. DOT says I can't run more than 8 tons without being overweight on my rear axle. They popped me for being over on my drive when I only had 8 and 1/4 on me. I normally run 10 at a time.

[Mackman]

we call them lift axles.

By thw way i once had a guy ask me if that is where the spare tire was mounted. :?

[Blind Driver]

So how does the scale man know the weight rating of the front axle when you drive through?

It doesn't. On another note, In Indiana, a tri-axle can haul 68,000 legally. Even if I'm at 67,000, I'll still be overweight on the drives because the load can't be scaled out properly. My company allows us to run up to 73,000 and they pay all the overweight fees.
One time I go pulled over by DOT, out came the scales . The officer was only putting the scales on my drives, so as I rolled the truck over them, I added more air to my tag axle which took weight off of my drives. I was at 71,500, but the weight on my drives was legal :wink: . The officer decided that the scales at the quarry must be wrong