Live bottom trailers are a semi-trailer which is commonly used by construction suppliers to haul loose materials such as sand, gravel, grain, asphalt and potatoes. They are actually a good alternative to a dump truck or end dump trailer.
Besides the above mentioned materials, a live bottom trailer can also haul out other products such as top soil, carrots, lime, peat moss, compost, heavy rocks and rip-rap. People who are connected with agriculture and construction are the ones who benefit the most from the multi-functionality of this trailer.
Generally, a live bottom trailer comes with a conveyor belt found at the bottom of the trailer tub. The conveyor belt pushes the material out of the back of the trailer at a controlled speed, which is unlike the traditional dump truck. In conventional dump trucks, the tubs have to be raised to pour out the materials from their back.
Because the live bottom trailer does not need to be raised in the air to haul out the materials, it does not have the roll over. Instead, it has the lower centre of gravity, making it easy to unload the materials even in uneven areas. In conventional trailers, however, the materials cannot be unloaded unless the trailer is on a level ground.
In addition, the conventional dump trailers have an over head wire, which makes it dangerous during the unloading of materials. In a live bottom, wires are not a problem because the tub does not have to be elevated for unloading. And the trailers can work anywhere that they can drive onto.
Live bottom trailers are convenient since the tubs empty clean. They do not require having someone to get into the tub to clean it of any materials. And because the conveyor belt makes the materials unload at a controlled pace, the unloading of materials is efficiently accomplished.
The driver can also control the amount of materials unloaded to a specific area. Thus, the amount of materials unloaded to different surfaces can be controlled as well. The tub of a live bottom is rounded, which results to having a lower center of gravity. This means that ride is smoother and the trailer is more efficient in handling the materials.
If the areas where the materials are to be dumped are under the bridges and confined places, using a live bottom is excellent compared to a dump trailer since the former can fit any where it wishes to. Even if the materials are dry or wet, they can be easily emptied using a live bottom.
In contrast, the conventional dump trucks find it hard to unload wet materials because they tend to stick to the tub. It will also cause the trailer to roll over. Live bottom trailers rarely rolled over. So, its insurance costs are also lower.
While there may be a limit to the trailer’s capacity to carry and unload heavy rock and demolition, they surely are efficient in doing just that, when built with appropriate steel strength.