Tandem Grain Truck

Doug in IL · Dec 3, 2009

I am wondering about the Empty Weight of a tandem grain truck. Say a mid 70"s to mid 80"s Chevy C70 or Ford F700 with a 18-20 foot steel box. Or something like that in other makes. I"d like to haul 550 bushels of corn. Any help? Thanks!

JMOR · Dec 3, 2009

(quoted from post at 19:38:58 12/03/09) I am wondering about the Empty Weight of a tandem grain truck. Say a mid 70"s to mid 80"s Chevy C70 or Ford F700 with a 18-20 foot steel box. Or something like that in other makes. I"d like to haul 550 bushels of corn. Any help? Thanks!

hat's 30,000 # of corn....you'll be overloaded.

Bob Bancroft · Dec 3, 2009

IH 8100 L10 Cummins air ride tandem single frame 18' aluminum box. About 18000# tare about 54000# gross

MIKE FRENCH · Dec 3, 2009

we haul 500-525 on a 73 c-65 with 18foot metal box with pusher axle with 42K plates and can scale it

Anonymous-0 · Dec 3, 2009

We have a Ford of about that vintage. It hauls about what you want. Truck + pulling one gravity wagon gets you about 900 Bu. I would look for one with airbrakes. The truck that is popular around here now if a little new IH with a DT-466. One of our friends has an IH with tripple axles, not sure what he can haul.

JoeBob-IN · Dec 3, 2009

We have three tandems. One is a '73 cab over white with 20' box and tares at 21k. One is a '70 IH with 20' box and tares at 19k. Last is an '83 GMC Brigadier with 20' box and tares at 20k.

Pair-a-dice farm · Dec 3, 2009

I"ve got a 82 ford 8000 with a 22" bed and a 3208 cat motor. I weighs 19900#. I had a "79 C70 chevy with a 366 gas and a 20" hoist, I believe it weighed about 15000#

Billy NY · Dec 3, 2009

This ole DM Mack, tares at 24,720 lbs, most I've ever had in it was about 16 tons, its a 1974, double frame, heavy Mack chassis with a real heavy front end, I believe it was a concrete batch truck, prior to the ag/grain body, the front end rides like it too, 237, with the 5 spd mack, old-n-slow, but does the job, lo range is nice for being off road. More along the lines of a heavy spec truck, probably weighs in more than the others mentioned, I've driven even heavier spec AutoCars with drop decks/lowboys, hauling earthmoving equipment like D8K's, 627 scrapers etc. all of these that vintage are literally just RAW truck, no fillers added LOL !

This photo was taken awhile ago, while hauling round bales, we do oats and corn as well.

RodinNS · Dec 3, 2009

Those things.... basically a single axle truck would probably weigh in somewhere around 8-9 tonne. If you start going into heavier trucks with double frames, heavy front ends, big block Cummins engines like the 290, Big Cams, Formula's etc with the appropriate Road Ranger transmission and heavy rears.... then you could well be pushiung 11-12 tonne.
As an example, I have a 1996 International 9400 with a Cummins N14-435, 13 over and 40K rears, 16' steel stake box. This is WITH aluminum cab, aluminum wheels and air ride (so you drop a pile of walking beam weight). Full of fuel she goes somewhere around 11,300 KG.
If I added a heavy front, 46K rears, double frame and a Hendrickson beam suspension whe would have no trouble at all going well over 12,000 KG.

If you want a lighter truck, stick with something like the IH S1900 up to an S2600 with a DT466 and the lighter transmissions.
Gasoline engines will save more weight at the expense of the gas tank...
Ford's with the Brazilian 401 (6.6L) should also be decent trucks. Even a GM with a 3208 Cat probably wouldn't be too bad but it wouldn't be my first choice. I'd steer clear of anything with a Fuel Pincher (8.2L Detroit)... and I'd be none too fond of any screamin' demon really. They do serve a purpose if they're cheap enough tho.
I'd also leave ANY V-8 Cummins where it's sitting. Stick to the more modern C series (8.3), the L10 or the big blocks (N, NT, NTC.... basically the 855 cid/14L)

Rod

JMOR · Dec 3, 2009

(quoted from post at 23:39:53 12/03/09) Those things.... basically a single axle truck would probably weigh in somewhere around 8-9 tonne. If you start going into heavier trucks with double frames, heavy front ends, big block Cummins engines like the 290, Big Cams, Formula's etc with the appropriate Road Ranger transmission and heavy rears.... then you could well be pushiung 11-12 tonne.
As an example, I have a 1996 International 9400 with a Cummins N14-435, 13 over and 40K rears, 16' steel stake box. This is WITH aluminum cab, aluminum wheels and air ride (so you drop a pile of walking beam weight). Full of fuel she goes somewhere around 11,300 KG.
If I added a heavy front, 46K rears, double frame and a Hendrickson beam suspension whe would have no trouble at all going well over 12,000 KG.

If you want a lighter truck, stick with something like the IH S1900 up to an S2600 with a DT466 and the lighter transmissions.
Gasoline engines will save more weight at the expense of the gas tank...
Ford's with the Brazilian 401 (6.6L) should also be decent trucks. Even a GM with a 3208 Cat probably wouldn't be too bad but it wouldn't be my first choice. I'd steer clear of anything with a Fuel Pincher (8.2L Detroit)... and I'd be none too fond of any screamin' demon really. They do serve a purpose if they're cheap enough tho.
I'd also leave ANY V-8 Cummins where it's sitting. Stick to the more modern C series (8.3), the L10 or the big blocks (N, NT, NTC.... basically the 855 cid/14L)

Rod

find it interesting that everyone is bragging about 'what such & such can or has done'. What is the legal axle weight limit on the roads/bridges where you will operate? I still say he will be overloaded with his 550 bu.

Clodbuster · Dec 3, 2009

I built a twin screw with an air tag behind it and can scale 650 to 700 bu.............but it holds a bit more than that at times.......need the 4th axle!

550 is at the outer limits of what you are wanting to do. 500 to 525 is a better goal.

RodinNS · Dec 4, 2009

Who's bragging about anything? I thought we were talking about ~TARE~ weight, not gross...
For what it's worth, here in nova scotia, the maximum alowable on a single drive axle is 9000 KG. On a tandem drive, that's 18000 KG (just shy of 40000#).
Steering axles go by the axle tag AND the tires, but to achieve full scale of 8000 KG you require an 18000# front with minimum of 385 tires (if they put that on the asphalt)... but really you should ahve 425 tires. Twin steers (tandem tandem) can go up to another 8000 KG on the second steer.
So... a single axle can gross up to 17000 KG. A tandem can gross up to 26000 KG. A twin can go to 34000 KG.
A tri-drive, I think are now allowed to scale on the third member... so they could go to 35000 KG if I'm not mistaken.

Tractors are not allowed to scale over 5500 KG on their steers and 18000 KG on the drives... plus the same on the trailer... so single trailer is 32500 KG. Tandem trailer is 41500 KG (91300#), tridem trailer is 50500 KG (111,100#)... and I believe the 'Super B' tops out at 68500 KG (150,700#), but I'd really have to check that to be sure. That's just how it axles out. So far as I'm aware, there is none of this 'bridge formula' crap. You respect individual axles and your gross, without tolerance.

Rod

IaGary · Dec 4, 2009

Here in Iowa you would be allowed 36000 pounds on the tandum rear. And up to 20,000 on the front if the axle was rated to handle the weight
Most are only rated for 16,000 on the steer axle.

16K plus 36K equals 52K. Most weigh in at 20K empty. So your net weight you could haul would be 32K.

571 bushel legal.

This truck here is legal at 38K and weighs 11,500 empty.

Can haul 470 bushel legal. And it is only a F600 with a tag axle.

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JMOR · Dec 4, 2009

(quoted from post at 06:58:17 12/04/09) Here in Iowa you would be allowed 36000 pounds on the tandum rear. And up to 20,000 on the front if the axle was rated to handle the weight
Most are only rated for 16,000 on the steer axle.

16K plus 36K equals 52K. Most weigh in at 20K empty. So your net weight you could haul would be 32K.

571 bushel legal.

This truck here is legal at 38K and weighs 11,500 empty.

Can haul 470 bushel legal. And it is only a F600 with a tag axle.

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As someone said, best check local regulations & posted bridge weight limits along your route (here, many are below std gross limits), if you care about being legal.....some don't.
In general, the laws require that the maximum gross load on any truck cannot exceed 80,000 lbs, the maximum load on any pair of tandem axles cannot exceed 34,000 lbs, and the maximum load on any single axle cannot exceed 20,000 lbs. Total length must not exceed 65 feet and total width must not exceed 96 inches. Fella here bought the county a bridge when he went thru it with 43,000 pounds (single axle bob tail).

twomen · Dec 4, 2009

WE have 6 IH trucks with the DT466 engines, one has the DT466E - stay away from one of those - ours is in the shop AGAIN with the electronic problems we have been fighting since we got it - our old ones seem to run forever - pre electronics.

Clodbuster · Dec 4, 2009

Every now and then a full auger wagon gets weighed and ticketed. 750 or so bushels on one axle gets pretty interesting.

RodinNS · Dec 4, 2009

Those are interstate regs are they not? As I understand it, some states allow more on state roads or certain places.
Up here we're allowed full weight on what you would consider 'Interstate' roads. Then some secondaries can get designated as 'Train Routes' for running Super B's and those are allowed full weight when there are no spring restrictions. Then other secondary and collector roads have their weight ratings diminished by reducing the allowable clusters. The axle weights are the same but you're not allowed any more than a tandem trailer on many roads.
Our 100 series (Interstate) highways here are full weight, all weather roads that have no closures/spring restrictions.

Rod

Tandem Grain Truck

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