Message: 1 Thanks for the continuing input to the container load/unload solution. It's really amazing how many ingenious ideas there are out there.
For obvious reasons I favor solutions that don't require improvements at each drop site - there could be very many of those in a country where the longest distance that a coconut usually travels to market is a few miles! Lowboy trailers won't last long on Filipino roads, so they're out. But I am intrigued by one listmember's mentioning trucks or trailers with integral side-loading hydraulic lifts and support pads. I went back to my calcs that seemed to show that such things would be impractically heavy...and of course found an error. It turns out that, with outriggers extending eight feet to one side, such a truck could handle a 20 tonne container while weighing no more than four to eight tonnes itself, depending on weight distribution. With two axles on the semi-trailer and two support axles on the tractor, that is completely practical. OOF. > What David T is saying here makes a lot of > sense and is probably > the most appropriate to the Phillipines. If you make > a couple of H frames > complete with outrigger tripod stays, use a couple > of connectors to join the > 2 H frames together, and a couple of chain blocks, > you can drive to where > you want the container located, set up your H > frames, lift the container > about 6", drive the truck out, and lower the > container. Uplifting and > shifting the container is obviously the reverse. That makes a LOT of sense. I would only add baulks of timber to keep the frames from sinking into the soil, and some screw anchors and guys to keep the thing from racking. My father-in-law and I were sketching something with A-frames which ended up pretty unwieldly, then I tried something with jacks at all four lower corners, but there was just too much travel required. Your scheme should work. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: David Teal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2001 11:08 PM > Subject: Re: [biofuel] Mobile BD plant > > > > John Brewer helpfully wrote: > > "Self loading trailers are used extensivly in > Australia. > > > > The Lifting arms ar on hydrolic rams and can be > adjusted to suit 20 & 40 > > foot containers, and can postion a 20 footer to > correctly position the > > weight distribution on the trailer" > > When I was working in rural Africa, such luxuries > were unheard of, but we > > managed to unload some fair sized loads with > improvised, cheap but > effective > > means. One of the better systems was to erect two > guyed goalpost frames > > from stout wood poles. Chain block hoists were > lashed to the middle of > each > > crossbar. The delivery truck would drive under > the gantry, the load was > > raised, and the truck would back out or drive > through. The load could > then > > be lowered onto skids on the ground and be winched > (Tirfor etc.) to its > > desired location. > > Of course, the goalpost gantry has to be proof > loaded first with dummy > loads > > like plywood boxes filled with sand (easy to > create and dismantle with > hand > > tools only). I reckon this approach is still > appropriate to places like > > Philippines, Marc. Yesss. Of course, we'll probably still end up with semi-trailers because cargo containers are precious here, but you never know. In any case, one of these tricks will no doubt serve when I need to lift my own container to build up the pad a bit, as each rainy season sees the airspace under the container getting smaller... Best to all, Marc Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
