Nicks Blog | Side Loading machinery is it a lost art?

[RSS Bot]

When I first started out in our industry as a young machine operator in the late 70's it was always common practice to load any kind of machinery on to a low loader "over the side".

And indeed with one of the companys I used to work for in Southampton I was often to be seen doing this on a regular basis.

But i have noticed in recent years that it is hardly done anymore and some of the younger operators I have spoken to haven't got a clue what I am talking about when I mention going over the side!


One example was in 2004 when I was working on a site on Plymouth Hoe and a Komatsu PC450 45 ton machine was being picked up to go back to London, the low loader driver was in a hurry and said to the machine operator "chuck it on over the side driver"?
The driver looked confused and said he had never done it before, then the foreman shouted out for me to do it!

© Copyright 2009
http://www.contractjournal.com/blogs/digger-blog/2009/02/side_loading_machinery_is_it_a.html

[tim]

I remember when i started working on building sites in the early 70's seeing 360 excavators track shovels and dozers nearly always coming off the side of low loaders.Then the hydraulic neck trailers were introduced and we saw less of the side loading.Towards the end of the 80's we saw the introduction of the tri -axle stepframes with rear ramps and these have proved so popular that most plant firms have replaced their detachable neck trailers with these stepframes the exception being the 50 tons plus end of the market.Quite a few firms are now running 4 axle stepframes regularly carrying 45 ton 360's and on this web we can see Nicky's and Roly's Cat D8's being carried on this type of trailer.I don't think side loading machinery is necessarily a lost art but is seldom done these days because of a big change towards stepframe trailers. Tim

[Nick Drew]

Yes I agree with you Tim,

And to be honest with all the new low loaders available today it is a lot quicker and safer to load up the ramps.

Just thought it might make for an interesting debate.

Nick.

[Martyn Henley]

I used to work for a guy who used to off load JCB's off the side of low loaders

Not for me

Martyn

[Nick Drew]

I used to work for a guy who used to off load JCB's off the side of low loaders

Not for me

Martyn

Yeh my Dad used to do it !!

Only saw him do it once when I was very young but I think he used to get the front bucket on the low loader deck then lift himself up and over with the backacter !!! Nutter in my opinion!! God rest his soul!!

Nick

[modelman093]

[quote="tim"]I remember when i started working on building sites in the early 70's seeing 360 excavators track shovels and dozers nearly always coming off the side of low loaders.Then the hydraulic neck trailers were introduced and we saw less of the side loading..........
Presumably this was when most low loaders were KOBAs (knock out back axle) making the job darn hard work!
For those who have not experienced the joys of KOBAs, they had four wheels in line across the back of the load bed arranged in two oscillating pairs. Proceed as follows - climb onto swan neck and extract two heavy jacks from the tackle box - usually mechanical ratchet type, luxury was a pair of Hydrolites! Position one jack each side of the rear of the bed and take the weight off the wheels so that each pair could be released and wheeled out of the way without, a)running yourself over, or b) watching them disappearing into the distance! Then back to the swan neck, retrieve several lengths of railway sleeper and place under side rails adjacent to jacks lower bed onto timbers (could do without the timbers and drop bed on ground but think of all the graft in lifting the then loaded trailer to re-fit the wheels!) Then use more timber to make up the difference between bed and ground and protect the axle mounting trunions. Finally load paver or what have you - sometimes having to use the Hand cranked (two speed!!!!!) winch thoughtfully provided on the swan neck. Re-fit the wheels, gather up all the timber and the jacks -not forgetting the jack handle - chain the load down and climb into your barely heated, non power assisted, gate change gearboxed cab!
Now you know why whenever possible machines were loaded over the side.
You can just see the wheel arrangement in the attached pic.
Angus

[bob]

I have often loaded D 8s over the side and left them side saddle if we where not taken them very far some times with police escort. 22RBs where often carried side saddle,any body who have tried to turn a navy on a lowloader will tell you why specially if it wet and muddy. this was thirty years ago when there was more work than now to get ready to load over front or back. Don't think police would allow it now .
Bob

[tim]

Angus- yes most of the firms were still using knock out back axle trailers at the time,although the detachable neck trailers were starting to be used.Our local plant hirer Dragon Plant Hire of Guildford ran an early 60's Taskers KOBA for about 15 years and an early 70's Taskers tandem axle manual knock out neck trailer and always loaded over the side when possible.They then bought a King Hydroneck in the 80's.
Bob-found this pic of a 22RB side saddle Tim

AR1.jpg

[john345me]

we do it all the time at colemans its faster to do it this way than take the trailer apart