FlatBroke
Well-Known Member
Since, myself and 2xr are the only two tanker yankers on the forum that I know of I will cover the basics of the pneumatic tank and 2xr can do the liquid if he wants too.
Keep in mind...I have not pulled a Food grade/Plastic pneumatic tanker so maybe these tips apply and maybe not.
Pneumatic tanks - loads/unloads with the use of a blower either on your trailer or mounted on the truck, and is PTO driven for the truck. If mounted on the trailer it will have it's own power station usually another diesel engine.
Ok, we start off with some pictures of the different pneumatic tanks available.
The type I pull is a cement tank it weighs less so you can haul more product.
It loads usually from the top. They can however be setup to load from the back end through the product discharge pipe. When loading from the top, you are instructed to pull under a chute. Open your dome lid/s from the safety rack or use the side ladder to get on top of your tank. Make sure the chute is in the middle of your truck when going under it. The operator/loader will either tell you on the CB, or over a speaker located outside the truck, or he will sound a buzzer or flash a light when you need to stop directly under the chute.
Usually you are located on a scale when loading. We have a air gauge inside our trucks that tells us approximately when we are fully loaded. This is used when no scale is on the loading site.
When a scale is used the loader will take your light weight or empty weight including you, before he begins loading. He/she will set this weight in a computer and then ask you what/how much you want. He/she sets this weight in the computer.
My light weight full of fuel is usually 26,600 lbs I ask for 80,000 lbs this gives me my net weight of 53,400 lbs. This is what I have inside my tank when loaded. Or 26.70 Tons of product, this is how I get paid.
When loaded you will be instructed to pull out to the saftey rack to close your dome lid/s. This is a crucial part when closing your dome lid/s make sure you clean around the top of the (hole) on the edges where yhe dome lid gasket goes. If this is not cleaned it will leak. Close the dome lid, there are usually 6 latches place on the edges of the dome lid and step down on them to secure them in place. If this is missed the tank will leak.
Get your paperwork from the scale office and have a safe trip to your destination for unloading.
When you arrive at the consignee check in with them. Even if you have been there a 1000 times before. Always check in, they will instruct you to where to unload at.
Usually it is a cement plant, but we do more than plants. Just make sure you check in.
After checking in, maneuver your truck and trailer in close to the silo, try to keep the truck and trailer as straight as possible (not required) just makes it easier if you want to sit in the truck for minute to keep an eye on the pressure gauges through your mirror.
Get out and make sure of the pipe that you were instructed to hook up too. After you locate the pipe, make sure the high level light/and or alarm for the silo is not sounding off or flashing. If it is the silo is too full to hold your load.
If everything is ok, then you take out your product hose located in the hose tube of your trailer. Inspect the gaskets located on both ends of the hose, if they are worn replace them.
Hook up one end to the discharge pipe of your trailer, hook the other end to the pipe you were instructed to unload in.
Make sure the ears on both ends of the hose are in the lock position so the hose cannot come off.
Walk back towards the front of your trailer, hook the hot air tube to your blower on your truck. Make sure a gasket is in both ends of the tube. Shut off the line air valve make sure your aerator valves are open. Make sure your blow down valve is closed.
Line air valve - this is what pushes the product up the pipe you are unloading into.
Aerator Valve - this will fluff the product inside the tank and force it out the discharge valve at the bottom of each hopper.
Blow down valve - This valve is to let the air pressure off the tank really fast, this is left open when finished unloading.
Hot air tube - connects the blower to the tank. There is a reason it is called a hot air tube, it gets extremely hot from the air going through it so fast.
Ok after you get the hot air tube connected, climb back into your truck. Engage the transmission then put it back in neutral leaving your clutch depressed this will stop the transmission from spinning and allow you to place the PTO in gear without raking the gears. Let the clutch back out easy, with the truck in neutral.
You will here your blower start up. Set the RPMs up on your truck to around 900 this is not much more than an idle. You will hear the blower get faster and louder.
Get out of the truck and walk to where your tank pressure gauge and your line pressure gauge is located. Watch the tank pressure gauge to make sure it is building pressure. When this gets close to 10 or more lbs. quickly open your line pressure valve watch your gauge if it climbs and will not fall back to near 0 then the line is plugged somewhere. If it falls back to 0 then close the valve back and continue to build the pressure. When tank pressure reads 15 lbs open your line air valve slightly you will hear air flowing through the line. Then walk back to your discharge valve located on the bottom of each hopper. Open this product valve slowly, keep watch on your line air pressure gauge if the product is flowing evenly then open it wide open. Quickly make sure your discharge hose is not leaking at the trailer or pipe you are unloading into. If it is, find some water (I carry a gallon jug full of water in my truck just for this) pour over the leak, and it will seal it.
Keep an eye on both pressure gauges if they start to fall then your hopper is going empty. If the line air pressure stays constant, and your tank pressure begins climbing then your are stopped up. I am not going to cover the proper way to unplug a product line today.
When pressure has dropped for all three hoppers the the tank is empty. Shut the blower down to an idle, unhook the hot air tube..note the tube is extremely hot wear heavy gloves when handling this.
Let the blower continue to run at an idle this will cool it down and extend the life of it.
Walk towards your blow down valve and slowly open it. You must bleed the remaining pressure if any off the tank before disconnecting the product hose. When tank pressure is at 0 it is safe to unhook. Replace the pipe cover on your trailer and the pipe of the customer. Return the hose to your hose tube. Walk back up to the truck turn your blower off and replace the cap on the blower, and you are done. Have a safe trip to your next shipper.
Depending on the product and the height of the silo and how full the silo is and if you have a good trailer and blower. 26.70 ton can be unloaded in about 40 minutes.
I will add more on different things probably in different threads as I think of them. If you have any questions on loading/unloading a pneumatic tank all you have to do is ask away. I will try to answer it, if I can't I will point you in the right direction.
Keep in mind...I have not pulled a Food grade/Plastic pneumatic tanker so maybe these tips apply and maybe not.
Pneumatic tanks - loads/unloads with the use of a blower either on your trailer or mounted on the truck, and is PTO driven for the truck. If mounted on the trailer it will have it's own power station usually another diesel engine.
Ok, we start off with some pictures of the different pneumatic tanks available.
The type I pull is a cement tank it weighs less so you can haul more product.
It loads usually from the top. They can however be setup to load from the back end through the product discharge pipe. When loading from the top, you are instructed to pull under a chute. Open your dome lid/s from the safety rack or use the side ladder to get on top of your tank. Make sure the chute is in the middle of your truck when going under it. The operator/loader will either tell you on the CB, or over a speaker located outside the truck, or he will sound a buzzer or flash a light when you need to stop directly under the chute.
Usually you are located on a scale when loading. We have a air gauge inside our trucks that tells us approximately when we are fully loaded. This is used when no scale is on the loading site.
When a scale is used the loader will take your light weight or empty weight including you, before he begins loading. He/she will set this weight in a computer and then ask you what/how much you want. He/she sets this weight in the computer.
My light weight full of fuel is usually 26,600 lbs I ask for 80,000 lbs this gives me my net weight of 53,400 lbs. This is what I have inside my tank when loaded. Or 26.70 Tons of product, this is how I get paid.
When loaded you will be instructed to pull out to the saftey rack to close your dome lid/s. This is a crucial part when closing your dome lid/s make sure you clean around the top of the (hole) on the edges where yhe dome lid gasket goes. If this is not cleaned it will leak. Close the dome lid, there are usually 6 latches place on the edges of the dome lid and step down on them to secure them in place. If this is missed the tank will leak.
Get your paperwork from the scale office and have a safe trip to your destination for unloading.
When you arrive at the consignee check in with them. Even if you have been there a 1000 times before. Always check in, they will instruct you to where to unload at.
Usually it is a cement plant, but we do more than plants. Just make sure you check in.
After checking in, maneuver your truck and trailer in close to the silo, try to keep the truck and trailer as straight as possible (not required) just makes it easier if you want to sit in the truck for minute to keep an eye on the pressure gauges through your mirror.
Get out and make sure of the pipe that you were instructed to hook up too. After you locate the pipe, make sure the high level light/and or alarm for the silo is not sounding off or flashing. If it is the silo is too full to hold your load.
If everything is ok, then you take out your product hose located in the hose tube of your trailer. Inspect the gaskets located on both ends of the hose, if they are worn replace them.
Hook up one end to the discharge pipe of your trailer, hook the other end to the pipe you were instructed to unload in.
Make sure the ears on both ends of the hose are in the lock position so the hose cannot come off.
Walk back towards the front of your trailer, hook the hot air tube to your blower on your truck. Make sure a gasket is in both ends of the tube. Shut off the line air valve make sure your aerator valves are open. Make sure your blow down valve is closed.
Line air valve - this is what pushes the product up the pipe you are unloading into.
Aerator Valve - this will fluff the product inside the tank and force it out the discharge valve at the bottom of each hopper.
Blow down valve - This valve is to let the air pressure off the tank really fast, this is left open when finished unloading.
Hot air tube - connects the blower to the tank. There is a reason it is called a hot air tube, it gets extremely hot from the air going through it so fast.
Ok after you get the hot air tube connected, climb back into your truck. Engage the transmission then put it back in neutral leaving your clutch depressed this will stop the transmission from spinning and allow you to place the PTO in gear without raking the gears. Let the clutch back out easy, with the truck in neutral.
You will here your blower start up. Set the RPMs up on your truck to around 900 this is not much more than an idle. You will hear the blower get faster and louder.
Get out of the truck and walk to where your tank pressure gauge and your line pressure gauge is located. Watch the tank pressure gauge to make sure it is building pressure. When this gets close to 10 or more lbs. quickly open your line pressure valve watch your gauge if it climbs and will not fall back to near 0 then the line is plugged somewhere. If it falls back to 0 then close the valve back and continue to build the pressure. When tank pressure reads 15 lbs open your line air valve slightly you will hear air flowing through the line. Then walk back to your discharge valve located on the bottom of each hopper. Open this product valve slowly, keep watch on your line air pressure gauge if the product is flowing evenly then open it wide open. Quickly make sure your discharge hose is not leaking at the trailer or pipe you are unloading into. If it is, find some water (I carry a gallon jug full of water in my truck just for this) pour over the leak, and it will seal it.
Keep an eye on both pressure gauges if they start to fall then your hopper is going empty. If the line air pressure stays constant, and your tank pressure begins climbing then your are stopped up. I am not going to cover the proper way to unplug a product line today.
When pressure has dropped for all three hoppers the the tank is empty. Shut the blower down to an idle, unhook the hot air tube..note the tube is extremely hot wear heavy gloves when handling this.
Let the blower continue to run at an idle this will cool it down and extend the life of it.
Walk towards your blow down valve and slowly open it. You must bleed the remaining pressure if any off the tank before disconnecting the product hose. When tank pressure is at 0 it is safe to unhook. Replace the pipe cover on your trailer and the pipe of the customer. Return the hose to your hose tube. Walk back up to the truck turn your blower off and replace the cap on the blower, and you are done. Have a safe trip to your next shipper.
Depending on the product and the height of the silo and how full the silo is and if you have a good trailer and blower. 26.70 ton can be unloaded in about 40 minutes.
I will add more on different things probably in different threads as I think of them. If you have any questions on loading/unloading a pneumatic tank all you have to do is ask away. I will try to answer it, if I can't I will point you in the right direction.
