forklift weight

RenegadeT

RenegadeT

no shirt,no shoes,no dice
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Mar 24, 2005
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Stokesdale-Greensboro
How much does one of those forklift thingies that hang on the back of a building supply truck weigh? How much does a full 'pallet' of sheetrock weigh?
Cut to the chase...which is more likely to bust a septic line...an unloaded '98 Dodge Ram 2500HD Cummins 4x4 SRW SB QC or one of the aforementioned forklift thingies with a full load of sheetrock? :poop:
Guessing my Ram is 7000lb or so...
 
Oh sheet I smell something stinky.... spill the beans.
 
I'd say it's a wash.

A 4x12' 5/8" type X piece of sheetrock weighs 125#. Figure he's got 40 of them, that's only 5k. Double that maybe for the weight of the machine... he's heavier, but he's sitting on tires that are 2x wider than your truck.

Just guessing... I'd pick the steer tires on the Dodge for being higher PSI at the contact patch.
 
Can you get a time line on when it broke to get an idea what drove on it last?

Something similar happened to my folks, but it was a dump truck full of rip-rap that broke the line. It took a couple days for the issue to show up though.
 
Luckily everything is contained, for now, I am just doing some preliminary research.
We are having our basement finished, and the builder said something is wrong with our septic, the toilet they installed isn't flushing properly....they've ruled out internal plumbing and decided it was after the septic tank. Septic guys are coming out this morning, they seem to think the septic filter is clogged.

I guess its very good that we decided to get the tank pumped right before the construction. Our logic was if something backs up, it will be all over our new basement. The septic company said it all looked fine at that point, filter was clean/cleaned, then they left the tank empty.

Yesterday, the builder dug to the tank and opened the cover. They ran a sink for at least 15minutes, and the tank started overflowing. Wife called this morning and said there is still water in the hole. No backups into the house, that I now of.
 
What type of line is it? How deep is it buried? I'm not sure a properly laid line would be broke by either. Remember its that load / # of tires so 8k truck /4 = 2k per tire.


So many people are worried about breaking the lines but that may be from the old days when clay tile is used. I'd worry more about the dirt compaction if its PVC or black coil
 
Black Bear said:
Can you get a time line on when it broke to get an idea what drove on it last?
Something similar happened to my folks, but it was a dump truck full of rip-rap that broke the line. It took a couple days for the issue to show up though.
Click to expand...
timeline is rough. I was driving over the lines to fetch/park my trailer in mid-August, Harlan race.
Sheetrock was delivered mid Sept I guess. This is around when the wife started hearing a knocking in the main drainpipe. The vertical stack is right below our bed.
Then late October, my buddy borrowed my trailer, so another truck/trailer fetch/park.
yager said:
What type of line is it? How deep is it buried? I'm not sure a properly laid line would be broke by either. Remember its that load / # of tires so 8k truck /4 = 2k per tire.
So many people are worried about breaking the lines but that may be from the old days when clay tile is used. I'd worry more about the dirt compaction if its PVC or black coil
Click to expand...
no idea what type of septic line, etc. About all I know is the grass above the tank dies every May when it gets hot, I guess the tank might be on the shallow end there. Of course the grass is wicked green and thick where the lines run.
 
How old is the house? That will give you a guesstimation of what is buried. If you don't know how old the house is, look under the toilet tank lid in the bathroom, usually they are dated.
 
Your Hot Dog Guy! said:
How old is the house? That will give you a guesstimation of what is buried. If you don't know how old the house is, look under the toilet tank lid in the bathroom, usually they are dated.
Click to expand...
that I do know...built in 2005. When we found this house, it was new, but construction was almost complete. I have no idea whats undergroud.
 
Forklifts are generally 40% or more than the Max lifting cap. I"D still go back to the psi load, & bet a front wheel on diesel tk, is at least equal. Consider also trailer tire, with how much load. I
broke corner of top on my septic tank, with a concrete truck!
Glad I missed the middle. Never damaged the deeper lines. :poop:
 
saf-t scissors said:
I'd say it's a wash.

A 4x12' 5/8" type X piece of sheetrock weighs 125#. Figure he's got 40 of them, that's only 5k. Double that maybe for the weight of the machine... he's heavier, but he's sitting on tires that are 2x wider than your truck.

Just guessing... I'd pick the steer tires on the Dodge for being higher PSI at the contact patch.
Click to expand...

word, thats what i was thinking.
 
Those types of forklifts don't require the counterweight that a warehouse type forklift does because the load is carried on top of the front wheels instead of in front of it. I don't have any idea how much they weigh. My 5000# rated forklift weighs 8000#'s.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Those types of forklifts don't require the counterweight that a warehouse type forklift does because the load is carried on top of the front wheels instead of in front of it. I don't have any idea how much they weigh. My 5000# rated forklift weighs 8000#'s.
Click to expand...

we just bought a new bigger toyota this past year, that joker weighs in at over 17g
 
Tony, I weighed my Dodge Ram on the scale here at work. It weighed 6,760 lbs. 4,050 lbs on the front axle, 2,710 lbs on the rear axle. That is 2,025 lbs on each small contact patch front tire. More if you are pointed downhill.
 
The piggy back fork lifts are made to drive across construction sites , yards , etc. and not sink. Weight wise it and the truck are probly in the same ballpark but the forklift has a much larger contact patch. I'm no plumber but I have friends who are and they have always said that basements and toilets dont mix. The toilet is higher than the septic tank right?
 
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