How to get 55 gal drums out of pickup

[PaulLovesJamie]

When I pick up 55 gallon drums of soap, I just have them fork-lifted into my pickup truck. I dont have a loading dock at my self serve... so when I get back to the wash I lay them down, and roll them down a couple of 2x8s onto the parking lot. Then tip them up onto a barrel dolly, and wheel them into the equip room.

Some day when I get old thats probably gonna hurt the back.
So - how do you guys move 55 gallon drums off trucks and trailers?

What prompted this question is an ad I saw for a harbor freight "1/2 ton pickup crane" for $79, they also have a cable winch version for $129.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-crane-1647.html

Thinking I could weld up an adapter to install it in the receiver... what do you think? Would it work well? Cheaper easier solutions out there?

 

[lag]

I have a tommy lift.

 

[soapy]

I used a old tire to roll the drum off side ways onto the tire. A large tire off a 4x4 works well.

 

[DavidM]

I ordered one of these.... Larin Tailgate Lift. I don't have it installed yet but I can update on how it works after I install it.

David

 

[mjc3333]

I use a Thieman hydraulic lift gate on my pickup truck. Quite expensive, but can lift 3 full 55 gal drums at once.

I used a 5 X 10 trailer with a wooden deck for years. Once you drop the gate, you can easily "drive" off the deck with a good drum dolly, with no need to tip or roll the drum. Depending on the capacity, you can carry at least 3 or 4 full drums at once if need be.
One like this:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/traile...-wood-floor-trailer-2-000-lb-capacity-1012438

or something used, as long as it was "close" by

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Util...153956?pt=Motors_Trailers&hash=item20bab19624

If you only pickup 3 or 4 drums a year, the crane on the back of the pick up may be just fine. It would all depend on how much you want to spend and how much work it will take to get it to work.

I thought about buying one (crane) after I stopped using the trailer and decided the lift gate was the way to go for me (I move about 50 drums a year). I can also move my electronic vending machines and soda machines for any major updates or repairs with ease.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Been freakin' out truck drivers for years.

Put down 2 old car tires, on on top of the other . Fairly stout ones, not on wheels. Lay drum down sideways and let roll off tailgate onto tires.

One guy likes to do it on a grassy area next to the lot so if it bounces off the tires there is no problem. Even on the asphalt lots been doing it for over 30 years. Not one failure yet.

 

[Randy]

Why use 55 gallon drums anyway? I haven't used any products that come in 55 gallon drums in years. It’s a lot easier to move a 5 gallon pail than a 55 gallon drum and the pails take up less space. When I did I used a couple of old tires with an inner tube inside that was partially inflated. Just like everyone else has said just roll the drum onto the tires and then stand it up.

 

[MEP001]

I've delivered hundreds of 55's out of the back of a pickup. Instead of a drum dolly I use a standard hand truck rated for 500 pounds, and I set that on the ground where I intend to drop the drum. I have a plastic bed liner insert, so once the drum is on its side it's easy to maneuver around, then I just slide it gently off the tailgate bottom first and let it land on the hand truck. I've had it tip over once when it hit the ground, but with the hand truck in place it can't tip over, it just rolls back a few inches. After that I use a ratchet strap to tie the drum to the hand truck and wheel it in place.

Believe it or not, the hardest part of the process is tipping the barrel while it's on the hand truck.

If your truck is lifted it won't work. The drop is too far to control the drum and it will knock the hand truck over and fall on its side. Trust me, you do NOT want to have to pick up a barrel off of its its side by yourself.

 

[Washmee]

Ever see a 55 gallon drum of lubricting soap explode when it was dropped from a pick up bed? Its not a pretty sight, especially when its 10* outside. That happened to me in 1980 at a wash I ran for SOHIO. It was bright pink and made an unbelieveable mess. Good thing nobody back then thought of calling the EPA on us. Also a good thing the wash had about a 5million btu boiler, it took hours to wash down the storm drain. I never buy anything in a drum that isn't delivered by a truck with a liftgate. I got to say that I'm intrigued by the liftgate in DavidM's post.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

Went from 55's to 30's when I was around 45.
Now at over 50 I'm using 5 gallons containers and love them.
No more back, shoulder or neck pains.

 

[aberaleigh]

most of my customers buy 5, 15, or 30 gallons. We bought a lift table from harbor freight that is small enough to go in the pickup and we can use it to unload 55 and 30 gallons drums.

 

[rph9168]

Many distributors now offer 15's for production products. The only washes that should be using 55's are those that can use that much product in a month. Otherwise you are tying up money in inventory. The price differential between 55's and 30's is not usually enough to justify carrying them for more than a month Some chemical companies are in the process of eliminating 55's.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Why use 55 gallon drums anyway? I haven't used any products that come in 55 gallon drums in years. It’s a lot easier to move a 5 gallon pail than a 55 gallon drum and the pails take up less space. When I did I used a couple of old tires with an inner tube inside that was partially inflated. Just like everyone else has said just roll the drum onto the tires and then stand it up.

A ouple of products like tire shine and drying agent can't be diluted like many others and fewer containers makes for easier storage and less shipping costs.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Trust me, you do NOT want to have to pick up a barrel off of its its side by yourself.

I've been picking up these 55's off their side for years; I admit it, I'm stubborn. Now that I'm in my 50s I'm realizing that in another 5 or 10 years I wont be able to... hence my question.

I do use 5 gal pails for soaps, but I buy winter FB in 55's from Kleen Rite, 3 or 4 per year. I'm only an hour from their main location in PA so its an easy trip. Probably going to buy methanol locally this winter & mix my own, but yes 55s would still be most convenient. Might switch to 33 gallon drums.

I have used my trailer before, but its harder to get the drums loaded on a trailer with a fork lift, the ramp doesnt come off my trailer. When I did use it I ratchet strapped them to a dolly, like MEP suggested.

I like the idea of just dropping it on a tire - I do bounce them off the parking lot when I forget the 2x8 ramps, always works but always makes me nervous.

I also have a kubota farm tractor, I could put forks on it relatively inexpensively, I just dont want to have to drive 2 vehicles into town just to unload a couple drums.

I do like the idea of that larin tailgate hitch lift, but the 500 lb limit would concern me since Id be using it right at capacity.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

As a kid i delivered paint for an autobody store, and many times a week for a year delivered lacquer thinner in 55g drums. Never a failure with a larger pickup tire, we wore leather gloves and followed it to the ground- Just to slightly control it, and if we got it off center had to move out of the way a few times.
I at first thought it would explode and kill me, but never a problem. You should be able to get a free tire i hear people drop them off at car washes.
John

 

[Randy]

Years ago I had a car wash friend who was in his late 60’s. All of his S/S equipment was up in the attic of his wash. He had a trap door in the floor of the attic and he used a 12 volt electric pickup winch to get his heavy stuff up in the attic. He got his soap in 15 gallon containers that he’s pull up into the attic with his winch. He also had a eye hook in the ceiling of the bay that he’d put a pulley lifting block on and use his winch for unloading heavy stuff from his truck. He was a pretty ingenious guy, I never saw him manhandle anything.

 

[washedup]

I just siphon it out of the 55 in my truck with a cheap pump from KR. I get spare 15 gal drums from hospitals in my area . They just get their chems in the indenticle containers we use and they toss them out.

 

[washnvac]

A little off topic; but I get my chems in 20s and 55s. We used to not be able to give the empties away. So my storage facility manager says we should sell them. Ofcourse I say "yea, right." Can't give 'em away, so we will sell 'em. But we list them on the marquis anyhow.

Long story short; I eat a lot of crow, because we now have a waiting list to get empty plastic drums. We sell the 55s for $10, and the 20s for $5. Who would have thought?

I guess there is a lesson in this somewhere. You just never know how folks think.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Here's what you need.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON-Hydraulic-Lift-4ECW7?Pid=search

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

He also had a eye hook in the ceiling of the bay that he’d put a pulley lifting block on and use his winch for unloading heavy stuff from his truck.

hmm, cheap & easy, I wonder how much weight the bay ceiling will support...