Its OK, one of the guys at the shop will weld it up....

[Jason280]

I called up the local waste disposal service to have them deliver a 30 yard dump container, which they dropped off bright and early yesterday morning. I actually got a chance to check it out today, and found that it has a few minor issues with the rear loading gate. More specifically, 2 out of the 3 hinges holding the rear gate have sheared at their points of attachment. I can't tell if some of the welds actually failed, or if the weight of the door was simply too much for the thin gauge metal the hinges are welded to (which looks to be no more than 1/8" box). Of course, its possible too much heat was used welding on the 1/2" thick hinges, which ultimately led to the failure. Any guesses?

Nevertheless, the door sags significantly when opened, which means its only a matter of time before the 3rd hinge fails as well. Its next to impossible to close once opened, as you have to pick up the entire door to get it to line back up. I would guess the door is at least a couple hundred pounds, and it is going to take some work to get it fixed correctly. I called the disposal service today, and they didn't seem too concerned. I did get the response, "Its OK, one of the guys in the shop will weld it up"...

How would you go about fixing this? It doesn't seem safe to me, especially considering these containers routinely haul upwards of 6-10 tons. That much weight against the gate can't be good, and seems like a liability on the road.

[Fexal]

Oh man.... I'm in the disposal business....... I know our shop welders are not hacks... and this look terrible....

10 tons is the legal limit for a 30 yarder......

If the door sags..... they are lacking some serious skill in the shop.

Find a new hauler......

[SuperArc]

I would demand that the waste company come back immediately and replace that UNSAFE death trap. Can you imagine a small child next to that door when the final hinge fails??? Possibly a dead child and guaranteed law suit against you and everybody else involved with that container!

[Boostinjdm]

That's a fairly common spot for a break when roll offs are used hard. It should have been fixed before leaving the yard. Looks like yours is missing a roller too.

[tbone550]

As one of my all-time favorite TV Characters, Balki Bartokomous, would say, "Cousin, what the big deal is?"

In my opinion, this is no big deal from a repair standpoint. It's an easy fix, and fairly common. Dumpsters get majorly torn up, and this is pretty minor by comparison to what I've seen and worked on. The main issue I have with it is that the hinges have been broken for some time and the company is still putting it out for work. It does need to be repaired before it comes apart going down the road.

As far as what caused it, I'd say fatigue failure. The dumpster was probably run down the road with the door unlatched and only the safety chain holding it closed at some point, and the metal on the upright fatigued as the hinges supported the complete weight of the door bouncing up and down, until the pieces broke out.

10 gauge is normal thickness for bracing on dumpsters. If you look closely, you'll probably find that's not actual box tubing, but a formed c-channel made in a brake. Again, I'd lay odds this is driver error, not manufacturing error. The latch on dumpsters is not only designed to hold the door closed, but also from bouncing vertically. This relieves stress on the door structure during transport and allows lighter materials to be used.

Fexal, the door sags because the top two hinges are broken out of it, not because of hinge misalignment by the shop who built it.

Superarc, this dumpster isn't a death trap where it's sitting. The door isn't just going to fall off, at least not until it's being transported again. Children would be much more likely to get hurt playing in whatever trash is in the dumpster.

EDIT: Had to take a call during my post so I didn't see Boostin's above. If I had, I would've just put, "+1".

[adam21584]

most dumpsters I see have warning stickers on them saying there not to be played in, or around. Teach the kids to read, might save there lives. Other stickers worth reading are danger, keep out and protected by smith and wesson

[Broccoli1]

Around here it is Legal to take stuff out of those roll offs- but don't go dumpin' yer trash in them though

[Jason280]

Well, the disposal service hasn't called me back, so I believe their plan is to simply leave it as is and fix it eventually. I haven't started dumping any trash in it yet, so I guess I'll just give them another call Monday morning.

[SuperArc]

most dumpsters I see have warning stickers on them saying there not to be played in, or around. Teach the kids to read, might save there lives. Other stickers worth reading are danger, keep out and protected by smith and wesson

I agree with you guys here about kids probably not getting hurt etc.., however, IF a kid did get hurt because of those old broken hinges, both parties would pay. A warning sticker to a 9 year old won't sway a civil jury. Especially with welds that have been broken for sometime by the looks of the pic. Would tend to believe that the trash company was aware of that fact yet choose to ignore it.

I'm just playing devil's advocate here, not arguing with anyone.

[dubl_t]

Jason280,
are you gonna have ot open that door to load it? or just planning on tossing over the sides?

Weldors,
would stich welding around the hinge been more durable than a full weld?

[David R]

Grind the paint off, shut the door, put a shim under the bottom and weld it.

Ask for a free load.....


Not a big deal.

[BD1]

Grind the paint off, shut the door, put a shim under the bottom and weld it.

Ask for a free load.....


Not a big deal.

Yes , i agree easy fix . BUT! In todays society with all the bullsh## , liability and lawsuits could enter the picture . it's not like the old days where you could do someone a favor and barter. Now they want to sue. I could be wrong but some people survive on law suits.
on the positive side, if you do a quality repair they may offer you a job ! now you'll have dumpsters dropped off daily for you to fix. Add a little debris to each one.

[Somthingoriginal]

I wouldn't dream of repairing it. You have nothing to gain. You ordered roll-off that should be in safe working condition. If it's not in that condition they need to pick it up and bring you one that is or compensate you for repairing the broke one. Bottom line is if your going to invest labor, materials and assume responsibility for that door you need to be paid!

[SilverSmith]

I'd send them an email detailing what is wrong and asking if they still allow you to load it in that condition. That way you have proof that you notified them and it is their responsibility!