Dump Trailers | How to Calculate Load Volume

The volume of dump trailers is measured in cubic yards. The volume represents the space enclosed by the bed and walls of the dump trailer. In order to calculate the volume, you need to know the length, width and height of the dump trailer. When the side walls are not as tall as the front and rear walls, you should calculate the without boards height, based on the side wall height, and the with boards height, using the front and rear walls.

• Measure the length of the dump trailer in yards.
• Measure the width of the dump trailer in yards. Measure from the inside edge of one side to the inside edge of the other side rather than the outsides of the trailer.
• Measure the height of the dump trailer walls. If the sides are shorter than the nose or tail, you will have to calculate two volumes. For example, if the nose and tail are one yard high but the sides are 0.75 yards high, you would use 0.75 yards to calculate that “without boards” volume and one yard to calculate the “with boards” volume.
• Multiply the length times the width times the height to calculate the volume of the dump trailer. If you have two different heights, calculate the volume twice, once with each measurement. For example, if your width was two yards, the length was three yards and the height was 0.5 yards, the volume would be three cubic yards.

Tips:

• If a measurement is in inches, you can convert it to yards by dividing by 36. For example, 18 inches would be 0.5 yards.
• If a measurement is in feet, you can convert it to yards by dividing by 3. For example, 2 feet would be about 0.67 yards.

If you do not understand the volume of your Dump Trailer and you overload it, this could happen to you!

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Filed under: Dump Trailers, Tips and Tricks