So you are in the business of dumpster rentals. Business is probably pretty good, especially if you live in a large city or in an area where residential expansion is growing rapidly. However, if you ever find that your rental business is slowing down, or that you have so much competition you cannot get ahead, here is another option: mining cars. Believe it or not, you could easily convert dumpsters to mining cars and rent those out as well. Here is how you can convert some of your dumpster rentals to mining cart rentals for the purpose of a business expansion.
Convert the Dumpster's Casters to Rail Wheels
The biggest part of your dumpster-to-mining cart conversion is the wheels. Small dumpsters work best, and they already have heavy-duty casters. These casters need to be removed and replaced with rail wheels, which you can purchase from a mining supply company. You may have to enlist the help of a professional welder to complete the job, since the dumpster casters may have to be cut off and the added central pin support for the rail wheels will need to be welded on to the ends of the rods. Once you have this conversion step complete, the next step is the brakes.
Add Brakes
Most mining carts have a brake. This could be a manual hand brake (which is very unusual and somewhat outdated) or just a wheel brake that is activated automatically via some wiring and a switch on the cart. The old, individual caster brakes on the dumpster wheels will not be sufficient because of the speed of the mining cart, the weight of rock and the differences between dumpster casters and rail wheels. Consult with an engineer and your welder how to best approach the brake issue, since most mining operations will require the carts to have a braking system.
Make the Dumpster Lids Optional
Most mining operations need the carts to be fully open and ready to receive mined rock. On occasion, extra carts may remain in a side tunnel, holding precious minerals or stones until enough can be mined to move these carts out of the mine shaft. That said, your dumpster-to-mining cart conversion should include optional lids so that the miners can choose to close and cover the carts or pop the covers off to keep them open. If you do not rent dumpsters that already have optional lids, consider making alterations to the lid hinges or invest in some dumpsters that have pop-off lids prior to making the necessary conversions to create your mining carts-for-rent.
For more information, contact TCM Sweeping and Disposal or a similar company.
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