I’m in the market for a dump trailer, and wondering if anyone has any strong opinions about types or brands. I’ll be hauling an assortment of lumber, crushed stone, firewood, compost, mulch, etc. Don’t need to use it to haul heavy equipment, so maneuverability in small areas trumps size. Easy installation of a replacable wood lining would be a plus. Beyond weight capacity, is there a strong advantage to dual axles?
As always, thanks for any advice.
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Replies
Here's what I own:
http://www.appalachianmfg.com/DUMPERPAGE.htm
I have the 12' dual axle. I bought it without sides and built my own.
I bought this trailer because the wheels are under the box which makes it narrower, but a little taller. Also, with the removable sides, it can be easily loaded and unloaded with a fork lift if you need to haul pallets of stuff. I often do.
Dual axles keep most of the weight bearing on the trailer wheels rather than transferring it to the tongue. Don't under estimate how much weight might wind up in the trailer. Duals also give you four brakes stopping instead of two. If a dual axle is not loaded heavily, you can limp it home with one flat.
http://grantlogan.net/
Sweet trailer, Grant. Priced right, too.gtremblay-I started oogling dump trailers 7 or 8 years ago. They have come a long way since then. Utimately I bought a single axle tilt bed instead of dump bed for a few reasons, but if I were to do it over I'd be looking at a single axle dumper with a 5600 lb axle under it. A few things to consider - what size truck will you be towing it with?What will be the primary function?How often will you use it?If you want it primarilly for trips to the landfill, does your landfill have a way for you to back up to a clifflike drop off area so that you can get by with a tilt bed (far less expensive) instead of an actual dump bed?Warning - a 5'x10' trailer with 3' tall sides gets up around 2,000 lbs when filled with construction debris. Easilly exceeds that with sand or gravel. Be careful - awfully easy to load beyond breaking ability and wheel bearing capacity if you stick with a 2800 lb single axle (detect the voice of experience there?). Heck said it first, I just agreed with him.
Edited 6/2/2007 11:41 am ET by jimblodgett
After years of hauling construction material to the dump and then unloading by hand I bought a 5X10 dual axle dump with 24 inch sides and then added additional sides myself. I was so happy on my first trip to the dump knowing all I had to do was open the gates and push a button. Backed up in the slot, hit the button and everything slid about 10 inches until it hit the 14" cement curb that the city installed for "safety". As I was hand unloading I had time to reflect on that one small oversight -had to build a small ramp. The 6X12's are higher and fit over the curb (wish I bought that instead). The previous comment about dual axle braking, weight distribution,etc. are all a big factor.
just curious about the tag line - what did I say that you agreed with?
Heck if I can remember sayin' anythin...
but when you do...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Wait. Maybe that was Huck. Now I have to go check that out. What the heck?Heck said it first. I just agreed with him.
Great point about the dual axles offering extra braking, and keeping more of the load off the tongue. I like the removable sides of the trailer from Appalachian Mfg that you included a link for.
To respond to some of the other posts, my guess is that I'll use the trailer at least a couple of times a month whenever there's not snow on the ground (I live in southern NH), mostly to move stuff that is back breaking to shovel or otherwise unload--stone, firewood, compost. Occasionally for timbers I saw on my own land, or purchased building materials. I'm not a building professional, so won't routinely be hauling debris or supplies. I used to have an old F250 with a dump body, and I can't believe how many uses I found for that thing--I miss it. Someone asked what I'll be hauling it with: F350 pick-up.
Thanks for the advice.
http://www.ez-dumper.com/proddetail.asp?id=9This is what I have. Got it about 3-1/2 yearts ago. With the sales tax it ccame to just under 3500 dollars. I really like that one Grant showed you too. EZ has more heavy duty models tooThe EZ dumper line has landscape models that dump to the side instead of the rear. Some also have dual cylinders instead of a single, and there are trailers with power down too.In winter, the fluid gets old and can be extremely slow and work the battery too hard. Good idea to warm it before a dump run when it is below zero. for what you describe using it on, I would not even consider a single axle. I have had another twin axle freight trailer, a dual axle enclosed tool trailer, a couple sinle axle ones built from pickup peds, a tilt double snowmobile trailer refitted with sides for trash and materilas. It is the length of the trailer that makes a diff on turning and backing in, but it is the dual axles that makes the diff in handling and safety on the road, esp on the kind of roads in VT. Note that mine has axles under the bed so it sits higher, some bring the center of gravity lower with a longer axles tomve tires out under fenders. This can be safer on winding mtn roads, but sometimes harder to dump.
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>>>>>>>>>>>With the sales tax it came to just under 3500 dollarsThat's about what I paid for mine 3 years ago. I looked at the EZ's and they were considerably more expensive (mine's a 12') at that time, but the EZ was thru a dealer and I drove to the factory and bought mine direct. The tailgate system is the only flaw I've found in mine and it's not that bad. I don't use the spreader function so I need to get a little welding done to "personalize" it to my use.http://grantlogan.net/
"I drove to the factory and bought mine direct."There is a lot to be said for that with this kind of equipment, Grant.
Way back in about '76 or so I had moved to CO and needed a roofing kettle, having sold mine a couple years before. I called the factory in San Antonio to get a price which was like 10% factory discount plus another 2-3% for payment upon pickup, plus some discount for picking it up instead of them needing to prep it for shipping and make those arrangements.I placed my order and the day I would be there to get it and they agreed.
I arrived right on schedule after driving 8-900 miles.
They didn't have it in stock, having just shipped a railroad car full the day before.
So they offered me an additional sizeable discount to accept the next larger size. So all told, I got near 40% off for it, with the red paint still fresh enough to accept a thumb-print!
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i've got a homemade dump that is my favorite trailer that i own .so not much help brand wise ,but here are some things i like. mine is 7x12 i use it mostly in my rental bussiness,cleanup,construction debri etc. hauling loads like this it could be bigger because when it's full i usally weigh about 2000-2700 lbs. i would prefer a 7x16 for what i do.
tailgate,if your using this to go to the dump,the kind that splits in the middle and hinge to each side work the best,the one that folds down like a tailgate sucks for dumping.if your spreding rock the type shown above is the cats meow.
mine doesn't have brakes when it's loaded with 5000 lbs of rock it does push my 1 ton van around a little.
when you buy one you will wonder why you waited so long larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.