Dump truck for horse manure removal recommendations?

[CrosbyFamilyFarm]

I'm looking to pick up an old dump truck for horse manure removal. I don't have a CDL. I have many horses/mules (20+) so my manure load is high. I am considering getting a 87 ford f350 diesel dump with a rack bed with a GVW of 14000 vs. a 1967 gas chevy C60 with a GVW of 22,000. I figure a cubic yard of manure is anywhere from 600-1000 pounds (ish?) so the little dually will only carry a few scoops at a go where-as the c60 would carry all I needed to in one trip.

The newer diesel would probably be easier to work on (c60 still has the widowmakers) but the c60 would be fewer trips for me when I did need to do a haul out. I also have need for landscaping around the farm so hauling stone would be a must. both are around $3000.

I'm torn pretty 50/50. Any advice/experience?

 

[Birdhunter1]

That 87 is probably a 6.9 International Diesel which has a reputation for lasting a long time. It won't be a speed queen but will do the job all day long, I would go for the Ford as it is 20 years newer and will be easy to find parts for.

 

[DJ54]

The Ford would probably be easier on the purse strings as far as insurance goes. Insurance companies don't like the word "dump". First, the C-60 would be considered a commercial truck, and puts you in a completely different insurance bracket. And being a dump truck, they will really rack you. I had a '91, F-450 with a flatbed I only used to pull my goose neck horse trailers, and tri-axle equipment trailer. Even with a multiple car discount, insurance cost me $3 a day for it. But, I did cover full coverage on it, because it was a super nice truck for its age, and dealing with the uninsured motorist issues, one can get into. I sent "Ole Henry' down the road, as much as I hated to, and got a '96 Dodge 3500 with a Cummins. Insurance was less than half, and pulls it just as good, if not a bit better.

Do be aware, if the Ford has a manual 5 speed, ZF transmission, the tail shaft housing is designed to leak, this is no BS. Ask any Ford service tech that is familiar with them, or check out some Ford truck forums. It's not a problem if you check, and keep it full. I had 3 different guys tell me to make sure I check the tail shaft housing oil level, every oil change. Their's had gone out, and had to replace them, and were all told the same, it's designed to leak, you should have read your manual. Go figure...

If that is a F-350, I'm thinking GVW should be 11,000 at most. The F-450, or just says Super Duty is rated at 14,000. Easy to tell. F-350 has 8 lug wheels, Super Duty, or F-450 has 10 lug wheels.

Here's a few pics of Ole' Henry. Loved that little truck, it looked like a little bulldog. Just too costly to keep around.

 

[CrosbyFamilyFarm]

Yeah - the rims are original split rims that I don't want to mess with.
The diesel Ford is a 350 (8 lugs, I stand corrected). So 11,000 GVW. It has a 7.3L engine with a 4 speed trans, 2wd.

With only 11,000 pounds to work with and the truck probably weighing in around 7000, is it worth the extra effort, and apparently insurance money to get the bigger truck? It's going to be largely for manure. I've already got a 03 Silverado 2500hd standard bed and I don't want to feel like I've just got that same weight allowance that can dump (can carry about 2-3000 pounds in the bed).

 

[bcp]

Maybe these are the reasons why I see so many more dump trailers than small dump trucks.

Bruce

 

[TJA477T]

Maybe these are the reasons why I see so many more dump trailers than small dump trucks.

Bruce

if you already own a truck id go with a dump trailer. in maine the cdl isn't an issue if you register it farm. not sure about ct laws

 

[CrosbyFamilyFarm]

Not sure about the Farm status in CT either, I should look that up. The drawback of the dump trailer is that my silverado doesn't have a ball hitch (and a goose neck dump trailer is just beyond my price range). It lived in northern NH for 10 years and the Chevy patina rotted out the frame there.

I can't imagine that insurance in CT is tough to get for a 11,000 gvw dump because I see them all over the place in my little town of 3000 people. I should however look into that too.

I might just start looking into an on site manure digester and call it a day. My five year old self would be kicking me for saying that.

 

[4570Man]

My 3500 dump truck will hold about 5 yards off mulch and about the same amount of dirt. Gravels I run out of capacity first. I didn’t have any trouble with insurance on my truck.

 

[DJ54]

I guess I'm more curious if you are concerned with volume, or weight. They will haul way more than the rated GVW. Now if you have an accident, and deemed your fault because maybe you could not get stopped in ti,e, because of being overloaded could be a different issue. This is my '93 Chevy I bought new. Most generally, when hauling limestone, I haul around 3.5 tons. Here is a picture of where I'm hauling from a gravel bank some neighbors have, and let me haul out of. I load it myself. I've hauled enough on it, and have had 4 tons on it, and this is what 4 tons looks like on it. I've hauled more than 1,000 loads out of that gravel bank like that, to build pads for my new buildings, in the last 6 years. The great thing is, it's a 4 mile round trip. The first 3800 tons I hauled, they charged me $1 per ton. I can make 32 rounds on a tank of gas. At that time, it took approx. $32 to fill the gas tank. Figuring in the fuel for the backhoe, and wear and tear on the truck, my cost was still under $2.50 per ton to haul. You can't buy squat for $2.50 per ton, here. I've hauled enough on it, I've literally worn holes through the bed, that I've had to weld shut, and still do occasionally. Dumpy has definitely earned his keep.

If the F-350 has something like a 10' flat, with dump, I'd say you'd never overload it. Legally, yes, for how it's built to carry, no way. I'd be more concerned with volume, than weight, hauling horse manure. Stone, or gravel is another story. Just hold up how many fingers, for the amount of tons you want, when the loader man looks at you. Unless they have really old equipment where you get it, most newer loaders have scales built in, so they can come pretty close, and usually a little light. Put some good 8 ply tires on it, and keep the brakes up to snuff, to get you stopped in case of a panic stop. I'd say you'll be good.

For the ZF transmission tail shaft housing designed to leak, you'd have to go ask the engineer(s) that designed it, as to why. Could be, they were a descendant of the engineer that designed the Detroit Diesel, 318 slobber box.

As for the insurance, could be insurance companies in different states, have different policies covering small dump trucks. I'm guessing weekend warriors having small trucks, hauling loads to do driveways, and tearing down phone lines, etc, have a lot to do with it.

 

[CrosbyFamilyFarm]

Great posts - the distance I would need to go under load would be short, 5-10 miles. My main concern was damaging the vehicle by overloading (I have no dump truck experience and only tractor hydraulics experience). This is a flat bed dump with rail gates. Here's the link to the craigslist ad that I'm considering (or something like this). Does it make anyone else suspicious when they freshly paint a '87 before selling? *1987 Ford diesel 7.3 dump truck $345 obo* - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale