1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H & H

[Shawk]

1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H & H

Hey guys... I'm buying our first dump trailer (non commercial use) that will double as our JD 3120 compact hauler (w/FEL & hitch comes in @ about 13'6") I'd love to do the 14' and could squeeze a box blade in to likely but decided I should just bite the bullet and overkill with the heavier & longer 16' instead. I've read here and elsewhere that if you use the dump to haul equipment the the Lo Pro version may be the way to go?? I've also read though that because they may not dump as well since it sits lower to the ground??? Pro's vs Con's?? Had planned to buy a lower version but should I go with a standard? I'll be hauling with a half ton '17 F150 I'm purchasing shortly as well (yep, I know... I won't overfill ever! in fact I'll underfill more likely . It'll be used haul wood and move dirt around on a property we own and are clearing.

Brands?? I've read a bunch here... but will throw that in too.

PJ dump?? I have a 20'util that's built well but is honestly the worst paint job ever... less than 5 years old, rusted out like mad the first year and PJ new about this for two years and did nothing. I doubt I'll go this route, but I understand they've corrected. Again, this is likely 3rd choice and won't buy one for principal more than anything.

Loadtrail... twin to the PJ but different ownership is my understanding... front runner.

H & H... ?? had a util yrs ago and seems middle of the road... not horrible but wasn't fabulous either

Iron Bull??? I have no idea... see this one popping up in my neck of the woods.

Again though... main question is Lo or not? Thanks all!!

 

[RichM752]

Re: 1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H &

My 1 yr old PJ 14' low pro is not near the quality as my old 12' PJ dump. Mainly the powder coating is chipping/peeling all over. And the axle/brakes were delivered with heavy surface rust, stickers were crooked. I contacted PJ concerning the issues, never heard back from them. I'm debating unloading it and buying a Lamar. My L47 TLB fits inside, and tows good.

 

[Shawk]

Re: 1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H &

My 1 yr old PJ 14' low pro is not near the quality as my old 12' PJ dump. Mainly the powder coating is chipping/peeling all over. And the axle/brakes were delivered with heavy surface rust, stickers were crooked. I contacted PJ concerning the issues, never heard back from them. I'm debating unloading it and buying a Lamar. My L47 TLB fits inside, and tows good.
View attachment 507091

Thanks Rich!! Yeah, you just help confirm I don't want another PJ. They knew there were issues and they basically just shrugged me off when I called. I baby myself, keep it inside and still had serious rust issues. I could have probably squacked a bit but I don't have the time and don't want to take the time. We just will move on to another brand. Have a great day!!

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Re: 1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H &

My 1 yr old PJ 14' low pro is not near the quality as my old 12' PJ dump. Mainly the powder coating is chipping/peeling all over. And the axle/brakes were delivered with heavy surface rust, stickers were crooked. I contacted PJ concerning the issues, never heard back from them. I'm debating unloading it and buying a Lamar. My L47 TLB fits inside, and tows good.
View attachment 507091

One visit with salt in the winter that was washed off, and my '14 PJ dump trailer is peeling off. My commercial painting buddy tells me that PJ didn't prep it right, didn't cover it right and that PJ cheaped-out.

Also, both of my PJ trailers have had wiring problems from the factory that I had to attend to.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Re: 1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H &

Glad I'm not the only one. (especially for how they are priced)

 

[George2615]

Re: 1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H &

I have a 16' Cross Country dump trailer I bought new. It is 16' x 80" wide and came with HD 5' ramps rated for 10K. The trailer itself weighs about 3800 lbs, load capacity is 10,300 lbs. and the deck is about 27" above ground level. I tow with a 16 Chevy 2500 crew cab standard bed. The trailer has D-rings welded into the floor. The only problem is, with the tractor in the trailer it is very cramped quarters to get it chained down. You can't reach over the sides so you have to get in the trailer to tie down. I used it once to haul my tractor and prefer not to do it again just due to the time it takes to tie it down. I just use the trailer to haul stone, gravel, bank run, sand, mulch etc.
To haul the tractor I have a 22' 14K PJ full tilt. Its only 3 years old but the powder coat is holding up fine with no chipping , peeling, or rust.
I had an H&H tilt bed car trailer for 7 years. It worked well but was not a fan of how they designed the tilt mechanism. Never tried their dump trailer.

 

[TMGT]

Re: 1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H &

Do you have Bwise in your area? They make a very nice 16ft dump.

Just to let you know it's very easy to overload a dump so be careful with an f150, the 16ft are a bit heavier to begin with also.

As for dumping with a low pro, I have a 16ft deckover and you still have to leave a longer pile in order to unload light material (mulch, brush etc.) so I imagine a lower profile would be a little worse but still not horrible. Just make sure it has a good dump angle, usually scissor lifts are prefered.

I'm going to build ramps for my trailer but it won't be fun to load/unload due to its deck height. low pro is the way to go if you need to load equipment regularly.
If I were to buy one right now it would be a 16ft Bwise.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Re: 1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H &

Friend just bought a 16 ft Bwise , looked like a nice trailer , it was 15,600 gvw , bumper pull . ( derated from factory to 10K lbs)

 

[boggen]

Re: 1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H &

my first reaction. is trying to squeeze tractor in length wise. and not getting proper tongue weight. and either having to much or not enough tongue weight. couple inches forward or rear can make a difference going down the road and staying on the road.

never owned dump truck or trailer. but what i do remember of the dump truck/trailers unloading dirt/rock here on the farm over the years. is that in most spots around the sheds and unloading/dumping fire wood to limbs from cut down trees. there was always issue of crud piling up. and needing move a descent distance to get everything to fall out. and no one was wanting to manual hand shovel stuff out. just to much work to much time. and you are talking 2 to 4 feet bottom edge to ground of rear of the dump. the one time i do remember is tree branches, and extra care of not taking out a taillights as stuff was dump and falling back into the tail lights. the other complaint was it was a pain physically to toss stuff over side of higher dumps, (to much lifting small stuff not even counting heavy stuff) over shoulder height to toss into dump.

 

[Shawk]

Re: 1st dump trailer as tractor hauler... Lo Profile vs standard? PJ, Loadtrail, H &

Thanks for the replies guys!! A nice used 14' Load Trail popped up on Craigslist last night and I just brought it home tonight... I'm sure I could flip a coin on the 14' vs 16' thing and I would have been fine either way I think at this point. The nice thing since it's a used one (non contractor trailer) is that worse case scenario if I don't like it in a year or two, I'll just unload it and move on. It's always nice checking things off the list... trailer, check! Best wishes all!!