How awesome is it to have a dump bed in your truck??

[Jstpssng]

How much does a dump insert weigh? It seems like it would counter quite a bit of the capacity of the truck.

1050 lbs, for this one which Northern Tool sells. That's one big reason I don't have one. I have often thought that if I could find a decent used on I would take the bed off the truck and mount the insert directly to the frame. The poly units weigh less, but I'm holding out until I get a truck decent enough to just put their dump conversion in.

 

[Big Barn]

My insert is steel. IF I were to do it again I would pay the extra for aluminum.

 

[BertZegers]

I have been dreaming about having a dump bed since I bought my 15 acres. I find it such a waste of energy to shovel a load of mulch, gravel, manure, etc. out of a truck bed. It would be so much easier to dump it in a nice pile then use the tractor to put it in place. It just seems SOOOOOO much more efficient/less work. I have a line on a nice newish dump bed insert for $2000 to add to my F-250. While I don't really have the $2000 to spend I think this is too good of a deal to pass up. I feel like a dump insert is not only an invaluable resource for a property owner it is one of those things that taken good care of will not lose much value. I understand a 3/4 ton truck is not ideal for hauling tons of material, but it is what I have at the moment. Eventually I will find a decent 4wd 1 ton to put it in and I will be set.

My dump insert sits on a trailer frame. I added a box for the battery and put a battery in when I tow it behind the pick up truck for dumping. At my property I tow it with my tractor. For the tractor I plumbed in a hydraulic hose with quick connect. I lift the trailer tongue with the 3 point hitch as high as it will go, then use the tractor hydraulics for the dump cylinder. Works great!
I find that with using only the dump cylinder the box does't get steep enough.
Another reason to use the 3ph is that the trailer will lift the tongue when the load gets behind the axle. The 3 point hitch also makes it very easy to hook up the trailer.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

How much does a dump insert weigh? It seems like it would counter quite a bit of the capacity of the truck.

The one I am looking at is 680 lbs. steel bed with extruded Aluminum subframe.

Thank you all for your honest responses. The truck is an old 85 F250, in decent shape but definitely a farm truck. I thought about taking the bed off and setting it on frame and building boxes around it etc. I also like the idea of a dedicated trailer to set it on.

 

[finn1]

I bought an F450 with an 8’ dump bed about 11or12 years ago. The plan was to use it for a couple of years then sell it when my projects were done.

I still have it and don’t think the projects will ever be done.

Considering the beating the dump bed takes, I would recommend a dedicated commercial bed rather than an insert. I have never seen an insert in a clean, dent free bed other than one just installed a few weeks ago.

Only downside is that dump trucks have higher insurance costs than a flat bed or pickup. I suspect that would apply to an insert if you are honest and inform your agent that your pickup now has an insert.

 

[bindian]

Now you gentlemen have me wanting a dump trailer.

Gravel pits around here will not load a trailer.
hugs, Brandi

 

[MidTn Mark]

Gravel pits around here will not load a trailer.
hugs, Brandi

I find that very interesting and probably snobbish...

I love my dump trailer. I don't have the payload to match a dedicated dump truck but I don't have nearly as much $$ invested either.

 

[stuckmotor]

Gravel pits around here will not load a trailer.
hugs, Brandi

The local gravel company won't even let a pickup drive down into the pit anymore. The story I got is that the loader driver didn't see one behind him and backed over it, so no more pickups.

 

[nyone]

The gravel pit here will load nearly everything. I'm pretty sure you can shovel it in the back of your car if you wanted.

I have a 1ton dump. It's been really handy with re surfacing my 500ft driveway with loop at the end. It was really hard to find someone to deliver material for a decent price from the quarry 5mi away. A dump is also handy when I move firewood. It was very expensive to Insure the first few years. If I where to replace it today I would buy a 1ton pickup and use either a insert or a dump trailer.

There was only one situation that my truck could go some where my friends 1ton and trailer couldn't. The trailer didn't have yearly costs like a dump truck. I find that a 1ton truck would tow better than a 1ton dump truck. For my needs I find my self using my tow vehicle more than my dump truck. My tow vehicle is a Yukon 2500. It can tow my mini ex with a load of camping gear, two dogs and the wife, we own a remote piece of property.

 

[mike48130]

My gravel pits will load, and so far no matter what I tell them, they over load. I usually ask for 7K and get 8K or more. So I started asking for 6K and still get 8K.

The benefit of the trailer is that you can still use the bed in the truck. I don't load materials, but if you need tools and such, it's nice to have.