Hydraulic Dump trailer: 16 foot or 20 foot??

[texasjohn]

OK... agony of indecision is now over.... I bought the trailer as follows:

20 ft, 26 cu yd, P J trailer
24K lbs rated
gooseneck
dual, tandem axle
20 ton hydraulic dump
4' sides which can be converted to flat bed
ramps
spare that holds air
extra connect for 12V attach to pickup electrical system
barn doors

This trailer earned its merit badge in assisting the Katrina clean-up.

Thanks to those who provided ideas and suggestions.

 

[john_bud]

Sounds like you got what you want. Neat!

It also sounds like that trailer would be easy to overload. Dry sand is about130# / cuft.

If my math is correct, 26 cu yd * 27 cuft/cuyd * 130#/cuft = 91260 pounds. So, the trailer can only hold 20-25% volume if hauling dirt/sand. Fill it 9 3/4 inches with sand an you are at 18,000# .

I can see that it would be a real PITA to have to shovel out that sucker!

Have fun with the new toy!

jb

 

[texasjohn]

John_Bud, I couldn't agree with you more.

It will be easy to overload...my objective is to load as much as is reasonable then truck it .5 mile to my place and dump it.

Material is free. Haul is short. I'll creep up on the max load and stop short of disaster (I hope) then make run after run at max practical capacity.

Hydraulics WILL dump a whole bunch... they have been beefed up and it REALLY means a 20 TON (40000 LB) cylinder.

If I DO get into the situation where I must unload not using the dump, then my Kubota WILL run up the ramps (also beefed up and tested multiple times by running a 14K lb bobcat up them into the trailer) and I can unload one bucket at a time (not the plan, however).

For reference, the guy I bought it from also warned me about overload risk... and pointed about 1.5 to 2 ft up indicating he had loaded it to that level with dirt. So, I am warned and if I get into trouble, I simply used poor judgement.

For the 5 mile over the road trip hauling road base from the rock quarry, I'll be sure and stay well within realistic loads.

I think it's gonna be fun to do all that dirt work that I've needed to do for such a long time.