schoolsout
Veteran Member
scissor lifts are usually used on smaller dumps, not larger stuff. I've sold a few trucks with scissor lifts and they've worked well, but the larger class 8 stuff is all single cylinder, several stage rams...
Hawke 6x12 Dump Trailer
- Thread starter MasseyWV
- Start date
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Correct. I should have clarified that.
Catfish Man
Silver Member
Hey MasseyWV
Did you look at these trailers?
American Trailers & Trailer4all 2012 DUMP MAXX 83X16 LP DUMP 14K
They are in Mineral Wells WV, I'm liking the price on them and they seem well built.
I haven't made it over there to look at them in person yet, so I was just wondering if you had. From reading some of your other posts, me and you seem to be on the same page as far as quality vs price and such.
(I know this model is larger than the one you was looking at, but it's the link I had saved on my computer and I'm lazy.)
Did you look at these trailers?
American Trailers & Trailer4all 2012 DUMP MAXX 83X16 LP DUMP 14K
They are in Mineral Wells WV, I'm liking the price on them and they seem well built.
I haven't made it over there to look at them in person yet, so I was just wondering if you had. From reading some of your other posts, me and you seem to be on the same page as far as quality vs price and such.
(I know this model is larger than the one you was looking at, but it's the link I had saved on my computer and I'm lazy.)
I saw the Dump Maxx dump trailers you mentioned but didn't really consider them serious contenders because they use the dual cylinder design in lieu of the scissor lift. The dual cylinder design causes me some concern due to reports of some designs being unable to lift loads within the rated hauling capacity of the dump trailer and the possibility of one cylinder failing, which could cause the dump trailer to overturn as the dump bed racks when the load suddenly shifts.
This is the 7x12 - 12,000# version of the trailer you mentioned.
American Trailers & Trailer4all 2012 DUMP MAXX 83X12 LP DUMP 12K
Curiously, many other manufacturers Gatormade, SureTrac, etc... seem to use a very similar design, which is easily recognized by the elevated front section with the spare tire mount and lights on the rear that resemble insect or crab eyes. For example, this is the Gatormade version of what appears to be the same dump trailer, with very few differences.
Gator Made Inc. - Buy Trailers Factory Direct! | 7 x 12, 12,000 lb. Dump Trailer
In addition, the Dump Maxx, Gatormade, and other similar dump trailers are commonly powder coated, while the Hawke dump trailers are painted, which is much better than powder coat in my opinion.
Something I forgot to mention earlier is that Hawke also has a "budget" line of dump trailers, which resemble the ones using the scissor lift, only they appear to use lighter steel and use the single cylinder design. After speaking with Hawke on the phone, they freely admitted that it is much better to go with the scissor lift design for many of the reasons I mentioned previously. Note the differences (single cylinder, no ramps, lighter fenders, etc) in the Hawke "budget" dump trailer shown below, as compared to the pictures of the Hawke dump trailers I posted previously.
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Catfish Man
Silver Member
Yeah i considered the points your making.
For my use I'm thinking of going with the 16' and it will never be loaded to the amount that it's rated for.
Thinking of the 16' to be more of an all purpose trailer. Before I moved to WV a family member stored a 16' flatbed at my house because he didn't have room for it in his yard and he rarely used it. I used it all the time and got spoiled to having a good trailer when I needed it. I was going to buy it from him, but there was title issues (long story), I probably had more in it than him anyway from replacing tires, lights, floor, painting it etc.
Now I have a long driveway to maintain, and I'm trailer-less.
For my use I'm thinking of going with the 16' and it will never be loaded to the amount that it's rated for.
Thinking of the 16' to be more of an all purpose trailer. Before I moved to WV a family member stored a 16' flatbed at my house because he didn't have room for it in his yard and he rarely used it. I used it all the time and got spoiled to having a good trailer when I needed it. I was going to buy it from him, but there was title issues (long story), I probably had more in it than him anyway from replacing tires, lights, floor, painting it etc.
Now I have a long driveway to maintain, and I'm trailer-less.
One has to be careful when loading dump trailers, especially larger ones, because it is very easy to overload them with materials like gravel or topsoil. Come to think of it, about the only material one could use to fill the trailer to the top would be mulch.
Like you, I also have a long gravel driveway to maintain, in addition to using the dump trailer to haul things like a skidsteer. I do have an 18 foot carhauler trailer but it is largely unsuitable for doing such tasks and is only used for hauling vehicles and lumber.
Massey, Those raised fronts and elevated rear lights are part of the standard dump bed design. They provide the pockets to add wood sideboards if someone wants to economically add additional volume to the bed.
I knew their purpose and believe the design originated from the design commonly used for many smaller dump truck beds. I just couldn't help but notice the distinct similarities between some brands/designs, regardless of their origin. Personally, I prefer the top of the dumb bed to be flat with stake pockets for adding side extensions if needed or desired. And for whatever reason, the designs with the elevated rear lights are especially unappealing to me.
Aesthetics aside, what matters most is the overall strength v/s weight of any design and the lifting mechanism it utilizes. Again, I'm no engineer, but the single cylinder designs just seem "wrong" to me. I'm sure that many of them work as intended, I just don't like or trust them.
Call me crazy, but after being unable to locate any real world testing data about each design, I have actually contemplated testing them in miniature, to prove or disprove my suspicions by pushing each design to it's failure point to see what happens. If I could think of an easy way to replicate the action of a hydraulic cylinder in miniature I just might do it, if for no other reason than to satisfy my own curiosity.
Ductape
Elite Member
You are really over-thinking it. Though I'd certainly buy a scissor dump, a well designed single straight cylinder works well too. I have a 7000lb Bri-Mar 6X10, which is the same as their 10000lb dump (aside from the axles). It has never failed to dump anything I've had in it. As far as I can see, one failing to dump its rated load would be more of a problem of the cylinder being undersized. The largest gain with the scizzor dump would be the steeper dump angle it could achieve with a shorter cylinder.
As far as the dual (one on each side) cylinders, I've never owned one. The local trailer dealer here will no longer sell one. He claims a load slightly off center would cause the box to twist, some times permanently. He said he has done several repairs, reinforcing the boxes at his own cost to keep customers happy.... since the manufacturer didn't consider it a warranty issue.
As far as the dual (one on each side) cylinders, I've never owned one. The local trailer dealer here will no longer sell one. He claims a load slightly off center would cause the box to twist, some times permanently. He said he has done several repairs, reinforcing the boxes at his own cost to keep customers happy.... since the manufacturer didn't consider it a warranty issue.
I respect your opinion but I disagree. Many years ago, one could buy something with reasonable certainty that it was made well and that it would last, but unfortunately that's not the case today. In the age where profit is often more important than quality, I'm simply ensuring that I don't end up making a $5000 mistake.
