Pj & Big tex trailers ??

[GreatWhitehunter]

I was actually there yesterday...less than 10mi from my house. They called me back with a quote today on a low-pro 16' 14K dump....roughly $7200 and nearly $8K after tax, title, etc. I didn't think to ask if they could process an Ag exemption or not.

That's the same trailer I ended up buying and price wise it's very close to what I paid. Mine was powder coated however.

Matt

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I purchased a new D9 (83"x16' Dump Trailer) in 2009. I am a homeowner so although I have used it extensively my usage is probably light relative to professional users. It has been a good investment and is generally of good quality. It is very heavy duty, tracks well, and the dump function has been flawless. I use it to haul all sorts of material and my tractor. When I bought it I had a BX24 with front loader and backhoe. I currently have a B3350 with front loader and backhoe. Both fit well and load/unload easily.

Two major issues with the design;
1) PJ powder coats all their trailers (I hate powder coating). As it always does mine has bubbled, blistered, and peeled in several places including at every wear point. One (of many) reasons powder coat is inferior to paint is that it easily and quickly fails to retain its watertight integrity. Once this happens (often not visible) the iron underneath it rusts quickly because the moisture is trapped by the coating. After some time outgassing from the oxidation process causes a blister which is your first indication the water integrity has failed. By this time the iron underneath has decayed to form a pit which makes repair more difficult and expensive.

2) The D9 features a pair of great ramps which are cleverly housed underneath the dump box in slide frames. Each ramp is accessed through its own hinged flip down door panel. The design flaw is that the hinges have no grease nipple and there is no other way of lubricating them. This combined with the fact that they are made of high iron content steel, results in them seizing up hard between uses. Ramming them from the backside with the 100lb ramp will not free them nor will a pry bar from the outside. In the past a long wait after applying penetrating oil and some vibration has worked but it happened again today and so far after 3 hours that has not worked. It may sound like a small problem but it greatly impacts productivity. I could have finished today's 6 yard bark dust project by Noon but because of this issue the project is postponed for a week.

I've had the box interior refinished with a commercial grade coating by Line-X that stands up extremely well to impact and abrasion from rock, gravel, etc. and is impervious to hot tire pickup. Unlike their bed liner products this one is smooth so it doesn't interfere with material flow during dumping. Soon I'll have to do replace the powder coat on the rest of the trailer.

What prep did you do to the box before applying Line-x? My PJ dump trailer is 3 years old and the pc is coming off in sheets. Would like to redo it sometime before it rusts through.

 

[GManBart]

That's the same trailer I ended up buying and price wise it's very close to what I paid. Mine was powder coated however.

Matt

I called the dealer earlier, and asked about paint versus powder coat, and he said "I don't see why not, but I'll call them tomorrow" so I should know before long.

Other than the powder coat, are you happy with the trailer?

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Extremely, I had a PJ before this one and it also served me well. The trailer tows quite nicely while unloaded, as well as loaded.

Matt

 

[GManBart]

Extremely, I had a PJ before this one and it also served me well. The trailer tows quite nicely while unloaded, as well as loaded.

Matt

Thanks!

I think I'm going to go with the Load Trail. The PJ dealer didn't impress me....I called and they were busy, took my number, and said they would call back, but never did. I stopped there a few days later, but it was like they weren't thrilled to show me anything.

The LT dealer called back and said I could get it painted for the same price as powder coat. I also liked the 3-way tailgate better than the PJ 2-way tailgate, and the LT had a better jack setup...at the same price. Both dealers are less than 10 miles from me, so it's pretty easy to choose either one.

 

[Deere Dude]

For the reasons listed above we stopped selling powder coated trailers. Just too many complaints about the finish. On the painted trailers we sold we can get a rattle can of code matched paint for $12.99 plus shipping.

Chris

Why don't PC trailers hold up in your opinion. I always thought PC was indestructible almost. I am familiar with tractors and mower decks that are powder coated and that seems much better than a paint job for longevity. I ended up with a powder coated PJ trailer and the paint is great, but I store it inside. A friend had a spray painted trailer the same size for 10 years and had it repainted 4 years ago and it needs it again. The only reason I could thing pc don't hold up is because of the prep treatment, but I don't know.

 

[fossenbeck]

What prep did you do to the box before applying Line-x? My PJ dump trailer is 3 years old and the pc is coming off in sheets. Would like to redo it sometime before it rusts through.

The Line-X dealer said not to do any prep so I did less than I had originally planned, but I'm too stubborn to have not done any The dump box floor PC was in the worst shape so I scraped from the bare spots out to the point where the PC was still tightly adhered to the floor. All the bare spots had minor rust which I hit with naval jelly and a brass brush then thoroughly rinsed. Same on the interior walls which were in much better shape. I then sanded the PC-bare metal interface to feather it, wiped the entire surface with an aggressive Scotch-Brite pad, and finished it off with an acetone wipe using micro fiber towels. Primed the bare spots with three coats, then Scotch-Brited and wiped down the primer. The Line-X came out flawlessly, and although I have absolutely no proof, I'm convinced the prep contributed.

 

[fossenbeck]

Why don't PC trailers hold up in your opinion. I always thought PC was indestructible almost. I am familiar with tractors and mower decks that are powder coated and that seems much better than a paint job for longevity. I ended up with a powder coated PJ trailer and the paint is great, but I store it inside. A friend had a spray painted trailer the same size for 10 years and had it repainted 4 years ago and it needs it again. The only reason I could thing pc don't hold up is because of the prep treatment, but I don't know.

I actually think that PC is tougher than paint on flat open surfaces and believe it absorbs impacts and abrasion better than paint. However PC always fails at wear points (tail gate latches, hinges, fender undersides, ball mounts, etc. and anywhere water collects. Both finishes will eventually fail but the problem is that while painted surfaces can be properly repaired by the average person, PC cannot. Powder Coating is an electrostatic process requiring special application equipment and typically requires curing in an autoclave. Kinda tough for the average guy to have an autoclave or furnace big enough to back his dump trailer into

Many folks buy PC equipment then paint the spots that fail which is fine if they're happy with it, but I'm going to **** for my sins of pride:fiery:

 

[Diamondpilot]

Why don't PC trailers hold up in your opinion. I always thought PC was indestructible almost. I am familiar with tractors and mower decks that are powder coated and that seems much better than a paint job for longevity. I ended up with a powder coated PJ trailer and the paint is great, but I store it inside. A friend had a spray painted trailer the same size for 10 years and had it repainted 4 years ago and it needs it again. The only reason I could thing pc don't hold up is because of the prep treatment, but I don't know.

Once you get a chip or nick it comes off in sheets. Paint can be fixed with a rattle can.


Chris

 

[Gem99ultra]

A PJ is a low level trailer. It's the cheapest components you can buy, some models are made in Mexico. Just cheap. That is the biggest selling feature....cheap. The Big Tex is a decent trailer though.

Sir, I believe that your are misinformed. PJ trailers are built in Paris, Texas.

In addition, I have a 20'er and have had nothing but extremely great service out of it. Try one, you'll like it.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Sir, I believe that your are misinformed. PJ trailers are built in Paris, Texas.

In addition, I have a 20'er and have had nothing but extremely great service out of it. Try one, you'll like it.

I like my PJ dump trailer but the powder coat is terrible. I would still buy another one when this one wears out but will look at different finish options at that time. Hopefully won't be any time soon. We got 13 years out of a 10' EZ dumper UDT with heavy use on construction sites, the PJ is 14' and so much nicer in every category then the old EZ dumper.

We had looked at Moritz but didn't get to involved as the dealer wasn't that great. They looked like quality trailers.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Sir, I believe that your are misinformed. PJ trailers are built in Paris, Texas. In addition, I have a 20'er and have had nothing but extremely great service out of it. Try one, you'll like it.

Not all PJ trailers are built in Texas. Some are or were built in Mexico.

Chris

 

[GManBart]

It looks like commercial Line-X is out. I talked with the local installer the morning to get a quote and it's pretty expensive. The dump body I'm looking at is about 200sq ft, and the commercial Line-X coating is 12sq ft. They have an industrial coating called UC 400 that's very smooth, and better for dump bodies since stuff slides out better, but they think it's more expensive...they're going to e-mail me a quote per square foot. At $2400 to coat the bed, I'm going to pass, and that doesn't include any sandblasting prep work they have to do.

It looks like there are some alternatives like Durabak that comes in a smooth finish that might be worth considering since it would be a DIY project.

 

[coobie]

Sir, I believe that your are misinformed. PJ trailers are built in Paris, Texas.

In addition, I have a 20'er and have had nothing but extremely great service out of it. Try one, you'll like it.

My 2009 PJ trailer states on the plate built in MEXICO.I have the powder coat finish on my 20ft. bumper pull which is still in great shape.Mine is also stored in my pole barn when not in use.

 

[coobie]

It looks like commercial Line-X is out. I talked with the local installer the morning to get a quote and it's pretty expensive. The dump body I'm looking at is about 200sq ft, and the commercial Line-X coating is 12sq ft. They have an industrial coating called UC 400 that's very smooth, and better for dump bodies since stuff slides out better, but they think it's more expensive...they're going to e-mail me a quote per square foot. At $2400 to coat the bed, I'm going to pass, and that doesn't include any sandblasting prep work they have to do.

It looks like there are some alternatives like Durabak that comes in a smooth finish that might be worth considering since it would be a DIY project.

Gmanbart,I don,t know how far you are from angola Indiana but I had some line-x work done on my truck.I used line-x of angola and they were more reasonable price wise verses the local dealers.

 

[Gem99ultra]

My 2009 PJ trailer states on the plate built in MEXICO.I have the powder coat finish on my 20ft. bumper pull which is still in great shape.Mine is also stored in my pole barn when not in use.

My apology please. I did a double check on my 20'er. Axles made in Royse, TX. Completed trailer was SHIPPED from Paris, TX. For the life of me, I cannot find a name plate that shows where the trailer frame was actually MADE. Heck - it could have been made anywhere the way things are today.

So - please pardon my quick fingers declaring that you were in error.

signed
Idiot

PS Mine was also bought in 2009; a 20' bumper pull, powder coated.
Stored outside, and is still in great shape.

 

[GManBart]

Gmanbart,I don,t know how far you are from angola Indiana but I had some line-x work done on my truck.I used line-x of angola and they were more reasonable price wise verses the local dealers.

It's a couple of hours for me to get to Angola, but I've been there a few times. Still, I'm thinking that even at half price it would add $1500 to the price of the trailer, but I might give them a call anyway.

I plan to keep it in the barn so I'm not super worried about rust. I'm thinking of going with paint rather than powder coat, and then doing something like Durabak/Herculiner in the smooth finish (they say it'll adhere well to cured paint). Even if I just go with paint and keep it touched up, I might be better off than PC that can fail

 

[George2615]

Not all PJ trailers are built in Texas. Some are or were built in Mexico.

Chris

My PJ tag says manufactured by Fabrique Par: PJ Trailer Mfg. Co. There is no state or country on the tag. Couldn't find much info on Fabrique Par.

 

[fossenbeck]

It looks like commercial Line-X is out. I talked with the local installer the morning to get a quote and it's pretty expensive. The dump body I'm looking at is about 200sq ft, and the commercial Line-X coating is 12sq ft. They have an industrial coating called UC 400 that's very smooth, and better for dump bodies since stuff slides out better, but they think it's more expensive...they're going to e-mail me a quote per square foot. At $2400 to coat the bed, I'm going to pass, and that doesn't include any sandblasting prep work they have to do.

It looks like there are some alternatives like Durabak that comes in a smooth finish that might be worth considering since it would be a DIY project.

Can't read much of the faded invoice but I'm pretty sure UC 400 is what I purchased (I can see that its U something). In 2010 I paid $1,825.80 before tax which is $8.95/sf at 204sf (16x7)+(32x2)+(14x2). After almost 5 years and many uses for 5/8minus, top soil, barkdust, firewood, stuff for the dump, moving my kids, and hauling my tractor it is still flawless. More than a few times I've had a box scrapper or landscape rake sliding around in it. It's at least as smooth as a painted surface so no material flow issues when dumping (slipperier than the PC) and suffers no harm with the tractor tires. Not sure if it oxidizes or not (never noticed any) but if it does the result isn't a rougher or stickier surface.

 

[bcp]

My PJ tag says manufactured by Fabrique Par: PJ Trailer Mfg. Co. There is no state or country on the tag. Couldn't find much info on Fabrique Par.

Bruce