Dump trailer for hauling

[tungularafishcamp]

I have been picking up a 16' pj bumper pull dump the last 5 years when I go down to Oregon. I resell them a couple months later after hauling a load of stuff home. Granted they are new but have done everything I needed even handled the occasional overloading pretty well except for one time when some logs shifted 80

Tried the lopro once but didn't like the very limited ground clearance while dumping, so stayed with the regular height for the rest of them. Have thought about trying the deck overs but afraid I would bust the sides loading/hauling logs. The 3 n one gate is great and also removes easily with just 2 pins. Dumped steep enough to dump wet sticky clay, helped it was pouring buckets of rain that day!

The 16' isn't that much more $ nor any more weight capacity but the extra length is way handy. It hauls my l48 no problem, I put a 4x4 on the top of the front rail n rest the bucket on that to not tear up the debris cover and it balances out just right with the backhoe on. If I was going to buy one for myself I would probably go the upgraded axles/tires for a little extra capacity.

 

[ultrarunner]

Great Review...

 

[Code54]

Ok, looks like I am heading towards a 16' 14000lbs unit. Seems to be averaging around $6000-7000 so now I really need to look at the details and build quality. Rather pay a bit more and it last! Sounds like the scissor lift is the way to go! Thanks to all!

 

[ultrarunner]

Scissor is heavier over all... but is preferred for those that do commercial work... like roofing debris and such...

Do you need a CDL for a 14k trailer in your State?

 

[Code54]

Luckily we do not have to have a CDL for that here.
I have a cummins Ram so it is within my rating and the nice thing is I only have less than 10 miles to the yard where I get everything (no highway just 2 lanes). When I want dirt it is about a mile away and half of that is my driveway!
Never knew that about a scissor lift, thanks for the info and thoughts!

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

The scissor is more complex, but has the great advantage that the bed will not tilt on its own from having a poor weight distribution. If you are using it to haul equipment, this is important, because there always comes a time during loading when all of the weight is in the back of the trailer. Scissor types can take this, direct acting ram types will tilt at this point, which can lead to a very dangerous situation, with you sitting right on top of that danger while driving the equipment into the trailer.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but a double acting cylinder will not "free" tip the bed when it gets back-heavy at the end of a dump. It's stays under positive control no matter where the load's balance point it.

 

[94BULLITT]

I do see your point on the cost of a trailer vs delivery and the trailer is by far more expensive. The big advantage to me is getting what I need when I want it. We often need a ton or two of this or that for a project and that is where the trailer would be great. I also have an area where I can get all the dirt I want so I figure the trailer would be real handy there.
I also took a few more measurements and found the info I found on line about the width of my tractor was wrong - 83" will be fine so I am back looking at the 16' trailer.
What should be on my list of MUST haves? Anything to avoid? One ram or Two, scissor or no scissor? Etc?
Thanks guys

I like two cylinders. If the load is not evenly loaded side to side you don't have to worry about it racking bed.

 

[CurlyDave]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but a double acting cylinder will not "free" tip the bed when it gets back-heavy at the end of a dump. It's stays under positive control no matter where the load's balance point it.

My direct acting cylinder dump is only a single acting cylinder. There is a pivot point about 12-18" in front of the gate.

The bed will not "free tip" at the end of a dump because by the time it material has emptied to the point where there is more weight behind the pivot than in front of it, there is so little material in the bed that the weight of the front part of the bed is high enough to keep it front heavy. The bed lowers by draining hydraulic fluid out of the cylinder and into the reservoir through a solenoid valve.

The problem arises when one puts ramps on the back of an empty bed and tries to drive a piece of equipment, like a tractor, a mini-ex, or a skid steer into the trailer. You can get all of the weight of the piece of equipment on the very back of the bed, which more than counterbalances the front of the bed, and up it comes.

You can avoid the tilting by placing jack stands under the back of the bed. If one tries to avoid it by securing the front of the bed to the front of the trailer, you can get a lot of negative tongue weight, which is dangerous if the hitch can not withstand this negative tongue weight, or if it is enough to lift the back of the truck.

Thinking about this for a minute, one can also get this negative tongue weight with a scissors dump, so jack stands under the back of the trailer are always a good idea for loading equipment.

 

[Furu]

. I can get 10 yards delivered in a tandem dump truck for a $70.00 delivery charge. This is 30,000 lb. If I take my trailer to the quarry, that is a minimum of 4 round trips, probably 5 since I try to stay enough under the max capacity to be legal all the time. I would burn more than $70 in diesel making than many trips, not to mention the value of my time.

.

Wish the delivery charge was like that up one state to your north. Cheapest is about $110/ hour and thus each load is a minimum $110 and depending upon pit wait times much more.

We figured with the price of diesel that we can beat that hands down. Even when fuel prices go back up double again still can beat it. Time I would agree is money but time available for getting it when you want it, is as well.