Want to buy a dump trailer, kinda torn here.

[Rock Crawler]

I have owned dozen of trailers over the years. Bumper pull trailers are a lot easier to hook and unhook but that is about the only advantage they have over a gooseneck. I have a 7x14 14k Lamar gooseneck dump trailer and really like it. I put my skid steer in it once (way overloaded) for a five mile trip and it worked fine. If you are going with a 14k trailer I would strongly recommend a gooseneck. Heavy bumper pull loads behind light trucks are scary.

As to length I really like the 14’ but definitely wouldn’t get longer. a few years back I had a 16’ dump and it was far to easy to overload it to the point it wouldn’t lift. The 12’s seem too small to fit various things in and the 14’s seem just about perfect. I haven’t used the dump feature or hauled any dirt/gravel with mine in about six months but I have used it a ton hauling other things. Last week I used it to pick up a grain drill 300 miles away, the week before that I hauled two tons of deer corn to the ranch, I haul my UTV in it a lot, I have even stuffed a army truck in the bed once.

How would a skid steer overload a 14K GN dump? Assume you have a 4500 lb trailer with a 14K gross and 20 percent tongue weight transferred to the truck. You've got atoms 13,000 worth of legal payload in the trailer. I didn't know that there were 13K lb skid steers. Our New Holland C232 is the largest frame size they make and it's 10,600. It's been riding in a 14K Appalachian bumper pull dump every day for 8 years doing tree service. The trailer doesn't care at all, the dump trucks know the weight is there from engine per view, but otherwise they don't care.

 

[bdog]

My skid steer weighs 13,190 lbs per the manufacturer specs. My trailer weighs 4,670 lbs per the specs. That is 17,860 lbs. I know there is no way I was putting 3,860 lbs on the pin and if I was I would have been overloading my F-250.

 

[Rock Crawler]

My skid steer weighs 13,190 lbs per the manufacturer specs. My trailer weighs 4,670 lbs per the specs. That is 17,860 lbs. I know there is no way I was putting 3,860 lbs on the pin and if I was I would have been overloading my F-250.

You should have had around 3500 lbs on the pin. You would have been barely overloaded. I've done far far worse.....

 

[Hay Dude]

I think a 3/4 ton is barely enough truck for a dump trailer like you are considering. If I were in your spot, I’d be looking at a pair of Firestone ride rite air bags.
I had a set of them on my 2008 F-250 and they made the towing the trailer a much, much better ride. They are a cheap investment for what you get back if you are going to load that trailer up heavy.

 

[Jackstack76]

I have owned dozen of trailers over the years. Bumper pull trailers are a lot easier to hook and unhook but that is about the only advantage they have over a gooseneck. I have a 7x14 14k Lamar gooseneck dump trailer and really like it. I put my skid steer in it once (way overloaded) for a five mile trip and it worked fine. If you are going with a 14k trailer I would strongly recommend a gooseneck. Heavy bumper pull loads behind light trucks are scary.

As to length I really like the 14’ but definitely wouldn’t get longer. a few years back I had a 16’ dump and it was far to easy to overload it to the point it wouldn’t lift. The 12’s seem too small to fit various things in and the 14’s seem just about perfect. I haven’t used the dump feature or hauled any dirt/gravel with mine in about six months but I have used it a ton hauling other things. Last week I used it to pick up a grain drill 300 miles away, the week before that I hauled two tons of deer corn to the ranch, I haul my UTV in it a lot, I have even stuffed a army truck in the bed once.

Thanks for the input!

The 16 foot ones seem awfully big and I can see how people can easily overload them. I think I’m leaning towards the gooseneck in 14 foot. The trailer weighs just under 4K so that would give a hair over 10k of payload. More than enough for my needs and a smaller skid steer.

 

[Jackstack76]

I think a 3/4 ton is barely enough truck for a dump trailer like you are considering. If I were in your spot, I’d be looking at a pair of Firestone ride rite air bags.
I had a set of them on my 2008 F-250 and they made the towing the trailer a much, much better ride. They are a cheap investment for what you get back if you are going to load that trailer up heavy.

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I’ll see how it does, I’ve been looking for a 1 ton but it’s not a great time for truck shopping right now. What I’ve pulled with it now it’s done better than I anticipated. I’d like a diesel but I don’t want the diesel bill if stuff goes south.

 

[Hay Dude]

Measure your skid steer with the longest conceivable attachment you will install on it. If it’s a rotary cutter, it will be pretty long.
Me? I’d get the 16 foot. I don’t think you will overload because you already have demonstrated you are aware of the overloading situation.Either one is nice, but once you buy a trailer and realize you outgrew it, you’ll be back looking for a bigger one at a bigger price. 16’ better for debris cleanup, mulch and longer lumber, too

 

[Rock Crawler]

It's super easy to not realize that your overloaded to the point that your lift will not work. This was about 2/3 full and we had to unload a lot by hand to get it to lift. This was the second load with fully charged dual battery on a 14K gross. Typically you can overload by a ton or two and still lift.... I'm guessing I must have had 18,000+ with trailer and load. It happens easier than you think. I cut loading this short to make sure it would dump. I was wrong. About half full arms to be more safe when your dealing with heavy material. If it's mulch you can fill it full.... dirt, concrete and asphalt will humble you real quick.

 

[Rock Crawler]

The load.

 

[Jackstack76]

It's super easy to not realize that your overloaded to the point that your lift will not work. This was about 2/3 full and we had to unload a lot by hand to get it to lift. This was the second load with fully charged dual battery on a 14K gross. Typically you can overload by a ton or two and still lift.... I'm guessing I must have had 18,000+ with trailer and load. It happens easier than you think. I cut loading this short to make sure it would dump. I was wrong. About half full arms to be more safe when your dealing with heavy material. If it's mulch you can fill it full.... dirt, concrete and asphalt will humble you real quick.

Im wondering now if I should go for the 16k, not sure the extra 1300$ is worth another 2000 pounds of payload.