Dump Trailer Questions

[MOTractor]

Dump Trailer – Talk me out of it, or not…

I think need a bigger trailer. I have 2 trailers, a 16’ stock trailer and a 10’ x 5’ wide light duty trailer single axle.

What I do with what I currently have:

Buy mulch in bulk, usually takes at 2 to 3 trips using the trailer / truck

Buy 16’ cattle fence panels – I use my long bed F250, 12” 2x4s and flags.

Buy all sorts of fencing materials: wood corner type post, 3.5” metal post for welding up the H, T-post, barbed wire… this is usually in the F250.

What I want to do:

My driveway is ¼ mile long, would like to pick up gravel/base without having to order a whole dump truck at a time, and pay the delivery fee when I would rather just patch a section.

Buy bulk mulch and only make one trip

I am looking at either a 72" x 12' Tandem 10K or a 83" x 14' Tandem 14K. Any thoughts on which? Pros or cons? My truck is an F250 XLT 4x4 long bed with a 6.7 diesel.

I have never used a dump trailer, anything I should look for, or lookout for?

Can a dump trailer spread decently?

I have heard that the towing vehicle can’t charge the dump battery fast enough for multiple dumps in a short time period. Is this correct?

Any other questions you can think of that I have not asked?

Local prices seem to range from 10,000 to about 12,000. Thanks for your help!

 

[Rock Crawler]

The tow vehicle can't recharge or recover the battery back to full during a long day of multiple lifts. But you do replace some of what was consumed.

Think like this... you use 10% of the battery for a heavy lift, drive back to get filled and drive back to dump site and in that time you recover 5%.

Repeat this 10 times and your at 50% remaining.

Take away the truck adding back and you do not finish the days work because you killed the battery and did damage to it.

Always go bigger if you can afford it. Go with the 14K if you can.

Never load the front heavy, unless you like shovels.

 

[LD1]

1st, go bigger. IF you ever decide to sell there is always demand for a 7x14 14k.

You arent saving much weight or money with the smaller trailer and there just isnt much demand if you ever decide to sell. All the landscaper type companies want the 7x14 14k

2nd, the batteries are constant maintenance. And infrequent use is worse than using it a few times a week. The battery only charges when its hooked to the truck, and that amounts to about a trickle charge at best. First check and see if your truck has a hot AUX pin in the 7-way. Thats whats needed to charge. They are usually only fused at 30a at the truck and a pretty skimpy 12ga wire....maybe a 10. But even so....the voltage drop over the distance on smaller wire....again....trickle charge at best.

Lots of options to remedy the issue though. Keep the battery charged, solar or electric maintainer, or what I just did since my battery just went kaput is for the cost of the battery you can run heavy gauge cord with a heavy plug back there and not ever worry...

But speaking of the trailer battery while on the topic.....Your cheaper trailers will have a fuse on the charge line from the truck. What most people dont know (because they dont read the manual) is that you are supposed to unhook the 7-way before dumping the trailer. Because the pump, even though it has its own battery, will still try and pull current through the 7-way. Enough that it either blows the fuse at the trailer or blows the truck fuse for that circuit. But then no one ever realizes it until your battery is dead and it wont dump a load...then you stand there scratching your head wondering why the truck isnt keeping it charged.

The better trailers use either a resettable breaker or they use a relay/circuitry to isolate the truck battery whenever you dump. But its not hard to wire a cheap relay to do just that and there is actually a good you-tube video explaining about it.

3rd....they are handy trailers. I have a flat bed truck, and while I love the flat bed as opposed to a pickup box.....sometimes I miss having a PU because I have to strap EVERYTING. The dump trailer is like my mobile overzised pickup box. Moving furniture, firewood, lumber pallets, etc. If you get one....you will find lots of uses.

4th. may be a regional thing, but I'd let the dump trucks haul stone for the driveway. The trucking companies and quarries around me that work together.....can deliver stone to me for cheaper than I can even buy it for, let alone having to haul it myself a few ton at a time. Makes no sense to pay more per ton and put the wear on my equipment. I'll just take a bulk load, and always have gravel when I needed. But hauling bulk mulch, or a little topsoil here and there, thats a perfect use.

 

[nikerret]

Here is some good reading, if you’ve missed it.

Art of the dump trailer

Just got a 12' dump trailer to go along with the 16' equipment trailer I've been using and there is definitely a learning curve. I've made about 14 dumps so far and I'm figuring it out. So far all of dumps have been good expect the last two. One before last I loaded too tail heavy and things...

www.tractorbynet.com

How do you keep the trailer backup battery charged. (or do you)

Like most people here, over the years, I have had several trailers. Some have proven to be good and some have not. But every trailer that has had a backup brake battery has been a problem. Every battery has gone bad. Every year. So before long, I quit checking it. I live in Missouri which...

www.tractorbynet.com

Loading issues on Dump Trailer

I got a 6x12 10K dump trailer earlier this year. Due to tow limits of my 1/2-ton truck, I never purchase more than 3 tons of material. When loaded properly, the trailer tows great. But I'd say 80% of the time, the local yards load me with a forward bias, creating too much tongue weight. I...

www.tractorbynet.com

Dump trailer direct wire?

I know quite a few here have a dump trailer. Anyone decide to direct wire to run off the trucks battery? I see it is a fairly common thing cause when googling it, lots of posts on landscape type forums. I only dump the dump trailer with the electric maybe 20-30 times a year. Most of the time...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[nikerret]

 

[nisaacs]

I agree with LD1, go 7'x14'x14k, perfect homeowner size. How high do you need the sides, what gauge, 7, 10, or 12? You will use it constantly, they are the most versatile of all trailers. Be sure to add ramps, tarp kit and 2-3 way tail gate. They do a real good job of spreading but it takes 2 people, one to drive and one to operate the hoist/gate. I haul commercial with no issues with batteries. I have two in the one I use the most. Always plug it in overnight.

Do your home work, they are all over the place with quality.

 

[nikerret]

These guys gave good advice, overall.

The tow vehicle can't recharge or recover the battery back to full during a long day of multiple lifts. But you do replace some of what was consumed.

Think like this... you use 10% of the battery for a heavy lift, drive back to get filled and drive back to dump site and in that time you recover 5%.

Repeat this 10 times and your at 50% remaining.

Take away the truck adding back and you do not finish the days work because you killed the battery and did damage to it.

Always go bigger if you can afford it. Go with the 14K if you can.

Never load the front heavy, unless you like shovels.

I don’t agree with the math you’re using, but it’s an easy to understand example (not saying you presented it as how it works).

In my experience, the 10% of battery, per use, is probably close. So is the 50% battery not being enough. The 12v, from the 7-way is almost always just a trickle charger. It won’t charge a discharged battery, but will keep up with parasitic loss.

How much battery capacity used, per dump, is dependent on many factors. Weight in the box is a big one. So is age and condition of battery.

1st, go bigger. IF you ever decide to sell there is always demand for a 7x14 14k.

You arent saving much weight or money with the smaller trailer and there just isnt much demand if you ever decide to sell. All the landscaper type companies want the 7x14 14k

2nd, the batteries are constant maintenance. And infrequent use is worse than using it a few times a week. The battery only charges when its hooked to the truck, and that amounts to about a trickle charge at best. First check and see if your truck has a hot AUX pin in the 7-way. Thats whats needed to charge. They are usually only fused at 30a at the truck and a pretty skimpy 12ga wire....maybe a 10. But even so....the voltage drop over the distance on smaller wire....again....trickle charge at best.

Lots of options to remedy the issue though. Keep the battery charged, solar or electric maintainer, or what I just did since my battery just went kaput is for the cost of the battery you can run heavy gauge cord with a heavy plug back there and not ever worry...

See his thread I linked, earlier, for more.

But speaking of the trailer battery while on the topic.....Your cheaper trailers will have a fuse on the charge line from the truck. What most people dont know (because they dont read the manual) is that you are supposed to unhook the 7-way before dumping the trailer. Because the pump, even though it has its own battery, will still try and pull current through the 7-way. Enough that it either blows the fuse at the trailer or blows the truck fuse for that circuit. But then no one ever realizes it until your battery is dead and it wont dump a load...then you stand there scratching your head wondering why the truck isnt keeping it charged.

The better trailers use either a resettable breaker or they use a relay/circuitry to isolate the truck battery whenever you dump. But its not hard to wire a cheap relay to do just that and there is actually a good you-tube video explaining about it.

This is good advice, regardless of trailer. All it takes is one weak component and you open up your truck to issues. Just remember to plug it back in, when you’re done.

3rd....they are handy trailers. I have a flat bed truck, and while I love the flat bed as opposed to a pickup box.....sometimes I miss having a PU because I have to strap EVERYTING. The dump trailer is like my mobile overzised pickup box. Moving furniture, firewood, lumber pallets, etc. If you get one....you will find lots of uses.

Same, here.

4th. may be a regional thing, but I'd let the dump trucks haul stone for the driveway. The trucking companies and quarries around me that work together.....can deliver stone to me for cheaper than I can even buy it for, let alone having to haul it myself a few ton at a time. Makes no sense to pay more per ton and put the wear on my equipment. I'll just take a bulk load, and always have gravel when I needed. But hauling bulk mulch, or a little topsoil here and there, thats a perfect use.

I have accounts at several quarries and do commercial dump trailer work. Not all quarries require you to be commercial, some do.

 

[LD1]

Speaking of adding ramps too.....if you plan on loading equipment make sure it can actually handle it.

The issue is the ramps clip into the swinging part of the tailgate. Some cheaper trailers explicitly warn about loading heavy equipment. The griffin dump trailer...7x14 14k that my buddies landscape company uses has a sticker on the back door in big bold that says MAX RAMP LOAD 5000 lbs.

They tried once loading the 8500# skidloader and it bent the bottom frame of the door cause it was only 2x2 lighter tube. They straightened it and welded it to the trailer because they dont ever have a need for tailgating.

I have a suretrac 7x12 12k and where/how the ramps attach is much heavier. 8k excavator loading is no issues at all.

 

[4570Man]

4th. may be a regional thing, but I'd let the dump trucks haul stone for the driveway. The trucking companies and quarries around me that work together.....can deliver stone to me for cheaper than I can even buy it for, let alone having to haul it myself a few ton at a time. Makes no sense to pay more per ton and put the wear on my equipment. I'll just take a bulk load, and always have gravel when I needed. But hauling bulk mulch, or a little topsoil here and there, thats a perfect use.

I suspect it’s that way nearly everywhere and people just have a false sense of saving money by doing it themselves. Locally I can get a 22 ton load hauled for $100 haul bill. Trying to haul it 4-5 tons at a time is laughable. You’re only $20-25 per trip at that point and having to buy fuel out of that. I can haul 10 tons or a little better on my truck but I still won’t do it for $50.

 

[nikerret]

I suspect it’s that way nearly everywhere and people just have a false sense of saving money by doing it themselves. Locally I can get a 22 ton load hauled for $100 haul bill.

From what I’ve seen, it’s very regional. The only dump trucks that even get close to hauling 22 tons (legally) are all in the big cities. In my area, if you want 22 tons, in one load, it‘s either coming from a semi trailer or a guy with no insurance running very overweight.

The nearest quarry is 26 miles, from my house. Barrel bed end dump semi’s are getting $110-150, per hour, with most being between $110-120, per hour. Getting one load is tough. They like to bill, by the day, or you get the “I don’t want to do it” price.

 

[LD1]

I suspect it’s that way nearly everywhere and people just have a false sense of saving money by doing it themselves. Locally I can get a 22 ton load hauled for $100 haul bill. Trying to haul it 4-5 tons at a time is laughable. You’re only $20-25 per trip at that point and having to buy fuel out of that. I can haul 10 tons or a little better on my truck but I still won’t do it for $50.

ITs not just that.....the guys that haul thousands of tons a year from the local quarries get a better rate than the small guy.

For example.....(I have a friend that has a semi dump so he gets better pricing). HE can get 304 limestone for ~$9 per ton.

IF I call the same place and tell them I haul my own on a dump trailer or single axle dump....its $14/ton.

 

[4570Man]

From what I’ve seen, it’s very regional. The only dump trucks that even get close to hauling 22 tons (legally) are all in the big cities. In my area, if you want 22 tons, in one load, it‘s either coming from a semi trailer or a guy with no insurance running very overweight.

The nearest quarry is 26 miles, from my house. Barrel bed end dump semi’s are getting $110-150, per hour, with most being between $110-120, per hour. Getting one load is tough. They like to bill, by the day, or you get the “I don’t want to do it” price.

Locally they’re legal with 74,000 on a tri axel dump truck.

 

[4570Man]

ITs not just that.....the guys that haul thousands of tons a year from the local quarries get a better rate than the small guy.

For example.....(I have a friend that has a semi dump so he gets better pricing). HE can get 304 limestone for ~$9 per ton.

IF I call the same place and tell them I haul my own on a dump trailer or single axle dump....its $14/ton.

The local quarry charges the same rate for everyone but they do have a $50 minimum which comes to about 5 tons.

 

[LD1]

From what I’ve seen, it’s very regional. The only dump trucks that even get close to hauling 22 tons (legally) are all in the big cities. In my area, if you want 22 tons, in one load, it‘s either coming from a semi trailer or a guy with no insurance running very overweight.

The nearest quarry is 26 miles, from my house. Barrel bed end dump semi’s are getting $110-150, per hour, with most being between $110-120, per hour. Getting one load is tough. They like to bill, by the day, or you get the “I don’t want to do it” price.

Most of the trucking guys around here are running 4, 5, or 6 axle dumps. Im not in a big city. Tell them you want a big load.....and you get ~25 or 26 tons in one shot. And no thats not a semi trailer.

Legal or not....dunno Im not a trucker. But the trucking company I use has probably 20 trucks and hauls thousands of tons a year because pretty much all he does is haul stone. So I really dont think he getting away running illegal every day

 

[mred2]

I love my dump trailer. 14k. We use it to haul 4 to 5 yards of sand, gravel or fill dirt. Where I pile it is in the pasture and large trucks can not get back there. My son also uses it to clean up the tops from trees that has fallen or been cut. Great not having to unload by hand.
I have used to the transport my tractor but only once. We do plug the charger up about once every 2 months. Just a great addition to the farm.

 

[jaxs]

Rather than parroting the ever popular"go big or go home"philosophy,I'll give you suggestions that help you to make calls which fit your situation. Check to see what annual registeration cost's for 12&14k trailers. See what type annual inspection and insurance is required for various weight classes. The difference in above and below 10k Lbs is huge in Texas but states vary. If you are stopped for burnt out tail light,expired registeration or other minor traffic violations and have a clean driving record,below 10k usually results in a warning whereas above 10k is a different ball game. Cost of legally operating a large trailer in Texas exceeds what it cost's for 3 or 4 light duty.
As for keeping battery charged. If you follow the suggestion of jerry-rigging a system that eliminate's trailer battery and alow's using truck battery,you might be s-o-r-r-y. If trailer seperate's from hitch there will be no break-away brakes and things rarly end well. Even if there is never an event where brake-away brakes come into play,you risk a stiff fine and possible high risk insurance requirements if a trooper find's the cobbled up wireing.
This is about the point where drugstore cowboys and short haulers accuse me of Chicken Little behavior. Ask any long time cross country truck driver how they would be treated for disabling automaticly applied trailer brakes. Point(s) being even if your state isn't strict on commercial vehicles,the adjoining states might be if you have occasion to use their roads.
I'm not discouraging you buying a dump trailer,just advise going in with eyes open and/or possibly going with a sensiable size and spending savings on other toys.
For mulch and other light weight material,look at this

 

[BravoXray]

From what I’ve seen, it’s very regional. The only dump trucks that even get close to hauling 22 tons (legally) are all in the big cities. In my area, if you want 22 tons, in one load, it‘s either coming from a semi trailer or a guy with no insurance running very overweight.

If he has license plates, he has insurance. If he has operating authority, he has insurance.
Can't get either without proof of insurance, and if you cancel your insurance the state and DOT will get notified.

 

[nikerret]

If he has license plates, he has insurance. If he has operating authority, he has insurance.
Can't get either without proof of insurance, and if you cancel your insurance the state and DOT will get notified.

I’m the only owner/operator dump trailer guy, in my area with a DOT number. The rest run “farm plates” and do not have insurance that will cover their mishaps, on a commercial job site. Operating authority isn’t required, here, for raw dirt or rock products. Even when it is required, almost no one gets it.

When you cancel your insurance, the State may be notified, but that record is not kept in a way that LE can use, on the roadway. The insurance used to show proof, when registering is on the registration readout, but that is only updated when registration is renewed. To check for insurance, LE must send a special form to the State who will then check if the insurance was valid, on that day. As long as there is a properly dated and labelled (policy number and vehicle information) “proof of insurance”, a LEO isn’t going to write a citation or make an arrest, for that charge. People get insurance just long enough to get their registration plates and cancel, immediately after. The only way they get caught is if there’s a wreck and the verification form is sent in and then a negative result received. This is for Kansas. Other States do things differently.

 

[4570Man]

Rather than parroting the ever popular"go big or go home"philosophy,I'll give you suggestions that help you to make calls which fit your situation. Check to see what annual registeration cost's for 12&14k trailers. See what type annual inspection and insurance is required for various weight classes. The difference in above and below 10k Lbs is huge in Texas but states vary. If you are stopped for burnt out tail light,expired registeration or other minor traffic violations and have a clean driving record,below 10k usually results in a warning whereas above 10k is a different ball game. Cost of legally operating a large trailer in Texas exceeds what it cost's for 3 or 4 light duty.
As for keeping battery charged. If you follow the suggestion of jerry-rigging a system that eliminate's trailer battery and alow's using truck battery,you might be s-o-r-r-y. If trailer seperate's from hitch there will be no break-away brakes and things rarly end well. Even if there is never an event where brake-away brakes come into play,you risk a stiff fine and possible high risk insurance requirements if a trooper find's the cobbled up wireing.
This is about the point where drugstore cowboys and short haulers accuse me of Chicken Little behavior. Ask any long time cross country truck driver how they would be treated for disabling automaticly applied trailer brakes. Point(s) being even if your state isn't strict on commercial vehicles,the adjoining states might be if you have occasion to use their roads.
I'm not discouraging you buying a dump trailer,just advise going in with eyes open and/or possibly going with a sensiable size and spending savings on other toys.
For mulch and other light weight material,look at this

His truck and a 14k trailer won’t exceed the 26k mark so I don’t see any pros with going with a 10k other than the upfront price.

 

[nikerret]

His truck and a 14k trailer won’t exceed the 26k mark so I don’t see any pros with going with a 10k other than the upfront price.

The 26k won’t likely matter, for personal use. State laws vary.