A Small dump trailer build

[AKwelder]

This spring I was laid up for a couple of days and found a ATV size dump trailer for sale on the internet, and decided I could build one. My wife is in to gardening and composting and I constantly need to haul supplies or dirt. We also have several horses and we haul manure out of the paddock every spring. Currently I use my FEL and it has a very small bucket. ( one argument for the new tractor but that is another story)
I started with a couple guild lines.

-Must be able to go behind my 700cc quad(maybe not fully loaded)

-Since my tractor does not have a rear service it needed to dump on its own, I did not want to buy a electric hydraulic unit so I decided it needed to use a log ram bottle jack like on a cherry picker.

-I liked the 4x6 size of the unit on the net sooo..

-dual axles for the tongue weight and heavy loads

- Try not to tie up a lot of cash
So here is the final build before decking and paint
I think that It might work well for hauling firewood to the house and yard chores. And maybe even save my poor tractor a couple trips with a full bucket.

 

[sixdogs]

Looks like quality workmanship and a good design. Hats off to you for a good job. What size is the cylinder?

If you don't mind I'd like to steal the basic premise and make one for myself. Maybe a little bigger but that's all we would need around my place. Need it rugged for gravel and not too big for space reasons.

 

[bobodu]

Be interested to see how that handles turns.Seems like you would drag the front tires a lot.

 

[patrick_g]

I have a dump trailer and find that I need every degree of tilt it can muster to unload. I think you will find that 45 degrees is not enough for anything offering much stiction (sticky and or friction.) Firewood is not a challenge but dirt, manure, and other stuff involved with gardening will require shovel work if the tilit angle is not great enough.

Nice looking job from what I can tell in the photos.

Pat

 

[czechsonofagun]

Looking good. I am toying with the same idea for a while now.

Did you consider using wider wheels for soft ground? The reason I am asking is I got two wheels like yours from a buddy of mine and I am not sure it is the right thing for a backyard dump trailer.

 

[AKwelder]

Answering a couple questions,

The cylinder is a hydraulic jack, the type you find on a common cherry picker, I got this one for $35 at a garage sale a couple years ago, and now I can tell my wife "see I do use the junk,er items I buy and store".

The tires are wide snowmachine, quad trailer style, and the front does scuff on tight turns, I already see that a longer tongue is needed. But was concerned about being to big. I thing I cut this one to short and thing another 12 to 18 inches are needed. How is my next issue.

Now to the big question, will it dump dirt, Not very well is my guess. I used to work in gravel pits and ready mix plants. Several reference books list the tipping angel of earth as 30-32 degrees. Yet every dump truck and trailer I have used has lifted much more. I hope that the angle will be enough to work fair. I used a metal floor and have read a couple threads about slick paint helping. I also have glacier silt, gravel and sand for soil so I hope this will help.

As a note, I placed a rub on three sides. hopefully I can use simple side boards to stop every thing from just dumping

 

[AKwelder]

Has anyone found a good source for electric hydro units? I would love to use a regular hydraulic cylinder, but there are none available here for less than a grand. and northern tool and the rest will not ship here unless it is 2nd day air. that makes it very cost prohibitive. A sissiors dump would be perfect, but getting one to use a hydraulic jack has been difficult.

 

[denmansoft]

Put a cheap plastic tarp on the bottom before you load and your dirt should slide out much easier witha minimal tilt. If you leave it up over the front of your box you can easily grap the front and with a few tugs you got your trailer emptied!

 

[alltoys]

I see a problem besides not having a steep enough angle for dumping dirt is the back end of your dump needs to be at the end of the pivot.

I have repaired many homemade dumps because the very back is past the pivot point of the dump. The entire load may get hung up and rest on the overhang bending the frame of the overhang.

 

[sandman2234]

If he made the extension strong enough (unlikely!!) then he could use a comalong under the bed to raise the bed. However, the mechanical disadvantage of this would require a comalong with serious intentions and the bed braced extremely well.
David from jax

 

[wushaw]

I see a problem besides not having a steep enough angle for dumping dirt is the back end of your dump needs to be at the end of the pivot.

I have repaired many homemade dumps because the very back is past the pivot point of the dump. The entire load may get hung up and rest on the overhang bending the frame of the overhang.

The frame does need to be beefed up that is for sure, I have to add some bracing to mine when I can get around to it.

 

[AKwelder]

Need to change something, thought you guys had doubts as to the deck, now I see you were referring to the frame. the frame is box tube with c channel. One thing is the rear spring mount goes to the back of the frame and just misses siting under the hinge. I could have built it heavier, but worked hard to keep it light, and since it is a yard trailer i think it will hold up

 

[excelagator]

Nice job on the trailer AK! I like the hand operated jack idea!

Dan

 

[3RRL]

I really like the rugged simplicity of your dump trailer.
Only thing I would change is to have more tilt. I too have seen stuff stick to the bed where a little more angle helps get it ALL sliding off. How much do you think it will hold when you get the sides on ... a yard or so ... maybe a little less?

 

[SkunkWerX]

I really like the rugged simplicity of your dump trailer.
Only thing I would change is to have more tilt. I too have seen stuff stick to the bed where a little more angle helps get it ALL sliding off. How much do you think it will hold when you get the sides on ... a yard or so ... maybe a little less?

I agree with Rob, more tilt, for sure. Go for a minimum of 60 degrees. (90 being straight up/vertical).

I like the construction, looks nice and solid!

 

[KubotaSam]

When I was a kid I had an old 1928 Model AA Ford truck. It had a home made dump body that raised with a hand crank winch made from an old transmission. The cable went from the winch drum to an a frame tower back down to the edge of the dump body. It worked great. I wish I had some pictures. Actually I wish I still had the old Ford.

 

[patrick_g]

I have a HF shop crane with 8 ton long throw hydraulic cylinder. Yesterday I replaced the cylinder with an air over hydraulic version, also from HF. Works great. Either cylinder would be a good one for a small dumper.

The air powered one can also be operated with the supplied mechanical pump handle.

Too bad I don't need a small dumper as the now spare cylinder would be ideal. (I have a 10,000 lb 7x12x2 ft box dump trailer which handles my needs.)

Pat

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Has anyone found a good source for electric hydro units? I would love to use a regular hydraulic cylinder, but there are none available here for less than a grand. and northern tool and the rest will not ship here unless it is 2nd day air. that makes it very cost prohibitive. A sissiors dump would be perfect, but getting one to use a hydraulic jack has been difficult.

When I built my garden size dump trailer I bought the power pack at a truck wrecking yard. It cost $125. Check lift gate trucks, Handicap vans, tow trucks, crane trucks. I think if you have a little patience you'll find something suitable within a reasonable price range.

The other option is to look for Linear actuators. These are the screw type actuators that they use on ATV carts like you mentioned in your first post. RV power jacks are the same thing, but are not always called by the same name. The linear actuators are a compromise. They don't require all the space and weight of a hydraulic motor, pump, reservoir, and valve; but they are also a little slower and aren't as powerful as hydraulics. I bet you'd still like it better than the hand pump idea.

 

[Gittyup]

Like the heft of your frame. Here's mine. Posted in a thread back in the spring, if interested in the details. Been using it all summer. Works great! Only problem is don't try to dump sideways on a hill. Turned it over and bent the tongue. I guess that why some guys have reinforced the tongue. You'll need as steeper angle to dump effectively, though.

 

[patrick_g]

Today I hauled 5 loads in my 6 1/4 yard (2x7x12 box) dump trailer. I selected a draw bar with very little drop to raise the front of the trailer to aid in dumping the dirt. Even with the bed nearly vertical I had to "jump" the truck forward to get the dirt to fall. So much for the theory and the angle of repose.

HF sells a long throw hydraulic cylinder that is manual pump or air powered. It is an upgrade for their shop cranes. You can buy a small 12 volt compressor to run it. Not real fast (depending on your little compressor) but it takes little effort to depress the control valve. It is rated for 16,000 lbs.

Pat