Converting my dump trailer to the remote on my tractor

Johnbro · Oct 9, 2011

WE also have a 14k dump trailer and what I discovered is that the charger in the trailer is only putting out a couple of amps. So if you deplete the battery (and lifting a heavy load to dump sucks a lot of amps) it will take a long time to recharge. however, your alternator on your tractor can put out 40 amps or so so I would hook the battery from the dump trailer directly to some decent wiring from your tractor, bypassing the built-in charger in the trailer.

I expect they use a trickle charger to avoid 1) paying for a charge controller as part of the cost of the trailer and 2) having people fry the batteries by leaving them plugged in all the time (which I confess I do).

demaree99 · Oct 9, 2011

The trailer is less than 6mos old so the battery is not a issue. There is a big difference between " white oak blocks " and 8 to 9 tons of dirt. The heavier the load the bigger the drain. You are also comparing it with a 40 mile round trip between loads with the truck's alternator spinning at full power to re-charge it. I use it during the week to and from the dump and have no problems because of the " trip time " to re-charge. Across my land is only a 10 minute run and will not keep up dumping a 9 ton load. That is why I wanted to by-pass it just while I'm running it on the farm to avoid the battery issue.

demaree99 · Oct 9, 2011

Johnbro is right on. Heavy loads really put the " zap " on the battery and quick. Like I said in my post, I have the 12v hot wire that charges the battery in the plug-in on my tractor, but by passing the built-in charger on the trailer might be the best way to go. It's takes way too long between cycles to bring the battery back to peak after dumping numerous heavy loads. I can fill the trailer in 5mins with my bobcat and be back to top shape on the battery. Maybe just a simple by-pass switch to make sure the battery doesn't get damaged and will be ready for normal work on Monday. I have about 4000 yds of dirt to move so it will take some time.

nwngunner · Oct 9, 2011

I have a buddy who has a 3,000 pound normal trailer that he uses for mowers and such. On the tounge of the trailer he placed an old truck tool box. I told him to put a couple of solar chargers into the top of the box, so that his battery can be kept fully charged all year around. He put the winch and battery in the box so no more issues with our iowa winters. How ever, to avoid the redoing all of your hydro lines, i would suggest running a hot wire as well. How ever if you are up for it, get your self a 12volt dc selnoid valve. you only need a two port one. You can run the valve so that when you are powering up the valve is in its open state. then when you want to lower the trailer. You hit a momentary on switch powering the valve while you hit your retract on the remote that lets the pressure off of the trailer and diverts the fluid back in to your 2ed port on your remotes. I hope you can follow.

N8ghz · Oct 10, 2011

What I'd do is get a pair of anderson DC connectors and some welding cable and tap into the battery posts on the trailer with lugs on the welding cable. Then add an anderson connector to the tractor battery posts. Then plug the cables from the trailer into the tractor. That way you'll have 2 batterys and a charging circuit.
You could experiment with this idea, by using a good set of jumper cables ( if they are long enough) first, to see how it works and if it solves the problem?

As far as doing it with the tractor hydraulics, You need to switch fluids in the trailer so it is the same as the tractor. I assume the tralier cylinder(s) are single-acting (gravity down)? So you'd be loosing however much oil it takes to dump full stroke, from the tractors system and returning the oil when lowering. I don't know how your trailer works, but I'd guess it runs it's pump to dump, and then you turn a valve or energize a solenoid to lower? You'd need a directional valve between the tractor and the trailer to raise/lower the cylinder(s).

Fixemall · Oct 10, 2011

How about a power inverter ran off the tractor to a faster charger? Both can be had cheap and should keep up with the cycles.

jinman · Oct 11, 2011

I would not try to run a dump trailer off of a towing vehicle's battery just because that would limit the vehicles that can tow the trailer because they would all have to have high-current wiring. I have a 7' x 12' twin cylinder (double acting) dump trailer. It came with a deep cycle battery and that fresh battery regularly gave me seven dumps with the trailer loaded to its capacity. Depending on how far you are towing, you could recharge the battery from the vehicle. The manufacturer supplied me with the circuit diagram for doing that. If you are doing short hauls and lots of loads, you need two batteries and a charger going constantly on the 'resting' battery to keep up.

To hook the system to the tractor's remote, you need hoses and fittings and a device called a "Shuttle Valve." This one is from Surplus Center. It looks internally like the diagram below. What it does is to allow the source with pressure to power the hydraulics while isolating the other source. This ensures the electric pump/reservoir on the trailer won't have back-pressure and overfill the reservoir if there are slight leaks. The same is true for the tractor. There is no danger of the trailer pump's pressure feeding back and sending fluid to the tractor. This configuration was suggested by the manufacturer of my trailer. I have all the parts sitting in a box in my barn, but have not done the mod yet or I'd show some pictures. It's a simple item to add and has the double value of being a "T" for the circuit in addition to being a shuttle valve.:thumbsup:

Localmotion · Oct 11, 2011

Both Jinman and J J are spot on with their suggestions, and I definately agree that if using your trailer on short hauls with the tractor it makes far more sense to use the tractor auxilary spool valve rather than the battery and pump built into the trailer...

Here is my own suggestion to bypass the trailer pump, but allow easy reconnection if needed:

1 - Disconnect the hose connecting the pump to the Ram at it's connection with the pump (or valve if fitted).

2 - Extend the ram hose (using a join) to ensure there is enough slack to reach the tractor auxilary output.

3 - Install quick fit connectors (same type as on the auxilary output spool of the tractor) - it will most likely be the male connector on the pipe and female connector on the pump or valve.

To use the trailer on the tractor, you can then simply plug the hose into the tractor spool auxilary. Or to use on a different towing vehicle using the battery pump simple coil the spare hose and plug into the trailer pump... Total cost of doing this here would be around €50 (not sure what that is in $ sorry!)

Also make sure you check the trailer oil resivoir, as it will probably need topping up to compensate for the extra length of hose, and as with J J I'd suggest using the same oil in the trailer that you use in your tractor hydraulic system....

Hope this helps :thumbsup: