Dodge 4500 Flat bed hauling gravel without dump trailer?

[piaffepony]

I know I posted about a load handler for my flat bed for unloading hay/shavings and what not. I also posted about my fabric building damage and have a lot of super heavy duty tarp material hanging around.

With all of rain we’ve had since the big storm, I need gravel and arena sand. Sooo yeah... I’m going to haul it myself because it’s not like I’m giving many lessons until my damage is repaired.

The consensus has been that I can haul approximately 2 cubic yards on my truck. I’m in the process of making my side rails now... but I still need unloading solutions.

Y’all mentioned pulling loads off with tractor. I did this with a much smaller load of pea gravel and a old regular cheapy tarp and it did work... once.. all the grommets ripped out and what not, which I kind of expected. I was in a hurry and didn’t take the time to brainstorm a stronger solution. The torn tarp pieces from my building are plenty big enough and much stronger.

Any ideas on how to rig it up so I can pull it off with the tractor evenly and make sure most of it stays on the tarp while dragging it off without ripping it up too much? I need probably 20 cu yards of sand (thank goodness it’s only 5 miles to the quarry!)
Would installing grommets to tie to a metal pipe work? To me that seems too flimsy.

Surely one of you geniuses have a DIY solution to my problem?

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Instead of grommets, that will rip out the first time you put them under load, just take a long 2x6 or 2x8 and roll it up in the edge of the tarp you want to pull from. Make sure it wraps around the piece of timber several wraps. Then run a chain from each side of the timber to the pull point on your tractor. Pulling nice and easy should pull the whole thing off the back of the truck.

 

[Scrambler82]

My newbie idea... "Build a rugged drag frame that fits in side of the side-rails on the trailer, and can be dragged off".
Using an HD Tarp on the bottom of the frame, attached to the front, and running over the floor of the trailer.
Using an additional larger tarp on the ground, or not, and drag the frame out of the trailer with your tractor; the Frame will draw the material off the trailer, the HD Tarp on the floor of the Frame/Trailer, will help contain the material and hopefully it will end up on the ground or tarp, with practice.

Reinforcement will be needed on the top, corner to corner, and on each corner us HD corner plates to keep it together.
Hardwood skips would help the sliding but try it out first.
A pull system can be arranged from the from t to the back BUT keep it on the inside to reduce binding.

OK, hit me, just thinking out loud.

 

[RNeumann]

I’d try chain link fence and then pull it out with the tractor bucket. But if your time is worth much renting a dump trailer is the solution if you don’t want to pay the trucking.

 

[piaffepony]

My newbie idea... "Build a rugged drag frame that fits in side of the side-rails on the trailer, and can be dragged off".
Using an HD Tarp on the bottom of the frame, attached to the front, and running over the floor of the trailer.
Using an additional larger tarp on the ground, or not, and drag the frame out of the trailer with your tractor; the Frame will draw the material off the trailer, the HD Tarp on the floor of the Frame/Trailer, will help contain the material and hopefully it will end up on the ground or tarp, with practice.

Reinforcement will be needed on the top, corner to corner, and on each corner us HD corner plates to keep it together.
Hardwood skips would help the sliding but try it out first.
A pull system can be arranged from the from t to the back BUT keep it on the inside to reduce binding.

OK, hit me, just thinking out loud.

Kind of like a rolling/tilt dump bed thing? How do you attach the tarp to the frame though?

I think that’s my biggest quandary.. how to attach the tarp to anything with out it ripping.

 

[4570Man]

Have you done the math on the hauling it yourself vs paying it done? A tri axel dump is going to haul at minimum 4 times what your truck is. Maybe more if you’re only hauling 2 yards although it’ll handle more. My topkick dump truck will haul about half what a big truck will and I’m only saving about $30-40 a load after fuel is bought. It’s not worth that to me to deal with it myself. I only hauled these loads because the other trucks were tied up longer than I wanted to wait.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here, if you buy a full 18 wheeler load with an end dump trailer, then delivery is free. Usually that's about 22 to 23 yards here. They also charge less per yard when you have them deliver the full trailer load.

If you have them deliver it in a dump truck, it's 8 yards at $40 a yard and another $50 delivery fee.

If you pick it up yourself and they load it into the back of your truck, it's $40 a yard and you are making lots of trips back and forth to pick it up, and then dealing with unloading it.

For really small jobs, I'll buy it one yard at a time because that's all I'll need. But if I need more, I have it delivered. It's a lot cheaper that way.

 

[piaffepony]

I’d try chain link fence and then pull it out with the tractor bucket. But if your time is worth much renting a dump trailer is the solution if you don’t want to pay the trucking.

I looked into renting a dump trailer. $60 per day to haul 3 ton of material per trip instead of the 2 I could fit on my truck? Ehhhhh.... maybe for gravel...definitely not for arena sand because I can’t fit my truck and trailer through the gate because my barn is in the way.

I wouldn’t mind renting a trailer that could haul 10+ tons but I’m not sure how common that is as you have to have a class A CDL and mine has expired (I owned a large dump trailer that my ex husband got to sell in our divorce).

 

[piaffepony]

Here, if you buy a full 18 wheeler load with an end dump trailer, then delivery is free. Usually that's about 22 to 23 yards here. They also charge less per yard when you have them deliver the full trailer load.

If you have them deliver it in a dump truck, it's 8 yards at $40 a yard and another $50 delivery fee.

If you pick it up yourself and they load it into the back of your truck, it's $40 a yard and you are making lots of trips back and forth to pick it up, and then dealing with unloading it.

For really small jobs, I'll buy it one yard at a time because that's all I'll need. But if I need more, I have it delivered. It's a lot cheaper that way.

I called a few places and they use dump trucks with pup trailers? I guess for easier access perhaps? I did the math on fuel and what not and it’s still a lot cheaper to do it myself since it’s so close they wouldn’t even reduce the delivery fee! I even tried to barter with my tarps! Lol

 

[4570Man]

I don’t know how strict the weight nazis are in your area but a 4500 would haul way more than 2 tons. I’m thinking it would handle 5 tons pretty good.