Dump Style Trailer

[Small farm guy]

What experience does anyone have with the dump trailer? I have researched them a bit on internet, and found some possibilities. I am not sure I would use one enough to justify purchase, and rental is a possiblity. Do the hydraulics work well? For what jobs do they come in handy?

I found one a year and a half ago in the local swap paper. I was watching for a dump trailer for 6 months when I found a 6X12 dual axle with brakes. Has the self contained hydraulics and battery. They only had it listed for a grand so I figured it would be trash but I called the guy and went to look anyway. Turns out it just needed a new tire and some tail lights. I have been thrilled with the thing since I bought it.

There is a horse rescue about 20 miles from my place that will load composted horse poo for free. I pull the trailer in and take off in 15 minutes loaded down. My wife and I are trying to carve a small farm out of the jungle we bought a couple years ago. We have hauled in tons of compost. The garden did MUCH better in year 2 of our efforts!

I use the trailer as I clear the property. Any tree over 4 inches or so gets cut into firewood lengths. I tow the trailer over and fill it up and it is so nice to drive over to the fire wood pile and just dump the load. I used to ferry wood around in my 6 foot bucket a lot or get my truck stuck back there. Now I toss into the trailer or fill the loader and ferry it a short distance to the trailer, saving a lot of time.

When I need dirt or gravel it is great. I have the double door in the back also. It is great for hauling tops and limbs off to a burn pile too. I have even hauled it 70 miles to my father-in-law's turkey farm and hauled a load back several times. (If you ever got stuck behind a truck with a trailer full of turkey poo on I-20 near Columbia, it wasn't me!)

Sorry to ramble, but a dump trailer at a good price is somethiong you will find a zillion uses for.

Joel

 

[JFS2295]

You stated you had a tractor at each end, I took it as having an FEL at both.

It did work and I unloaded about 6 loads that way. The steel chain link and plastic tarp slid well enough on the PT flooring. That was about a dozen years ago and I know I didn't take any pictures of it.

 

[CurlyDave]

I have a 6 x 12 lo-boy dump trailer that I bought last year when I started the rebuild on my burned-down house. It has been a real workhorse. It has paid for itself just in avoided rental costs, not to mention the convenience of just parking it on-site and collecting debris until I have a full load to go to the dump.

It has hauled flagstones, lumber, sand, gravel and road base into the site.

No, it isn't a real dump truck, but it doesn't cost near as much as one, and insurance is very inexpensive compared to a motor vehicle.

The only warning I have is that it is very easy to overload a dump trailer with rock, dirt, gravel, sand, and even manure. Anything other than wood debris requires that you estimate the weight in the bed. Gravel is about 100 to 110 pounds per cubic foot, and wet dirt can be even more. About half way up the sides is max load with heavy materials.

 

[lakngulf]

You stated you had a tractor at each end, I took it as having an FEL at both.

Sorry 'bout that. I did state that, but I am losing the borrowed tractor at the loading end. Forgot to mention that "small" detail. I will have to haul my tractor to the topsoil site, load the trailer or truck, and then get it unloaded without a tractor at the unload end.

Your method would certainly work for one large load, as I could just chain the angle iron to a tree and drive forward, then go get my tractor and get to work.

So, combining some of the ideas I could (1) get one large load on the trailer with the chain link fence slide and (2) haul some pickup loads and unload with the load handler. That is what I like about this site. So many folks have "been there, done that". Is there an offical TBN T-shirt yet?

 

[Ken45101]

We have had a small (6x10) dump trailer for a while. It definitely comes in handy. Ours however, does not live up to it's ratings. It's a 4 ton Bri Mar (10,000 GVW). But if I get over 3 or 3-1/2 tons in it, the bed won't start to lift. The angle for the cylinder is horrible starting out. I have to keep my loads down and often have to use a 2x4 to pry it and get it started.

Mostly I use it for hauling gravel.

Ken