Dump trailers

[garth466]

Does anyone know of a good dump trailer that can also be used to safely haul a tractor. Most of the ones I've seen seem to sit way too high. I'd love to find something just like my car trailer which has a 7' X 16' deck, but with dumping capabilities. That way I could transport cars too.

 

[texasjohn]

There are dump trailers where the sides fit INSIDE the wheels...thus making the bed lower to the ground at the expense of trailer width capacity. I have also seen trailers where the sides fit into stake pockets, thus making them removable.. handy when you have a wider load.

Net is, there are such trailers out there...and numerous manufacturers...so should be able to get what you want.

Try P-J Trailers... I have a 20' dump they made.

 

[scesnick]

I have a Dump Star 12k low profile trailer that I haul gravel, firewood etc.. in and I also haul my tractor in it. I was looking for exactly what you are looking for when I bought my trailer. I believe you are thinking of the "deckover" dump trailers where the wheels are under the dump box.
The tractor is easily loaded without a big angle. Just do a search for low profile dump trailers.

 

[Skyco]

I haul mine in a 6.5x14 dump trailer. It is a so called low profile trailer made by Southern Sales and sold as an EZ Dumper or something like that. When loading the tractor I tilt the bed up some to lessen the breakover angle and loading angle from the ramps, which came with it. I have to sit the FEL on the front wall of the dump bed, cushioned by a 2x4 bolted across the top. I also have to remove the tailgate since the BH sticks out a little. I simply slide the tailgate in beside the tractor. BTW that tailgate is heavy! I also welded tie downs inside the corners of the dump bed on the floor to secure the tractor.
At the time I bought the trailer I didn't have a tractor, not sure I'd buy one big enough to properly hold it all contained within the trailer..I have maneuvering room issues as it is with a long bed crew cab truck, a longer trailer in my case would be a liability.

 

[skipmarcy]

My Anderson would be just what you need, in the longer bed. Anderson makes both deck-over and the low-riders like mine and is a very good quality trailer. I liked it better than the PJ, more metal in it and all the hydraulics & battery are under the bed - less subsceptible to theft. Mine has the single cylinder and scissors type lift unit - these give you much better ground clearance than the conventional twin cylinder lifts. The stowaway ramps are plenty heavy enough for a tractor and the angle isn't severe - you wouldn't have to tip the bed to load. The ramps have safeties on them too so they can't pop off during loading. I paid right at $4500 for my 6 ton, 12' bed in 2005.

 

[scesnick]

I agree with Skipmarcy,

I have pretty much the same trailer as he does except mine is a 7X12 12K. I would suggest something with a very thick floor and scissor lift for all the reasons Skipmarcy mentioned. I would also look for something powder coated. I paid right at $5,300 for mine with all the aforementioned options.

 

[Skyco]

Ya'll must have some -l o n g- loading ramps to load a tractor with backhoe without dragging the rear on the ground

I agree on the scissor lift too, mine has it and the extra dump height is priceless when you have a "sticky" load.

Not so sure about the powder coat..I like to be able to easily touch mine up with generic black spray paint...it will get chipped and the floor will wear right to the bare steel after a few crushed stone loads. The fenders and tops of the sides get chipped a good bit when the quarry is trying to load it with a wheel loader whose bucket is bigger than the entire trailer too I've gotton in mine with a homemade rag mop and poured out some black paint and slopped it all over the floor to prevent rusting since it may sit for months between uses.

I've figured out some things with mine which is a 14K capacity such as- carry a spare and a jack that can lift the loaded trailer. I also carry a 12V air compressor that can generate the 110 PSI needed for my G rated tires- many places can't make that much air if you need any. My plug in lift control didn't have a long enough cord to stand at the back of the trailer or to drive forward sitting in the truck while dumping- I fixed that by replacing the cord with a longer one. Mine has greasable hinges on the tailgate and the lift mechanism, so wear old clothes no matter how hard you try you will get into that tailgate grease at some point....there are two sets of hinges so it can open either like a big door or dump truck style for spreading...

 

[scesnick]

Good advice Skyco, That grease can be something else. Where did you get the longer cord? That was my very first complaint ! It is a 2 man job to "tailgate" gravel without the longer cord.

My tractor doesn't have a backhoe but i can see where that would be a problem, and almost impossible on flat ground with a deckover trailer.

The powder coat seems to last longer. I have hauled atleast 20 loads of gravel now in my trailer and it is only scuffed in the bed just a tad. i was thinking more about the other surfaces of the trailer. I have seen many of them that are full of surface rust. I don't think the powder coat ( or any paint ) will hold up on the bed very long.

 

[Skyco]

The cord on mine was a simple 3 conductor- a ground then 2 wires out to either the up or down solenoids on the hydraulic pump- I simply cut a 25 ft orange extension cord and made a new one, I was able to lug into the control box like the original but had to splice at the connector end at the trailer.

Maybe I'm unfairly biased against powder coat- I have a small utility trailer made by SnowBear in Canada and sold at Northern Tool. A few years after I bought it the powder coat started flaking off in huge sheets I suppose it wasn't applied correctly, of course by the time the problem developed the warranty was long gone...

 

[skipmarcy]

My cord is only 12' too, they had longer ones available at the dealer I purchased from in Orlando, it would be handy to have one long enough to sit in the truck, should have bought one. My tailgate is the one-piece, side hinged and is greasable - was all they had in stock when I was ready to buy, would have liked the combo tailgate but I can spread gravel pretty well with another guy to walk along and operate the bed as I pull the truck ahead. I installed 3/4" treated plywood to my floor before I ever put a thing in it. I used 1/2" carriage head bolts for smooth dumping. I've loaded some really heavy concrete chunks and countless loads of gravel & sand, stumps etc. and my bed doesn't have a dent or bow in it - easy to see from underneath. And this is dropping the materials from 4' up - I also made treated lumber sideboards. The Anderson has more stake pockets than most others and bracing metal and makes for some sturdy sideboards. I also used carriage head bolts to build them for a snag-free dump of limbs & vines etc. I too don't have a backhoe - sure would like one, but I don't use my dump trailer to haul my equipment anyway, bed isn't long enough.