Help me buy the correct Dump trailer

[Diamondpilot]

I will second that about staying away from box tube frame. I bought this 5x10 10k only a month ago and I knew the landscape supplier put to much topsoil in. I ask for 3 yards and he gave me at least 5. As soon as I hit the lift button the cylinder pushed the frame down instead of lifting the bed. I ordered a new load trail 5x10 10k todayView attachment 506076View attachment 506077View attachment 506078

Who's paying for the new trailer?

 

[Chevyistop]

Insurance is as of now, I haven't heard if they are going after the landscape supplier or not. When I first call the company right after damage happened they offered me free material lol .. I don't need $5k worth of dirt. So if insurance doesn't want to recoup the money from them I will go after my deductible at least.

 

[Cord]

I had a 12' tandem axle over tire dump trailer. It was a love-hate relationship. I like the added height because the trailer could dump a nice tight pile. The between tire trailers have to be pulled forward to totally empty the box. What I hated about the trailer was it's short length. The trailer was a bear to back up and was exceptionally sensitive to being properly loaded. This was the only trailer that I almost lost control of when I was towing. I had a load of gravel in it from the quarry. The moment I hit 55 that trailer set to a violent sway. When I got home, I checked the tires are there were rub marks half way up the sidewall. Never trusted that trailer again and sold it a while later.

 

[rdinatal]

I find this thread very helpful as I am looking for a dump trailer. The information here is enlightening!

-R

 

[Haoleguy]

We have in the past had the frame material discussion....whether box, channel, or I beam material. There are 2 frames for most dump trailers. The main which holds the axles and lift mechanism and the dump bed frame. It sounds like I-beam and/or C-channel is the best material for both frames with no box framing anywhere....correct? Are there areas, e.g. cross members, where box frame is acceptable or only open I-beam or C-channel everywhere? The reason I ask is that if you look closely at dump trailer specs most seem to have box frame somewhere in the whole trailer. I'm assuming they do that to lower cost and weight?

 

[Diamondpilot]

We have in the past had the frame material discussion....whether box, channel, or I beam material. There are 2 frames for most dump trailers. The main which holds the axles and lift mechanism and the dump bed frame. It sounds like I-beam and/or C-channel is the best material for both frames with no box framing anywhere....correct? Are there areas, e.g. cross members, where box frame is acceptable or only open I-beam or C-channel everywhere? The reason I ask is that if you look closely at dump trailer specs most seem to have box frame somewhere in the whole trailer. I'm assuming they do that to lower cost and weight?

I personally only like to see structure steel on trailers and stay away from box stuff.

 

[Al 2]

Don't have a lot of experience with dump trailers but have a number of trailers around that are rusted out. Agree with 'C' channel for sure and the trailer you linked has 'C' channel. For those with box frames possibly drill small hole in all sections and spray in motor oil to combat rust., especially in locations that use salt on their roads in winter. Sometimes water will get into box frame and freeze and split tube. Possibly run wires in some kind of poly pipe or pvc pipe instead of steel pipe. If you have a tarp on it it will last longer if it has some kind of cover on it or rolls into a 'box' when not in use.
Al

 

[Haoleguy]

I'm finding that almost all manufacturers, if not all, use box tube for their bed frames. Many will use channel steel for cross members attached to the bed frame. The boxed bed frame materials differ in dimension(2" x 3" to 2" x 6") and thickness(0.120" to 0.188"). The smaller dimension box material is usually the thicker steel. It looks like BWise is using a heavy boxed material for their main frames. So my question is that since almost all 10k to 14k dump trailers use box steel somewhere in their frames is the concern only open ended boxed material ? Clearly dimension and thickness are key for strength if using box.

Chevyistop - It's disappointing that your MaxxD trailer cracked. Thanks for sharing with us as we can learn from that example. It looks like the main frame material was boxed 5" x 3" x 3/16"(0.188"). Looks new enough to not be a rust weakened example.

 

[plowhog]

Whatever trailer you buy, look very carefully at how you will chain down equipment loads, such as an excavator or tractor. If the trailer doesn't have them, make sure you have secure attachment points added inside the box.

There are many reasons to rate how much a tow vehicle can handle. Power and braking are two. Power is less of a concern for me. If I can only go 35 mph up a grade, it's more annoying to who is following behind me than it is to me. But another is braking. Going down a steep grade with inadequate brakes while towing is a recipe for disaster. I'll take heavy duty brakes every time and edge into braking overkill if I can.