Off road dump trailer options

[Cord]

Back when I worked on the farm, we had a home made dump trailer that actually worked really well. The trailer was a short hay wagon with a hydraulic sizzors lift salvaged from a scrapped truck. The deck was even made from two layers of wood cross laid. Held up just fine to rocks and gravel. The automotive style steering tended to hunt when going down the road, but it would be fine in the woods. An upgrade would be to find a trailer from a ammonia trailer. Those trailers have a king pin style steering that is much more stable when going down the road.

 

[coolnick73]

Following with interest because I also feel the need for an off-road trailer.

With only a 2 ton capacity and two wheels how much advantage does one get with hydraulic dumping versus the extra cost?

I've mainly been following surplus military trailers such as:

which sold for $575 in Devens, Massachusetts April 6th, 2016 Surplus US ARMY Tank Automotive Command M105A2 Cargo Trailer in Devens, Massachusetts, United States (GovPlanet Item #79861)

I was figuring I could "dump" it by lifting the tongue with the FEL with an appropriate hitch on the FEL (probably a pintle).

I bought a M105 trailer surplus with the intent to use it as a mobile wood pile. My plan was to pull it into the woods and cut wood and stack it in the trailer and pull it out with my tractor. I found that it was much heavier that what my tractor could handle. Also, when you buy something like this, it may lead you purchasing more military vehicles than you plan on (ask me how I know).

 

[bcp]

M105a2 data plate:



Bruce

 

[Huskerfan]

DR Versa trailer pro with the extensions. I mounted a storage battery in a NT chainsaw case on the tongue and keep it trickle charged when not in use. Galvanized frame and box which can be easily removed to haul logs. Winch is handy to tilt box or pick up heavy items if fel is not available. Outriggers extend to keep it from upsetting when loading. Tongue hitch swivels, so if it rolls, you and tractor won't.

 

[rutwad]

Bigger than what you are looking for, but dang it worked great!

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

If anyone in New England is still looking...

Pronovost off road dump trailer

 

[Piston]

I saw that one too. It's a good deal for someone with a welder and some scrap steel laying around. Too big for what I'd like though.

 

[Gordon Gould]

The day after I pulled my new to me dump trailer around the woods and told everyone how great everything was I unhooked the trailer and found some healthy divots in the hitch pin - a sure sign of some serious binding on the pin. The trailer had a clevis hitch that pinned to the draw bar and the clevis could also rotate. This is what it looked like.



I had never pulled anything but logs on a draw bar before and never even gave the suitability of that hitch a second thought. But after seeing the cut marks in the pin I realized that the hitch could accommodate turns and a rolling motion but any vertical flexing was restrained. If I went through a dip or started up a hill like this something would have to bend or brake.



It needed to pivot in the vertical direction for hills and dips. That original simple clevis hitch is only good for fairly flat ground. I could have converted over to a ball hitch but made a double clevis instead with some scrap 1/2" pieces I had. Here is a close up of the hitch in the picture above. You can see how much flexing is needed on just that little incline. No wonder the pin was marked up - I am lucky something didn't brake.







I have been using the trailer to bring in wood to the shed. It works great. Going to make the sides a little higher though.



gg

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Nice solution. Less clanking than the pintle hitch I would've done.

 

[Rustyiron]

Gordon's has really got the welding - fabrication bug lately! :thumbsup: Making metal "stuff" is cool!
Nice fix Gordon!

 

[Piston]

Looks great Gordon! It's interesting yours has a Cleve's style hitch. Mine is a standard ball hitch, I wonder if the brothers had discussions on which was better!

I'll be interested to see what you do for the sides. I'd like them to be a bit higher as well. Actually, I should drop mine off at your place and have you use my trailer as a test dummy, you know...to make sure you have it the way you want it before welding on your own....

 

[check]

That looks like a nice trailer to me

I am going to have a look at it today. Great features, and weighs less than 600 lbs, with a 2,000 lb. capacity. The dump is mechanical, which keeps the price down, and the ATV tires are rated for 50 mph.

Will report back after I see it.

BTW, you have to assemble it yourself, and it is designed here in Canada, but made in China. (Note to self: check out the quality of the steel, esp. the bolts.)

 

[check]

I am going to have a look at it today. Great features, and weighs less than 600 lbs, with a 2,000 lb. capacity. The dump is mechanical, which keeps the price down, and the ATV tires are rated for 50 mph. Will report back after I see it. BTW, you have to assemble it yourself, and it is designed here in Canada, but made in China. (Note to self: check out the quality of the steel, esp. the bolts.)

Bought it! Will post pics after I put it together.

 

[check]

Did anybody consider this trailer? Woodland ATV Trailer | Woodland Mills US

OK, picked it up yesterday, for about US$1300 before tax. Here is how far I have gotten in assembling it.





Hey, at least it made it into the bed of the pick up truck!

 

[Piston]

Looks great!

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Not sure the cardboard will hold up...

 

[bcp]

It is also very boxy looking.

Bruce

 

[Xfaxman]

But a good looking pallet.

 

[John_Mc]

OK, picked it up yesterday, for about US$1300 before tax. Here is how far I have gotten in assembling it.

Hey, at least it made it into the bed of the pick up truck!

Please let us know how it works out for you and what you are towing it behind.

I've been considering the Woodland Mills Woodland ATV trailer fro more than a year now. The pluses are light weight, narrow for good maneuverability in the woods, walking arm suspension, convertible from a dump trailer to a log bunk, and relatively inexpensive. It's a perfect match behind a good sized ATV.

The down side for me is the 2000# load rating (and the fact that it is not street legal, but few good woods trailers are). I'm really hoping to find something that's at least 3000# (a half cord of green hardwood). I'd love to find something with good ground clearance and tough enough for use in the woods that is still street legal.

BTW, somebody mentioned it has 50mph rated ATV tires. That may be so, but the bearings will not handle that speed (unfortunately, I can't remember what Woodland mills told me about the speed it can handle when fully loaded).

 

[John_Mc]

Gordon -

Nice work on the hitch modifications. It reminds me that I really need to work on my welding skills.

I find I seldom use the drawbar on my tractor for just that reason. I end up using a draw bar that goes between the lower 3 Pt hitch arms.

I do hope you and Piston will keep us up to date on how your Provnost trailers are working out.

I'm still nosing around for a solution that will work for me. I'd love to find something that is 4' (or maybe 5' max at it's widest point) and maybe 8' long that is rugged enough and has good ground clearance for use in the woods, but is still street legal. I don't have to go far or fast (typically less than 5 miles on roads with speed limits ranging from 30-40 mph). I typically just take my unregistered, non-dumping trailer out on the back roads and hope no one stops me. (I suppose I could make the argument that I'm legal since I have the SMV triangle, and it's "ag business", since the USDA considers forestry a type of agriculture, but I doubt I'll win that argument if it comes down to it)