Pj & Big tex trailers ??

[GreatWhitehunter]

I was actually there yesterday...less than 10mi from my house. They called me back with a quote today on a low-pro 16' 14K dump....roughly $7200 and nearly $8K after tax, title, etc. I didn't think to ask if they could process an Ag exemption or not.

That's the same trailer I ended up buying and price wise it's very close to what I paid. Mine was powder coated however.

Matt

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I purchased a new D9 (83"x16' Dump Trailer) in 2009. I am a homeowner so although I have used it extensively my usage is probably light relative to professional users. It has been a good investment and is generally of good quality. It is very heavy duty, tracks well, and the dump function has been flawless. I use it to haul all sorts of material and my tractor. When I bought it I had a BX24 with front loader and backhoe. I currently have a B3350 with front loader and backhoe. Both fit well and load/unload easily.

Two major issues with the design;
1) PJ powder coats all their trailers (I hate powder coating). As it always does mine has bubbled, blistered, and peeled in several places including at every wear point. One (of many) reasons powder coat is inferior to paint is that it easily and quickly fails to retain its watertight integrity. Once this happens (often not visible) the iron underneath it rusts quickly because the moisture is trapped by the coating. After some time outgassing from the oxidation process causes a blister which is your first indication the water integrity has failed. By this time the iron underneath has decayed to form a pit which makes repair more difficult and expensive.

2) The D9 features a pair of great ramps which are cleverly housed underneath the dump box in slide frames. Each ramp is accessed through its own hinged flip down door panel. The design flaw is that the hinges have no grease nipple and there is no other way of lubricating them. This combined with the fact that they are made of high iron content steel, results in them seizing up hard between uses. Ramming them from the backside with the 100lb ramp will not free them nor will a pry bar from the outside. In the past a long wait after applying penetrating oil and some vibration has worked but it happened again today and so far after 3 hours that has not worked. It may sound like a small problem but it greatly impacts productivity. I could have finished today's 6 yard bark dust project by Noon but because of this issue the project is postponed for a week.

I've had the box interior refinished with a commercial grade coating by Line-X that stands up extremely well to impact and abrasion from rock, gravel, etc. and is impervious to hot tire pickup. Unlike their bed liner products this one is smooth so it doesn't interfere with material flow during dumping. Soon I'll have to do replace the powder coat on the rest of the trailer.

What prep did you do to the box before applying Line-x? My PJ dump trailer is 3 years old and the pc is coming off in sheets. Would like to redo it sometime before it rusts through.

 

[GManBart]

That's the same trailer I ended up buying and price wise it's very close to what I paid. Mine was powder coated however.

Matt

I called the dealer earlier, and asked about paint versus powder coat, and he said "I don't see why not, but I'll call them tomorrow" so I should know before long.

Other than the powder coat, are you happy with the trailer?

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Extremely, I had a PJ before this one and it also served me well. The trailer tows quite nicely while unloaded, as well as loaded.

Matt

 

[GManBart]

Extremely, I had a PJ before this one and it also served me well. The trailer tows quite nicely while unloaded, as well as loaded.

Matt

Thanks!

I think I'm going to go with the Load Trail. The PJ dealer didn't impress me....I called and they were busy, took my number, and said they would call back, but never did. I stopped there a few days later, but it was like they weren't thrilled to show me anything.

The LT dealer called back and said I could get it painted for the same price as powder coat. I also liked the 3-way tailgate better than the PJ 2-way tailgate, and the LT had a better jack setup...at the same price. Both dealers are less than 10 miles from me, so it's pretty easy to choose either one.

 

[Deere Dude]

For the reasons listed above we stopped selling powder coated trailers. Just too many complaints about the finish. On the painted trailers we sold we can get a rattle can of code matched paint for $12.99 plus shipping.

Chris

Why don't PC trailers hold up in your opinion. I always thought PC was indestructible almost. I am familiar with tractors and mower decks that are powder coated and that seems much better than a paint job for longevity. I ended up with a powder coated PJ trailer and the paint is great, but I store it inside. A friend had a spray painted trailer the same size for 10 years and had it repainted 4 years ago and it needs it again. The only reason I could thing pc don't hold up is because of the prep treatment, but I don't know.

 

[fossenbeck]

What prep did you do to the box before applying Line-x? My PJ dump trailer is 3 years old and the pc is coming off in sheets. Would like to redo it sometime before it rusts through.

The Line-X dealer said not to do any prep so I did less than I had originally planned, but I'm too stubborn to have not done any The dump box floor PC was in the worst shape so I scraped from the bare spots out to the point where the PC was still tightly adhered to the floor. All the bare spots had minor rust which I hit with naval jelly and a brass brush then thoroughly rinsed. Same on the interior walls which were in much better shape. I then sanded the PC-bare metal interface to feather it, wiped the entire surface with an aggressive Scotch-Brite pad, and finished it off with an acetone wipe using micro fiber towels. Primed the bare spots with three coats, then Scotch-Brited and wiped down the primer. The Line-X came out flawlessly, and although I have absolutely no proof, I'm convinced the prep contributed.

 

[fossenbeck]

Why don't PC trailers hold up in your opinion. I always thought PC was indestructible almost. I am familiar with tractors and mower decks that are powder coated and that seems much better than a paint job for longevity. I ended up with a powder coated PJ trailer and the paint is great, but I store it inside. A friend had a spray painted trailer the same size for 10 years and had it repainted 4 years ago and it needs it again. The only reason I could thing pc don't hold up is because of the prep treatment, but I don't know.

I actually think that PC is tougher than paint on flat open surfaces and believe it absorbs impacts and abrasion better than paint. However PC always fails at wear points (tail gate latches, hinges, fender undersides, ball mounts, etc. and anywhere water collects. Both finishes will eventually fail but the problem is that while painted surfaces can be properly repaired by the average person, PC cannot. Powder Coating is an electrostatic process requiring special application equipment and typically requires curing in an autoclave. Kinda tough for the average guy to have an autoclave or furnace big enough to back his dump trailer into

Many folks buy PC equipment then paint the spots that fail which is fine if they're happy with it, but I'm going to **** for my sins of pride:fiery:

 

[Diamondpilot]

Why don't PC trailers hold up in your opinion. I always thought PC was indestructible almost. I am familiar with tractors and mower decks that are powder coated and that seems much better than a paint job for longevity. I ended up with a powder coated PJ trailer and the paint is great, but I store it inside. A friend had a spray painted trailer the same size for 10 years and had it repainted 4 years ago and it needs it again. The only reason I could thing pc don't hold up is because of the prep treatment, but I don't know.

Once you get a chip or nick it comes off in sheets. Paint can be fixed with a rattle can.


Chris

 

[Gem99ultra]

A PJ is a low level trailer. It's the cheapest components you can buy, some models are made in Mexico. Just cheap. That is the biggest selling feature....cheap. The Big Tex is a decent trailer though.

Sir, I believe that your are misinformed. PJ trailers are built in Paris, Texas.

In addition, I have a 20'er and have had nothing but extremely great service out of it. Try one, you'll like it.