Small dump trailer, bad descion or good?

[kevinwak]

I am planning on doing a bunch of landscaping in my back yard this summer. I was thinking of renting a dump trailer to haul the soil across the yard. When calling the local trailer shop to inquire about rentals I also asked about purchase prices.

To me the 14-16' 14,000 pound dump trailers seem over kill for around the yard needs. Would I regret buying a small 10' 7,000 pound dump? To me it seems the perfect size, I can pull it with the half ton. It can go anywhere in the yard without causing huge damage. I am just wondering if I. The king run I will regret not getting a heavier duty and larger capacity unit. My next truck will be a one ton, so even though I can't load to capacity now on a big one, I would be able to in years to come. I think one of the main hindrances in my brain is that I won't be able to fit my tractor in a 10' dump, if I am going somewhere I will have to haul the tractor separate.

Buy a small trailer? Bug a big trailer? Or just rent?

 

[94BULLITT]

I would step upto a 10,000 gross trailer, it won't cost much more. Be careful, there are several grades of dump trailers. Some are pretty light duty.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Being around dump trailers I wouldn't own anything less than a 14' 14,000# unit.

My uncle has had one since about 2007 and hauled it with a Expedition then a F150. He only loads it to 6000# since the trailer itself weighs 4200#. This works fine behind his half tons.

I load it to the max behind my F350.

I have used 7K and 10K units. 2.5 and 3 tons payload respectively is nothing. They are just way to easy to overload.

Chris

 

[Will_C]

I have been considering a dump as well. It sounds like we have the same dilemma- my current truck can tow a 7000 lb trailer, but I am due for a new truck in a year or two, and I know I will buy one that can tow at least 10,000lbs.

If I really need one before I buy a new truck, I'll go with a single axle 5200lb model- you gain very little payload with a 7000lb trailer. Much of the increase is in the weight of the trailer when compared to the single axle model. I have considered getting a 10k trailer now, but I would only be able to haul about 3500 lbs of material behind my current truck- about the same as the single axle. That's why I probably will wait until I get a new truck.

Will

 

[ultrarunner]

My friends just bought one new for ranch use... it has two 3500 axles and so far they are pleased with it and love the stake pockets and load tarp.

Problem his is a 10k trailer reuires a commercial license so to go legal it has to be under that for most of us and covered loads are the law for bulk...

Going heavier also increases trailer weight a lot... their tow vehicles are rated between 7 and 8k...

This is light duty in that it would be easy to overload with rock... company told them 1.5 yards of rock no problem...

They use it for hay, cleanup, seasoned firewood and once already to move the L3800...

I think it was $4200

 

[dbaer78]

I have a small 6x10 tandem axle PJ dump that I love. Very light and pulls like a dream. You can back it in just about anywhere. It was custom ordered with 7k axles so you can hardly over load it without side boards. I could've de-rated the 14k gvw at the dealer but to save on plates but I haul heavy so I left it alone

 

[4570Man]

It is easy to over load anything with gravel. The loader at the local gravel yard loads 8 ton a scoop. My little 1 ton truck easily holds 5 ton.

 

[ultrarunner]

Sounds like many don't have the 10,000 commercial license problem?

My 12k PJ tractor transport is de-rated to 9,999 lbs...

A small dump with 14k axles would cover just about anything I can think of.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

I bought a 6x10 dump trailer about 2 years ago. It has been a workhorse. There are times I wish it was 12' in length - but not often. It's easy to pull and I have no regrets.

Page 17-02: 5x10 6x10 Dump Trailer 7K Tandem Axle 18 24 inch Side

 

[hutchman]

Here's my $5K 16ft dump trailer I just got

 

[hutchman]

Here's my $5K 16ft dump trailer I just got

View attachment 421769

View attachment 421770

... It's convertable too!

 

[Sysop]

I have a SureTrac 5x10 dump with dual axles (7k total) and love it. I had to install a brake controller on my little truck to use it, but it pulls like a dream and I'm yet to have overloaded it in weight even piling it full of clay beyond the volume of the box. I didn't go with the smallest, but I went with the largest my truck could move.

So far it has moved an estimated 200 tons and is like the day I bought it.

 

[Budweiser John]

I have a SureTrac 5x10 dump with dual axles (7k total) and love it. I had to install a brake controller on my little truck to use it, but it pulls like a dream and I'm yet to have overloaded it in weight even piling it full of clay beyond the volume of the box. I didn't go with the smallest, but I went with the largest my truck could move.

So far it has moved an estimated 200 tons and is like the day I bought it.

I purchased a 8'x14' 14K dump trailer in 2001. In the last 14 years it has hauled about everything imaginable and has proven to be one of the best return on investment of ony pice of equipment in my arsenal.

As been stated, beware of wimpy hydrolacs. My trailer was built with a Rugby siser lift under carrage and has been bullet proof. Trailers using a single hydrolac cylinder being dumped on a less than level site could bend the cylinr shaft.

 

[Sysop]

My advise would be don't buy the biggest box available for a given set of hydraulics (wide boxes would be worse at any twisting on a single cylinder). As a for instance, the trailer I chose had the same sized hydraulics as many 6x10 and 6x12 models. A little research goes a long way.