Talk to me about owning a Dump Truck

[rustydollar]

Registering less than the rated GVW , just means you cant carry the trucks rated weight , you havent paid the gov . But that doesnt change the fact that the truck is a 36,000 lb truck .

CDL Classifications | DMV.org

The key phrase is " rated weight "

here is some more interesting facts straight from the feds

Regulations Section | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration


Before you spend the money and buy a truck with a GVW over 26,000 lbs , call your local DOT office and explain to them what you want to do . See what they say .

But its illogical that I could buy a tandem dump truck and tag it for 26,000 lbs and drive it with a regular license .

Some states even require a CDL to drive a motorhome or 5 th wheel camper , depending on the gvw . ( maryland is one of them ) .

I have a class B , and got busted once driving a tree bucket truck that required a CDL , I was pulling a 12K dump trailer that was empty . With a B license I am limited to a 10K trailer Now , I can pull the trailer behind my pickup fully loaded and be legal . The DOT cop was cool , I explained to him I thought it was the weight loaded . He gave me a warning . He explained to me they look at the gvw on the plates of the vehicles , not the registration , they only check the weights on the registration when they scale you .


A driver needs a CDL if the vehicle meets one of the following definitions of a CMV:


Class A truck
Any combination of vehicles with a GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of 26,001 or more pounds (11,793 kg) provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds (4536 kg).


Class B truck
Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds (11,793 kg), or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds (4536 kg) GVWR.


Class C truck
Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B, but is either designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or is placarded for hazardous materials.


Fines can run in the thousands

Contest the ticket, you might find out the DOT guy is a no show. The government has found that most people pay those tickets voluntarily rather than go to court.

There's more money for the government keeping that DOT actively writing tickets than having that officer spend hours in court scratching his ***.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Contest the ticket, you might find out the DOT guy is a no show. The government has found that most people pay those tickets voluntarily rather than go to court.

There's more money for the government keeping that DOT actively writing tickets than having that officer spend hours in court scratching his ***.

I got a warning , but the cop educated me on what is and isnt legal . Having a spotless driving record helped too .

 

[1stDeuce]

A nice $3000 dump is exactly what I'd like but since our money isn't worth a crap, that is now a $6000 dump...

 

[STx]

A NICE $3000 dump truck doesn't exist. There are $3000 dump trucks but, they aren't nice. I spent months looking for mine all over Texas, including auctions.

 

[Michael Aos]

I recently purchased a Load Trail 5x10 dump trailer.

7000lb gross weight, which I think pairs well with the 7000lb towing capacity of my 2003 Tundra.

Hauls 2 yards of dirt or 3 yards of lighter-weight material. The landscape supply place is about 5 miles away. I made 8 trips last Saturday and another 8 today.

I retrospect, I probably should have gone with the ~10K lb version, just in case I ever got a bigger truck.
--

 

[Dirthog]

You can TRY and go the cheap license for 26,000 but be assured once they stop you once every time you are on the road and seen you will be stopped and find something wrong. I have run trucks for years and have saw this from day one do what you need to get legal and stay that way also the better shape you keep your equipment the better off you are.

 

[1stDeuce]

Thanks Dirthog. If I somehow end up with a truck, I'll probably register it sub-26k to stay in the cheaper registration zone, but I'll likely get my CDL back anyway, which will allow me to occasionally haul a full 5 yards by pulling an overweight permit for the day, or to tow a trailer for whatever reason. (Overweight permits are pretty cheap compared to registering for over 26k and paying the mileage fee...)

I think it's getting less and less likely that I'll find something that works for me. I really need a farm plated truck, but it's not possible for me, so I fall into commercial territory, which brings with it a LOT of hassle for a private dump truck that won't seem much use at all...

I'm actually back to thinking about making a dedicated dump bed for my 3/4 ton shop truck. I thought of turning my flatbed into a dump, but it's heavy. A dedicated bed would let me keep the weight down, so I could haul more... That would work for hauling dirt around the property, or getting material for smaller projects. I'll just have to pay to have larger loads hauled, but $100 haul charge for 12 yards is honestly not a lot more expensive than doing it with my own dump 4 or 5 yards at a time, after you figure in registration, inspections, CDL, maintenance, fuel, etc...

I think the only way it makes sense for me at this time is if I use it in the winter to plow our sub and make a little money, but talking with one of the road committee guys last weekend, I think they're not excited about taking the business from the current guy, even if it saved them 50%... We'll see...

I appreciate all your inputs, and I'm sure others gained some knowledge from this thread too!!

 

[City Farmer]

I was in the same position as you until last weekend.
1) Buy a dump truck
2) buy a dump trailer.
I went with option #2.
2015---7'x16' PJ dump with 14k axles for $4900. Pay an outfit if your hauling any significant amount of fill or driveway stone. It will take forever with a 5yrd dump truck or trailer. In the end, I didn't want the hassle of plating, ins., cdl or maintaining another machine.

 

[BarnStangz]

Some real good talk on here. I like the idea of a dump trailer myself. Less hassle and they hold their value well if you decide to launch it on craigslist one day. Having said that, I too was in your position. I didn't want to mess with a CDL and I was looking at fairly large dumps, F800's 4600 Internationals, etc. and I ended up finding a small cabover Mitsubishi Fuso FG 4x4 dump. Yeah the thing is small and only has a 4 banger diesel but it flies under the radar when I get stone or move dirt. I can pretty much haul whatever I can put in it, but there are times when I can't full 5th gear since the little POS doesn't have the grunt of a beefy straight 6. The insurance is super cheap, $100 a year and it's Japanese so the engine is mint all the time. It's basically like an old tractor. It's ugly, but reliable and being 4wd I almost never get stuck and use the shiz out of low range. Have you looked for something smaller? Might take you more time to get things done, but you wouldn't have to worry about getting nailed for being overweight and smaller is easier to fix. I looked at an F800 a while back. Had that goofy Brazilian 7.8, thing was an outright beast for sure, but super spensive! Plates, tags, weight... I guess it all depends on how much time you have... Good luck, look forward to hearing what you end up doing. CL is a good place to look and test things out!

 

[Shaneard]

Dump trailer, the pros-no engine to keep up, less money for tags/insurance, great resell value etc. if your only gonna use a dump truck while building then not use it much it makes more sense to get a dump trailer. Good luck finding a used one, not many at all for sell around me. My dad and I bought an old F-600 for $300, the clutch came out of it and we hauled it to the crusher and got $600 for it. We were constantly working on it and only used it on the farm.

 

[Michael Aos]

That thing looks awesome!

Mitsubishi Fuso FG 4x4 dump

 

[BarnStangz]

That thing looks awesome!

Yeah man, she gets the job-o done. I'll post a pic, sleeping in the grass... Had this thing for basically EVER and the only thing I've ever had to do was adjust the drums and tighten a ground for one of the batteries.
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

 

[1stDeuce]

A little 4x4 Fuso would be awesome!! They're not easy to find with 4wd for reasonable prices though.

This thread has been really enjoyable, and full of good information. As I stated before, a dump trailer doesn't really fill my needs, but I have for now solved my dilemma...

I already own this flatbed, and was considering replacing it with a dump truck...


Instead, I'm converting it to dump, and adding drop sides and a two way tailgate...



I'll have to pay someone to haul in road base and gravel, but honestly, it'll probably cost me less in the long run than owning a capable dump truck (and maintaining it...) No CDL, no expensive registration, no DOT inspections, no unknown issues, and it's 4wd with low range.

It's not going to haul yards of gravel, but it'll work great around the property, and be fine for picking up smaller quantities of material. (Three gravel pits about 4 miles from our sub...)

 

[Tomtint]

Funny thing about owning a DT... you will all of a sudden find that you have good friends that you never knew before.

 

[BarnStangz]

A little 4x4 Fuso would be awesome!! They're not easy to find with 4wd for reasonable prices though.

This thread has been really enjoyable, and full of good information. As I stated before, a dump trailer doesn't really fill my needs, but I have for now solved my dilemma...

I already own this flatbed, and was considering replacing it with a dump truck...
View attachment 509036

Instead, I'm converting it to dump, and adding drop sides and a two way tailgate...
View attachment 509037
View attachment 509038

I'll have to pay someone to haul in road base and gravel, but honestly, it'll probably cost me less in the long run than owning a capable dump truck (and maintaining it...) No CDL, no expensive registration, no DOT inspections, no unknown issues, and it's 4wd with low range.

It's not going to haul yards of gravel, but it'll work great around the property, and be fine for picking up smaller quantities of material. (Three gravel pits about 4 miles from our sub...)

Dude, that little pickup flat bed is NICE! A good flat bed / stake truck is a perfect thing to have. I have two! Use them all the time, well, the F450 needs battery cables at the moment, but they are good to have.

You're correct about trying to find a 4x4 Fuso, VERY rare and hard to find. I got super lucky with mine. Only had 90K on the ticker when I bought it. Needed a little TLC, but it's been an extremely good rig, sips fuel and can take one **** of a beating... I just can't get any more than 3 or so ton in it before I can't pull 5th. Poor thing is begging for mercy, turbo is probably melting when I have it loaded up.... Good thing there are not a lot of hills at all around here.


Her she is in "tractor" mode. I'll just drive that fugly thing around my property and use it as a giant ugly tractor.

 

[1stDeuce]

Thanks Maxfior!

When I worked for TRW, I tuned the traction control for the 2012's. (ABS/Traction/Stability control all from the same module, supplied by TRW.) I spent quite a bit of time driving them around. Our trucks all had the auto/manual trans, and I LOVED the way it worked!! Smooth shifting, and would "creep" when you released the brake, just like a normal auto. We never did get a 4x4, but I enjoyed pinning the pedal to the floor and cruising them around. The ones with the bigger engine were pretty quick, IIRC. Empty, that is...

Seems like a little FG Fuso would make an awesome plow truck too. I'm going to keep watching for a deal on an M1078... Quite a bit bigger than a Fuso, but probably quite a bit cheaper. More bang for the buck, so to speak.

I'm hopeful that my little dump bed will serve my needs well!

 

[bdog]

You can both think like that, but in simple terms, you're both wrong.

There is no problem registering for less than rated gvw. Registering for more than rated gvw is not so easy. If you register for 26k or under, no cdl needed, regardless of the factory tag. But then you have to stay under the registered weight.

Nope. You can register it for whatever you want but class of license required is determined by the manufacturers GVWR. Been down this road trying to get a 33k truck able to be driven by a non cdl driver.

I currently own a kenworth w900 tandem 54k dump and used to have an international 4300 non cdl dump. They are really handy when you need them but you will find you will quickly finish your projects and they will sit. I have used mine four days this year. When I first got it I used it daily. I am thinking of selling it. If I need one I can hire belly dumps for $75 an hour or even rent a belly dump trailer for a reasonable rate. Insurance and registration on my dump are over $2,500 a year combined.

 

[DFB]

Ya my boss thought owing a small dump truck be cool. "Ain't this great" he says. I said "What do we NEED a dump truck for...we need a flatbed stake body truck (maybe with lift) on the farm. Be more useful to us.

So this is how it goes...he gets a 450 Ford diesel dually dump used. The box was pretty massive and the tailgate wicked heavy, Would not swing out from the bottom because the latching/unlatchiing mechanism was frozen so it had to let down from the top. Something was out line so the gate also got stuck in the up position and you had to kick it or hammer on it to free it up enough to drop.

First he has some guy rattle can paint to cover up all the commercial markings that were on it

Now it really looks like crap its was dark blue but now its all black with no name

I get stopped by a cop because he don't like the way the truck looks :laughing:


Had a ring type pintle hitch we needed a 2 5/16 ball combo for my trailer. I had a heck of time removing the old one, no torch.


Boss put the Western plow from his 3/4 truck he junked for this...first winter he bangs the plow so hard because this truck is so heavy he cant remove the plow frame in the Spring. Took a second big truck our box truck and chain to get it apart...frame was so sprung that plow was junk.

Bought a brand new Fisher plow unit had it dealer mounted (probably cost more than the truck did)

Tailgate get stuck up so him and two amigos were banging on it in our business store front parking lot to open it... FELL RIGHT OFF THE BOTTOM HINGES and crashed to the ground snapping the upper chains, luckily nobody got hurt.

That got the bottom hinges welded shut for good :shocked:

Box wouldn't raise for him when he got it...I found it low on fluid

Twice on me the box got stuck in the up position last year. Total lack of prior maintenance hadn't been greased in years I got it down after some time using some tricks but after this winter the boss was out of town with it 30 mi away at another farm we own and it got stuck up again on him he just left it there a week later brought another truck and chain and forced it down.

Wanted me to deliver wet bark mulch in the rain so drove it off road in wet weather and got stuck...even with 4wd because of all the weight. Had to dump the load where I was to get free.

Truck is gone now he had an upper exhaust leak and the oil pan had a hole in it garage quoted him a lot of money and something about removing the engine

I don't really miss the truck only miss towing any of the tractors we have with it. Now we have to drive the tractors between farms or hire a carryall.

Ha here was one of more fun jobs...boss bought this restored hay wagon on a whim I had to go pick it up a 150mi round trip (boy did my back ache riding all that way in that truck)

So got to trailer a trailer on a trailer with that old truck

 

[caver]

Mine was slowly becoming a money pit and it was one piece of machinery I regretted buying. I had about 8 miles to the quarry and that thing
would beat me to death. I would get maybe three loads hauled and I was done. The local quarry was closed on weekends but the owner
said it was ok to load yourself, which takes time. One time I got there only to find out their loader wouldn't start so a wasted trip. Then I had to
weigh and fill out the ticket and weigh empty when returning. So after maybe three years I put it on CL and had some kid from 700 miles away
buy it. He wanted to drive it back and I said your crazy. He took it to an area motel where they could leave it for a week and have a buddy come
and haul it with a semi. I was doing a happy dance when I had cash in hand and that thing was leaving my property.

 

[1stDeuce]

My little dump-pickup is still rocking!

We used it a LOT to haul material (pretty much busted up and slightly damp clay) from the barn site down the drive for fill on the low side. I can get 5 heaping buckets of material on it before I start feeling bad that I'm overloading it... I have a 72" "HD" bucket, which is probably about half a yard. So 2 to 2-1/2 yards a trip... We also shuttled a lot of material from the back of the barn site to the front, where the fill will become my parking/turnaround area. Faster to load the dump and move it 150' 2+ yards at a time than to drive the tractor back and forth over and over and over... I bet we've moved easily 200 yards of material...

To make its life easier when we're working on the property, I pull the "4wd" fuse, then toss it in low range. Since it's an old school floor shift t-case, pulling the fuse just keeps the CAD from engaging the front, giving me 2-low. Works great for maneuvering around the property without all the binding from 4wd. Actually works well enough that I'm planing to add a switch on the dash when I get a chance...

It also gets to haul cold patch from Aztec NM up to Mancos CO occasionally as we fix up the entry road to our community. So far I've only picked up a couple 2k lb loads, but next trip will be 3k, since we'll be dumping and spreading, rather than shoveling it out by hand to fill potholes. Gonna have to figure out how to chain the tailgate so it doesn't just dump in one spot...

Had 120 yards of road base for the driveway hauled in by big truck a few weeks ago. About $100/load deliver charge, so $1k for delivery and ~$1200 of material. Now that I've got it fairly well groomed, it's a little thin out by the road. Rather than pay another $100 for a truck to deliver more, I'll just trip to the quarry at lunch a few times next week. Two or three lunches and it'll be fine. I'll probably pay for delivery when we gravel the 200' drive out tho the pole barn, but I suppose I could just make a trip a day for a few weeks if I wanted... It's 7 miles from my place to the quarry...

Since this was only a 3/4 ton truck, I did add a leaf to the pack. I had two #2 leaves left over from some spring work on my duramax a few years ago. Cut them a couple inches shorter, added holes for the slider pads, and slipped them inbetween the original #2 and #3 leaves with some new center and U-bolts. That seems to have done the trick, and it doesn't look so overloaded now, (even when it is...).

I did finally pile enough wet clay (out of a ditch that I was cleaning for the HOA) on it that it wouldn't dump backed up our drive, but my driver (wife) said she just spun around and it dumped fine with the front of the truck pointing slightly uphill. I think the hydraulics max out at about 6k lb... So that might have been a bit overloaded.

The drop sides are awesome for loading stuff, like the post hole auger and hydraulic skid steer attachment that I just rented, or pallets, or whatever...
No regrets as of yet, other than not taking any pictures of the work with my camera. I'll have to steal some from my wife.

Oh, and guess what showed up on CL the other day... A nice '86 GMC 4 yard dump for sale for $4k. Tempting, but I think I'll just keep my baby dump.