Using a landscape trailer to haul loose material

RayCo · Jul 15, 2008

Hi group. I'm wondering if anyone has come up with any clever ways of hauling loose materials with a landscape trailer or a flatbed trailer. I have a small (5.5'x10') landscape trailer, and I need to get some woodchips. The woodchips are $10/yard, and I'm only going to get a few yards. I'd hate to spend $30 on chips and $50 on delivery.

There are options other than delivery, such as a rental trailer, but I'm looking for something that I can use repeatedly. I'm thinking that if I built a relatively small wooden box that had provisions for palette forks, that might work. Of course, I don't own palette forks, but I'm always look for an excuse to get new tools.

I have a subcompact (BX24), so I don't know how much I'd be able to lift using forks. Not much. Wood chips probably wouldn't be a big deal, but I'd also love it if I could find a way to transport 1/2 a ton of stone on my trailer as well, but then also be able to get it off. I certainly couldn't do that with palette forks on a BX!

The trailer has a ramp, so i could drive up and use the loader to get the stones off, but the weight of the tractor driving onto the trailer would really be crossing the line on my 1500 pound trailer.

Perhaps something on wheels that I can roll onto the trailer and then roll off at a better location at home? I wish I could afford a dump trailer.

I know many people around here have come up with some ingenious ways of doing things, so I'm wondering if anyone's gotten around such a problem with some creativity.

Thanks!

workinallthetime · Jul 15, 2008

i have a 16 + 2 car hauler type trailer and had a bx23
i made sides out of 3 5/4 deck boards and used them when hauling loose material.
as for stone i loaded/hauled/unloaded 3 loads for a local artist, i sat them down on blocks and used cheins and straps to unload them very carefully as to not scratch them. i did all this from the sides of the trailer. I have used the bh and the fel to unload loose material from the trailer

LBrown59 · Jul 15, 2008

Unloading a trailer that don't dump.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/1414439-post1.html

RayCo said:
Hi group. I'm wondering if anyone has come up with any clever ways of hauling loose materials with a landscape trailer or a flatbed trailer. I have a small (5.5'x10') landscape trailer, and I need to get some woodchips. The woodchips are $10/yard, and I'm only going to get a few yards. I'd hate to spend $30 on chips and $50 on delivery.

There are options other than delivery, such as a rental trailer, but I'm looking for something that I can use repeatedly. I'm thinking that if I built a relatively small wooden box that had provisions for palette forks, that might work. Of course, I don't own palette forks, but I'm always look for an excuse to get new tools.

I have a subcompact (BX24), so I don't know how much I'd be able to lift using forks. Not much. Wood chips probably wouldn't be a big deal, but I'd also love it if I could find a way to transport 1/2 a ton of stone on my trailer as well, but then also be able to get it off. I certainly couldn't do that with palette forks on a BX!

The trailer has a ramp, so i could drive up and use the loader to get the stones off, but the weight of the tractor driving onto t
he trailer would really be crossing the line on my 1500 pound trailer.

Perhaps something on wheels that I can roll onto the trailer and then roll off at a better location at home? I wish I could afford a dump trailer.

I know many people around here have come up with some ingenious ways of doing things, so I'm wondering if anyone's gotten around such a problem with some creativity.

Thanks!

cperky · Jul 15, 2008

If you have stake pockets you can use 2x4 pieces as uprights and then use 5/4 deck boards between the uprights to make some sideboards.You could use plywood or just about any thing else for side boards between the uprights. On my trailer with loose material, I just place the loader bucket at the end of my trailer and I sweep the loose stuff into it and then distribute it with my tractor.

One time I used large pieces of cardboard (like from a refrigerator box) and just held them in place against the siderails of a small trailer while it was being loaded with mulch. The mulch held the cardboard against the side rails after it was loaded. When I got home I just used a shovel to place the mulch around shrubs ect.

Your idea of a box and forks sounds like a winner to me

Chris

RedDirt · Jul 16, 2008

I have a 4x8 utility box trailer that I built secondary slide-in, roll-on boxes. I built them when doing demo for my house reconstruction. Now one box goes to the dump once a year or so, the other to the can/plastic recycle center. Having axillary boxes does not tie up the trailer for other uses.

The dump box is 3/4 ply, the recycle box is 1/2" OSB. These are 4x8x4 ft boxes that just fit inside the trailer box. I mounted 2 rigid (non-swivel) steel casters upright at the open end of the trailer deck. The boxes have two rigid casters on the front end of the bottom. The box casters are spaced inboard of the trailer casters. When fully loaded the box sits on the four casters. To unload the box is rolled back to the gravity pivot point. I use a 2x4 lever or Hi-Lift jack to raise the cantilevered box and block it up on timbers. Then drive forward until the box is just barely on the trailer, block up the front end of the box, and drive away. Loading the boxes is the reverse procedure.

Each box requires three sheets of plywood/OSB. The corners seams are screwed into 2x2's with grabber screws and panel adhesive. The back is hinged with large "T" gate hinges. The trailer has a fully removable back.

For hauling your wood chips you could just drop the box onto level ground then unload with your tractor. Roll the box out to tipping point and drive out from under it. Maybe you'd want a side hinged or removable instead of the back. They are not very heavy when unloaded to get back up on blocks for loading up onto the trailer.

1/2" ply would work for the chips but you'd want something heavier for the stones. Maybe build two. A tall light one for chips and a short stout one on three or four 2x6 skids for the stones.

RayCo · Jul 17, 2008

Thanks for all the suggestions. I found the solution to the immediate need.

1. To buy half a ton of sand and pick it up myself, it was $99. To have a full ton delivered, it was $79. I couldn't figure that one out at all, but the choice was easy.

2. Instead of paying $21/ton for 4 tons of 2A stone, I ordered a triaxle dump truck of it (22-24 tons) from the local quarry for $7.85/ton.

Much, much better deal! I can always use the stone since I have a long, gravel driveway.

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workinallthetime · Jul 17, 2008

RayCo said:
Thanks for all the suggestions. I found the solution to the immediate need.

1. To buy half a ton of sand and pick it up myself, it was $99. To have a full ton delivered, it was $79. I couldn't figure that one out at all, but the choice was easy.

2. Instead of paying $21/ton for 4 tons of 2A stone, I ordered a triaxle dump truck of it (22-24 tons) from the local quarry for $7.85/ton. Much, much better deal! I can always use the stone since I have a long, gravel driveway.

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SMART MAN !!!
how

KeithInSpace · Jul 18, 2008

workinallthetime said:
how

Must be from two different places. Retail folks get their stuff from bulk folks and have to mark up to resell.

I buy triple shread mulch from a bulk guy who only dumps 3 yard intervals for $18/CY. 3 miles from the house, I can get it at the landscape place for $24/CY.

If I bought 10 CY from the bulk place and had it delivered ($60 before diesel prices went all stupid), it would be the same cost as onesie-twosie from the landscape place.

Just like getting stone from Homey Depot vs. calling the quarry...no brainer if you need more than a ton or two.

The OP question about unloading a smaller trailer...I couldn't figure that one out either with my 5' x 10' trailer, so I got a big trailer (7' x 20') that I could unload with my machine. Unloaded 6 CY of triple shreaded mulch (~5,500 or 6,000#) in about an hour...that included sweeping out the trailer and blowing off the driveway. I only had to get out of my seat for the last two scoops stuck up in the front corners.

Also, you would crush your 1,500# trailer with a BX. Mine was 3,500# and it was still too Mickey Mouse. You have MAYBE 1/2 ton of capacity with that...a yard of mulch? 10 CF of stone? My life has changed dramatically since my trailer purchase. I highly recommend it.

workinallthetime · Jul 18, 2008

KeithInSpace said:
Must be from two different places. Retail folks get their stuff from bulk folks and have to mark up to resell.

I buy triple shread mulch from a bulk guy who only dumps 3 yard intervals for $18/CY. 3 miles from the house, I can get it at the landscape place for $24/CY.

If I bought 10 CY from the bulk place and had it delivered ($60 before diesel prices went all stupid), it would be the same cost as onesie-twosie from the landscape place.

Just like getting stone from Homey Depot vs. calling the quarry...no brainer if you need more than a ton or two.

The OP question about unloading a smaller trailer...I couldn't figure that one out either with my 5' x 10' trailer, so I got a big trailer (7' x 20') that I could unload with my machine. Unloaded 6 CY of triple shreaded mulch (~5,500 or 6,000#) in about an hour...that included sweeping out the trailer and blowing off the driveway. I only had to get out of my seat for the last two scoops stuck up in the front corners.

Also, you would crush your 1,500# trailer with a BX. Mine was 3,500# and it was still too Mickey Mouse. You have MAYBE 1/2 ton of capacity with that...a yard of mulch? 10 CF of stone? My life has changed dramatically since my trailer purchase. I highly recommend it.

?????
the "how" at the end of my last post was a typo, lol
I agree on hiting the source for the material. around here gravel is the big thing. all the places to get gravel buy it from one place. i got 21 1/2 tones deliverd from about 30 miles away for 210.0 then my customer called a guy 3 miles away and he charged her 198.00 for 14 tons and he was 3 miles away. we have a place here called "hardscapes" they sell limestone rocks for about 3 times what they buy them for, bad thing is you can get em for free north of here just have to go pick them up. I have yet to find a place around here to get good mulch cheep, bags or by the scoupe its expensive, not to many cypress trees around here.
I saw a guy on craigs list advertising "aprox 2 tons" of gravel you load you haul for 120 bucks, I sure hope no one payed him that much.

When i had my bx several times i unloaded dirt off of it by blocking up the 4 corners and driving on and off to load and unload, my trailer is a 18' car hauler style.