Dump trailer questions

[Bmyers]

Seems like a pretty decent score! My 2 cents:
You already got feedback on the bed liner for the bottom. My neighbor hauls firewood and he got the sides done. For rust prevention. Thinking of doing mine, but dirt may still stick in the front corners. On the fence for it. I have found that spraying used cooking oil on the bed made wet dirt slide out like it was in ice.
I would pull all the hubs and clean/ inspect the bearings and brakes. If the PO used it hard and didn't take care of them, the bearings might be galling.
Also, bend all the hoses with your hands. Make sure they aren't dry and cracked. Block the bed when checking the ones underneath just in case you break one.

They actually did check the hoses and the two lift cylinders. After looking underneath is why we decided to go ahead an buy it. The underneath looks in good shape, hoses, cylinders, and the frame. While it is was at the auction lot my nephew and dad crawled all around underneath it. The only thing they weren't able to do was pull the wheels and check things out there. Yet, thankfully, my nephew and my dad are extremely good with working on stuff, unlike myself which is extremely good at breaking stuff.

So, even though the bed looks rough, the core pieces look good. Initially when I saw it, I was like are you sure. Then when you get past the superficial stuff, you find that structurally it appears in good shape and looks like that previous owner kept up with the core items and used the trailer hard. I think that is why we got such a decent buy on it because it looks like a pig, but I think it will clean up well and more importantly, it is going to work and meet our needs. Don't plan on entering it into any beauty contest.

We had planned on pulling wheels this weekend, but the weather has different plans, so it will wait.

 

[McMXi]

They actually did check the hoses and the two lift cylinders. After looking underneath is why we decided to go ahead an buy it. The underneath looks in good shape, hoses, cylinders, and the frame. While it is was at the auction lot my nephew and dad crawled all around underneath it. The only thing they weren't able to do was pull the wheels and check things out there. Yet, thankfully, my nephew and my dad are extremely good with working on stuff, unlike myself which is extremely good at breaking stuff.

So, even though the bed looks rough, the core pieces look good. Initially when I saw it, I was like are you sure. Then when you get past the superficial stuff, you find that structurally it appears in good shape and looks like that previous owner kept up with the core items and used the trailer hard. I think that is why we got such a decent buy on it because it looks like a pig, but I think it will clean up well and more importantly, it is going to work and meet our needs. Don't plan on entering it into any beauty contest.

We had planned on pulling wheels this weekend, but the weather has different plans, so it will wait.

My 16ft PJ was in great shape for four years until a friend borrowed it to pick up giant boulders. He needed the boulders for his boat ramp which I use in the summer months. That complicates things, plus he's a friend and a good guy so I had to bite my tongue which I hate doing, both literally and figuratively.

PJ offers a deck upgrade option of 7-gauge steel but mine came with 10-gauge so it's not impervious to being dented when large rocks are dropped into it from a ridiculous height. I can't say that a 7-gauge deck would have held up to the abuse either.

He bought his own dump trailer a month after borrowing mine which pissed me off to be honest. Most of my frustration was that he didn't make the effort to protect the bed even though he wasn't the one dropping in the boulders from three stories up!! He flies a $50 million plane for an individual who is about to replace it with a new and more expensive model, so I thought he'd know better. In the end I asked him for $1,000 to help pay for steel that I need to buy to replace the floor. I should have asked him for $5,000 and would have if he weren't a good friend.

 

[hedgerow]

My 16ft PJ was in great shape for four years until a friend borrowed it to pick up giant boulders. He needed the boulders for his boat ramp which I use in the summer months. That complicates things, plus he's a friend and a good guy so I had to bite my tongue which I hate doing, both literally and figuratively.

PJ offers a deck upgrade option of 7-gauge steel but mine came with 10-gauge so it's not impervious to being dented when large rocks are dropped into it from a ridiculous height. I can't say that a 7-gauge deck would have held up to the abuse either.

He bought his own dump trailer a month after borrowing mine which pissed me off to be honest. Most of my frustration was that he didn't make the effort to protect the bed even though he wasn't the one dropping in the boulders from three stories up!! He flies a $50 million plane for an individual who is about to replace it with a new and more expensive model, so I thought he'd know better. In the end I asked him for $1,000 to help pay for steel that I need to buy to replace the floor. I should have asked him for $5,000 and would have if he weren't a good friend.

I am pretty touchy about loaning trailers out. Normally where my trailers go I go. Years ago a BIL borrowed a grain trailer and tractor. It was my best trailer which had never been on salted roads or hauled road rock in it. He borrowed it from my wife his sister when I was out of town. He backhauled three inch lime stone rock in it and beat the hopper's up. I won't go in to what all happen when I got home and found out. In the end he bought the trailer. Had a friend borrow one of my dump trailers and my pickup to haul some {FREE } road rock from where he worked. The guy running the skid loader loading the rock caught the side of the trailer and bend it. Of course it was my best dump trailer. I ended selling the trailer with the damage to a guy that was going to fix it and my friend paid the difference to get me a new trailer. That free rock got expensive real quick.

 

[Lil Foot]

When I was raising my driveway, I needed all the big rocks I could score. My neighbor had a friend who had big rocks he wanted to get rid of, and an old beater dump trailer to haul them in.
He needed a fifth wheel trailer pulled out of a trailer park & moved about 75 miles to his place, so we bartered the move for the rocks.
After moving the fifth wheel, I hitched up his dump and he began loading the rocks with his big Mahindra.
He would pick up a 300lb to 800lb rock and drop it in the trailer from 3ft to 6ft high. He would not slide them in, and insisted on dropping them.
When I got back to my place, the tailgate would not open because the floor was bent down & the sides were bent in.
My neighbor and I used two 6ft bars to get it open, dumped the rocks, and went back for the second load.
The guy was pissed, but my neighbor convinced him I did nothing wrong, so he used the FEL to straighten the trailer so the gates would sort of open/close.
He then proceeded to load the rest of the rocks the exact same way, and neither I nor my nieghbor could get him to change his method.
So when we got to my place, the tailgate wouldn't open again, and had to be pried open again.
I took the trailer back, and he was P.O.ed again, but my neighbor told me they would fix it and I should take off.
Never saw that guy again, he moved soon after that.
In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny "What a maroon!"

Raising my driveway...

My place up north has always had a little water across the driveway when it rains heavily, but the county has recently re-graded the roadbeds, ditches, & culverts. We used to get runoff from a couple blocks, now it's more like 1 1/2 miles. A 16" county culvert brings all this water across my...

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[D2Cat]

When I was raising my driveway, I needed all the big rocks I could score. My neighbor had a friend who had big rocks he wanted to get rid of, and an old beater dump trailer to haul them in.
He needed a fifth wheel trailer pulled out of a trailer park & moved about 75 miles to his place, so we bartered the move for the rocks.
After moving the fifth wheel, I hitched up his dump and he began loading the rocks with his big Mahindra.
He would pick up a 300lb to 800lb rock and drop it in the trailer from 3ft to 6ft high. He would not slide them in, and insisted on dropping them.
When I got back to my place, the tailgate would not open because the floor was bent down & the sides were bent in.
My neighbor and I used two 6ft bars to get it open, dumped the rocks, and went back for the second load.
The guy was pissed, but my neighbor convinced him I did nothing wrong, so he used the FEL to straighten the trailer so the gates would sort of open/close.
He then proceeded to load the rest of the rocks the exact same way, and neither I nor my nieghbor could get him to change his method.
So when we got to my place, the tailgate wouldn't open again, and had to be pried open again.
I took the trailer back, and he was P.O.ed again, but my neighbor told me they would fix it and I should take off.
Never saw that guy again, he moved soon after that.
In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny "What a maroon!"

Bill, some people drink deeply from the well of knowledge. Some just rinse and spit!!

 

[McMXi]

I am pretty touchy about loaning trailers out. Normally where my trailers go I go.

Yeah, I shouldn't have loaned it out and have learned my lesson. Here are photos of a once pristine dump trailer that had only seen firewood, logs, building supplies, a BX25, gravel, mulch and a bunch of furniture when I helped a friend move. All of the damage shown was from boulders being dropped into the trailer. You can see the bright areas on the floor that indicate the location of the cross members. The steel has been stretched between the cross members. He put some dents in the side panels too, a couple of which can be seen from outside the trailer.

Honestly, I still get annoyed when I think about his complete lack of consideration or care for my trailer. I would never do that to something that he owns. The fact that he bought his own dump trailer a month later is probably the most annoying part of all for me.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Damn man. Whenever I borrow something it comes back better. For example, I borrowed a car trailer and greased the hubs and tongue jack before bringing it back. However, there are some people I wouldn't want touching my bearings. (That's not a euphemism )

 

[biketopia]

Damn man. Whenever I borrow something it comes back better. For example, I borrowed a car trailer and greased the hubs and tongue jack before bringing it back. However, there are some people I wouldn't want tou hing my bearings. (That's not a euphemism )

Let me know when you want to borrow my stuff, it's all probably due for a good PM

 

[Bmyers]

The final mechanical work is done on the trailer, wheel bearings repacked yesterday. Still working on the paint, but the trailer is now ready to be used.

Weather permitting it may see its first use this weekend although, I probably should be mowing instead since the nephew got my mower deck fixed.

 

[Hoserman]

There is nothing faster to upset a friendship than to loan out your things that cost you a lot of your hard-earned cash IMHO. In my 76 years on this big blue marble I have seen this same exact scenario. The old saying "buyer beware" is the twin brother to "lender beware". Sorry, but my philosophy is if it has wheels or any kind of motor it isn't loaned out without me going with it. The only thing you can loan out without fear of returning damaged is a hammer. There made to be beaten.

 

[William1]

Trashed trailer from rock.... Its' why few truckers will haul rip-rap. A few I know lay horse mats down and bribe the loader to be gentle.

 

[The Evil Twin]

There is nothing faster to upset a friendship than to loan out your things that cost you a lot of your hard-earned cash IMHO. In my 76 years on this big blue marble I have seen this same exact scenario. The old saying "buyer beware" is the twin brother to "lender beware". Sorry, but my philosophy is if it has wheels or any kind of motor it isn't loaned out without me going with it. The only thing you can loan out without fear of returning damaged is a hammer. There made to be beaten.

My saying is "never loan out anything unless you don't care if it comes back"
Same as my race motto "Don't race anything you can't leave in the dumpster"

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

My 16ft PJ was in great shape for four years until a friend borrowed it to pick up giant boulders. He needed the boulders for his boat ramp which I use in the summer months. That complicates things, plus he's a friend and a good guy so I had to bite my tongue which I hate doing, both literally and figuratively.

PJ offers a deck upgrade option of 7-gauge steel but mine came with 10-gauge so it's not impervious to being dented when large rocks are dropped into it from a ridiculous height. I can't say that a 7-gauge deck would have held up to the abuse either.

He bought his own dump trailer a month after borrowing mine which pissed me off to be honest. Most of my frustration was that he didn't make the effort to protect the bed even though he wasn't the one dropping in the boulders from three stories up!! He flies a $50 million plane for an individual who is about to replace it with a new and more expensive model, so I thought he'd know better. In the end I asked him for $1,000 to help pay for steel that I need to buy to replace the floor. I should have asked him for $5,000 and would have if he weren't a good friend.

Oh my…you are better person than me…buying one after that, well let’s say I would not have a helpful comment…I guess that must be one heck of a boat ramp.

I generally don’t loan out anything that uses fuel or oil, has tires, fenders, tail gates or large equipment and trailers. Hand tools / cordless tools, to someone I trust, sure. I am uptight and get wrapped around the axle pretty easily. If a buddy needs something I will go help and bring equipment and operate/help. Leave or loan, nope. In the case of a trailer / tractor, people always want to borrow, I say go get a quote then tell me what it’s worth…if it’s enough to cover my fuel and get fed, I am there. I let them know I’d like to recover my cost. That usually ends it there…to me that means they are cheap and looking to take advantage of me. Anyway that’s a data point.

fast forward to a good friend we have mutual agreement on the above and it’s agreeable and reciprocal. I help his projects with labor and tools and he does same for me. He had asked to rent my ford tractor and the rear mower for there new place, I said we’d need to draw up an agreement but that would help me recover some cost. When it comes time to finalize the agreement/ contract he said I want to tell you I plan to park it outside and suspect you don’t agree, so how about we draw up contract that buy the machine and will sell back to you at first right of refusal and a depreciated upfront price and if you don’t want back I keep sell or whatever. I said that would be best for all of us (us and our spouses who are now friends). He ended up buying a used L3302 just a few weeks ago and got a great deal…but he now has to have it delivered and picked up for what not as well as dealing with landscaping and renting equipment with Harley rake for their new property….he said he understands now about trailers vs cost to rent/pay service.

sometimes things workout for the best.

 

[Bmyers]

Another side of the trailer painted.

Installed one section of reflective take. The other sections of the trailer was still a little tacky from the paint. We have decided that the tires are going to get repainted also.

I did get the trailer hooked up for the first tow with the truck.

We setup the Ford Pro Trailer Assist. I was surprised by how easy it was to setup. The biggest challenge you will have is to make sure you have a large open area to drive the calibration setup.

Once that is complete, the little knob works great.