Dump trailer recommendations?

Lil Foot · Nov 18, 2019

The CFO has OK'd researching a dump trailer for our place in the high country.
I have watched the ads for a couple decades and found that used ones are either completely trashed, or priced within a couple hundred dollars of a new one.
So we have decided to go with a new one, but need some input on best brands, features to look for, that sort of thing.
Unless one of you have a nice dump trailer for sale at a reasonable price?

dlundblad · Nov 19, 2019

You can get all difference sizes. What are you pulling it with and what are you planning on hauling? Do you have trailer brake controls?

A place here has a little single axle 2500# model all the way to a double axle 10000#+ model.

GreensvilleJay · Nov 19, 2019

1) have e-brakes on BOTH axles !
2) have backup lights installed !!
3) do NOT buy trailer with battery/hydraulics under the box !!!!!!!!
4) all wiring needs to be in conduit !

most (all ?) pickups since '97 have wiring under dash connector for 'controller'. Use adapters ,do NOT 'cut and splice'.
a backup camera is really nice ....to hookup
a SECOND bkpcam on trailer is even nicer !!!

Jay

Lil Foot · Nov 19, 2019

6x10 min size.
Bumper pull, not gooseneck.
Will haul some cinders/gravel, but mainly slash, pine needles, & leaves.
In other words bulky, not heavy.
85-90% of use will be a 6 mile round trip to a slash dumping pit.
I have an 4wd crew F350 6.0L to pull it, and it has a brake controller.

GreensvilleJay · Nov 19, 2019

OK, I have to ask 'what is slash' ?

6x10 will haul 4 cu yards of 'level' material . Mine is that size, I haul ponypoop, 6 mile round trips, have SMV so no plates !

RVS PERF · Nov 19, 2019

I have a 14' Midsota that works great! It is beg enough to haul my B2601 with loader and a couple other attachments, has for pockets in the front sides so I can leave my pallet forks on it to load and unload attachments or other bulk items. Once at a site I can load and haul anything I need to. Wasn't cheap at about $11k but worth every penny!

Lil Foot · Nov 19, 2019

GreensvilleJay said:
OK, I have to ask 'what is slash' ?!

Tree trimmings, deadfall, pine needles, leaves, cut bushes, old stumps. Basically natural forest yard waste.

We are supposed to adhere to the forest service recommendations for the wildland/urban Firewise program. That means:

Remove EVERYTHING within 30ft of buildings.(trees, bushes, grass, leaves, pine needles, firewood, etc)
Remove all bushes & trees shorter than 5ft.
Remove all limbs on trees lower than 5ft.
Remove all deadfall- branches, pine needles and leaves.
Remove any tree whose crown is within 10ft of another tree's crown.

A couple people in my area have done this to the letter. They now are very fire safe, but they may as well have built their place in a Walmart parking lot., because there is almost no forest left. I try to keep my place clean, but with multiple acres, the caregiver thing, and no help, I can't get it all done. A dump trailer will help immensely.

nota4re · Nov 19, 2019

I did a lot of research a couple of months ago and purchased a 14' tandem axle PJ Trailers dump trailer. 2' sides because it was less expensive and arguably more versatile than 4' sides. I subsequently constructed some 2' wood stake sides for <$200.

Many dump trailers use a hydraulic ram as the sole "lifting" mechanism. I was concerned about the lateral stability of these types of dumps. The PJ model I chose uses a scissor mechanism adding a LOT more stability. I'm thankful for this added lateral strength after having used the trailer now several times with heavy loads. To wit, in order to dump a full load, the trailer is raised to its full 45-degree angle. The load shifts and slides partially out. You then need to pull forward to let the rest of the load slip out. My trailer has been absolutely perfect in these scenarios.

Anyway, I spent much more than most people on a dump but part of my logic is that I will need it for ~24-month timeframe while I clear a building site and do a home/shop construction and then I will re-sell it. As the op has observed, they hold their value really well.

nota4re · Nov 19, 2019

North Idaho Wolfman · Nov 19, 2019

Lil Foot said:
Tree trimmings, deadfall, pine needles, leaves, cut bushes, old stumps. Basically natural forest yard waste.

We are supposed to adhere to the forest service recommendations for the wildland/urban Firewise program. That means:

Remove EVERYTHING within 30ft of buildings.(trees, bushes, grass, leaves, pine needles, firewood, etc)
Remove all bushes & trees shorter than 5ft.
Remove all limbs on trees lower than 5ft.
Remove all deadfall- branches, pine needles and leaves.
Remove any tree whose crown is within 10ft of another tree's crown.

A couple people in my area have done this to the letter. They now are very fire safe, but they may as well have built their place in a Walmart parking lot., because there is almost no forest left. I try to keep my place clean, but with multiple acres, the caregiver thing, and no help, I can't get it all done. A dump trailer will help immensely.

You know on my place that would be sooooooo much work!

I've always been a fan of Big Tex trailers and PJ trailers (my 20' is a PJ and my 8' Is a Big tex)
My 2 dump trailers in Phoenix were PJ and Big tex too, they do cost a little more than others but they are build really well!

Big tex has some nice models.
They have a really nice integrated tarp /cover system required for loads in AZ.

Smallest, 50SR and up
https://www.bigtextrailerworld.com/trailers/50sr-single-axle-single-ram-dump

https://www.bigtextrailerworld.com/trailers/70sr-tandem-axle-single-ramp-dump

https://www.bigtextrailerworld.com/trailers/90sr-tandem-axle-single-ram-dump

And yes they go even bigger.

Tarmy · Nov 19, 2019

I got a 14k Load Trail...derated to 9,900 so no special license rating.

Works awesome...14’x6’ box so it can haul tractor with BH on...

I added the storage box for chains, tire chalks, tools etc. Got the roll out cover too...

Love it...

RVS PERF · Nov 19, 2019

Late on pic. It wouldn't let me load it for some reason.

BigG · Nov 19, 2019

I have a 14 foot Appalachian which comes out of Ohio. Some things that I have learned. If the hinge is to far forward then the rear end of the trailer will hit or come near the ground when you dump it. As stated earlier when you dump you must move forward to get the load off of the trailer.

Second on my trailer the fenders are made of 8" channel iron not the thin factory fenders. So when you reach over the side of the trailer there is no worry about damaging the fenders with the grill guard on the tractor.

The tarp rollers that are a simple crank on the front of the trailer do not work well when the trailer is loaded with sticks or rubble that will catch on your cover as you pull it to the back or roll it up in order to dump. Instead make a rectangle of PVC pipe to "roll" the cover on. Make it a little wider then your trailer and about a foot high.

Lil Foot · Nov 19, 2019

Lots of good info here, thanks!

Bucky Badger · Nov 21, 2019

I had tried 2 Griffin Dump trailers. Both were the biggest pieces of junk I have ever bought.

Lil Foot · Nov 21, 2019

Bucky Badger said:
I had tried 2 Griffin Dump trailers. Both were the biggest pieces of junk I have ever bought.

Noted, thanks!

GeoHorn · Nov 21, 2019

PJ and Load-Trail are sold by two brothers who had a family argument about where/how to manufacture their trailers and split up. The Load-Trail is all US made in north Texas. The PJ is made in Mexico and the frames are then sent by rail and truck to the US for final assembly.

The Load-Trail is better built with heavier frames and more extensive welding and gussets, with heavier duty hydraulic systems and more lubrication points with zerks on all pivoting mechanisms.

I dont understand the previous posters warning agains battery/hydraulics inside the tongue box. Thats pretty standard and a good protection. The Load-Trail also includes an on-board battery charger, so you can run an extension cord to it and itll keep the battery maintained for long storage.

The scissor-lift mechanism is standard on Load-Trail but not on all PJs.
Load Trail also includes tarp-covers, and a road/hazard warranty that will provide road service which even extends to the tow-vehicle! The Load-Trail also has a unique rear gate system that will operate 3-ways: Tailgate, Barn-door (side opening), and Dump-truck lower-opening style which can be regulated with the provided chains to regulate the distribution of the gravel/material. They also offer a remote-control FOB (like you car key) which will allow you to dump the load while you remain seated in the tow vehicle. They are powder-coated for a very durable type of paint. (Ive hauled over 40 tons of granite gravel and the interior of the bed is still black with NO bare metal yet exposed. This certainly prevents rusting.)

My 10K pound Load Trail is even admired by my wife.

nota4re · Nov 21, 2019

GeoHorn said:
PJ and Load-Trail are sold by two brothers who had a family argument about where/how to manufacture their trailers and split up. The Load-Trail is all US made in north Texas. The PJ is made in Mexico and the frames are then sent by rail and truck to the US for final assembly.

Well, this is not accurate any longer. PJ Trailers was purchased by ATW (Big Tex owners, as well) back in 2016. PJ Trailers did have a manufacturing plant in Mexico where they manufactured a subset of the trailers. Their primary manufacturing plant has always been in Texas.

GeoHorn said:
The Load-Trail is better built with heavier frames and more extensive welding and gussets, with heavier duty hydraulic systems and more lubrication points with zerks on all pivoting mechanisms.

It sounds as if a Load-Trail salesman supplied your information. If you look at the specs for both trailers, they are virtually identical in terms gauge thickness of the steel, frame spacing, etc. Every pivoting mechanism of the PJ employs a zerk fitting - this is not unique to Load Trail.

My PJ Trailer has the built-in charger plus a solar charger, and a key-FOB remote for the hydraulics.

I shopped the Load Trail and PJ Trailers side by side. The PJ dealers in my area were more aggressive on pricing than was the Load Trail dealer and both trailers being almost identical - although admittedly I thought the PJ had an edge in build quality and paint consistency.

Lil Foot · Nov 21, 2019

I dont understand the previous posters warning agains battery/hydraulics inside the tongue box.

I think they meant the dump box, not the tongue box. Years ago I was asked to repair an OLD dump trailer (don't remember the brand, but it was Caterpillar yellow) that had quit with a load in the box. The battery & hydraulics were under the dump box, virtually impossible to work on without lifting the box. I would have had to shovel out the load, lift the box with a hoist, then tackle the repair. I declined the job.

GreensvilleJay · Nov 22, 2019

re: I dont understand the previous posters warning agains battery/hydraulics inside the tongue box

YES, LilFoot explained it perfectly ! Sson's dump trailer has battery and hyd pack UNDER the dumpbox, with cylinder on tongue in front of box(vertical lift style). It IS impossible to jump battery if dead or replace hyd hose.
The idiot 'engineer' who designed it ,obviously never, ever had a battery go dead in middle of winter in Ontario with 7,000 #s of 'stuff' frozen into the box !!

BTW , he has the 'tongue box', so nothing was achieved by putting the IMPORTANT stuff 'down below'.

It should be LAW that 'engineers' must work on the stuff they designed, in teh real World, using normal tools.

hope this clears up the confusion....

Dump trailer recommendations?

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