Looking for Non-CDL Dump Truck Recommendations

[tsafa]

I am in the market for a used Dump Truck. I will buy new if I don't find anything good in the used market.

I don't need anything bigger then 26,000 GVW (no CDL). I have considered new Ford F350, F450, F550. I will consider any and all used dump trucks in that range that have low mileage and in good condition.

The truck will be used to pull a 9,990 lb trailer (to haul L3800). I also plan to put a snow blade on it and plow commercial lots. Haul salt/anti-skit, move dirt for a small lawn and garden business.

I am wondering if I should insist on 4x4 for snow plowing or if some ballast in the back will be enough.


Any opinions, suggestions, leads are very much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[78-79fordman]

I would go with a 4x4 for sure ya never know what ya mite get in to .

And if ya got the coin I would buy new the fords would be super . The 6.7 is a hoss . Mine is a monster .

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Defiantly a 4x4 for snow removal use.
I'm not a ford guy so go GM or go home...HAHAHA!

 

[Eric McCarthy]

If you're buying a large enough single axle truck like a Ford F650 or F750 or GMC 5500 they wont be cheap to get 4x4 and will still push a plow just fine without one.

Check out Truck Paper and surf around and see what you might find. Trucks come in all variations from small to tall and buying used can be hard since you're buying a rig that someone else spec'd out.

Shoot me a private message if youd like. I have 10 years experiance as a professional truck driver and I'll help ya anyway I can.

www.truckpaper.com

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I will also add this. Look for nothing bigger then the Ford F550, you need to keep the truck small but powerful to haul the L3800 but you also want the sides of the dump body down low so the L3800 can load into the middle of the body. Figureing you have a little over of 6 foot of heigh to the dump pin on the buckt you need a low body to load into.

http://www.truckpaper.com/drilldown/manufacturers.aspx?ETID=1&catid=294&bcatid=27

 

[trouble11]

18,000 to 26,000 you will need a class C cdl.
www.testquestionsandanswers.com/cdl/class-c-license.html

 

[olthumpa]

Class A:

Any vehicle with a semi-trailer or trailer with two or more axles. This group also includes any combination of vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 26,000 pounds, provided that the gross vehicle weight rating of the towed vehicle is in excess of 10,000 pounds.

Class B:
Any Heavy Straight Vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 26,000 pounds is classified in Group B, as well as any vehicle towing another vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds.


Class C:
Any vehicle that is designed to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver) or is used in the transportation of materials classified as hazardous in the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act.


http://dmv.dc.gov/service/commercial-driver-license

 

[Lil Foot]

but you also want the sides of the dump body down low so the L3800 can load into the middle of the body

Excellent point! I did a lot clean up for a neighbor and advised him to get a low walled dumpster, but he got a tall one. My B7100 FEL would not reach over it, so I had to move a bunch of dirt & rock to build a ramp. It worked, but it was a PITA, and cost the neighbor more scratch & me more time.

 

[lsmurphy]

Anything with air brakes is CDL is it not?

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Anything with air brakes is CDL is it not?

NO! There is air assist brakes that do not require a CDL. Emergence vehicles and large recreation vehicles with air brakes are exempt from requiring a CDL.

A CDL is for an operator of a commercial vehicle for hire. You can own trucks all day long without a CDL you just can't drive them.

 

[Billdog350]

Why not get a good quality gas or diesel (there are more issues with the Diesel's these days with DPF and EGR across the board) 4x4 pickup and a dump trailer? I have a 10k dual axle drop axle Cross trailer I can load my B9200 into, head to the job site and then load the trailer WITH it and move material around. By the time you're into a F550...GMC Kodiac, etc...you could have a badass pickup plus trailer. I personally like GM trucks, but every guy will have his Ford/Chevy/Dodge/Toyota/Nissan preference.

I just did some quick searching and a F550 dump will carry about the same or less than my 10k dump trailer.

The nice thing about the trailer is lower insurance, lower registration, lower taxes, less lawn damage and when you're not using it you can park it aside and no engine to maintain!

 

[Dwarner]

Stay away from Mitzu Fuso unless you like to watch the frame rust away. The frames are junk.

 

[trouble11]

Dwarner is right, I had the frame rot out on one in 7 years.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I personally don't like dump trailers. There are many Pros and Cons over owning one but for me there are too many Cons then Pros when using a trailer for landscaping. They are harder to back an manuver on a property unlike a dump truck. You can not haul a load of material and the tractor at the same time like you can with a dump truck.

Either way you look at it you still have to have a truck on the road to pull it and might as well make it a useful dump truck.

If its nasty weather outside like raining and its a slow day I can always hop in a dumptruck and go find loads to haul and make money on deliveries.

Dump trailers are only good as long as it has a fresh battery in it and they burn up quickly. The bodies on a dump truck are so much bigger then a trailer, they are all 8 feet wide and can be a short as 9 feet in length all the way up to 20ft.

 

[BadDog]

If I were getting a dump truck, I would want one with drop sides. Yeah, for strict dump work it's probably weaker and less ideal. But I've got a friend with one, and it is SO much more useful than a straight dump. More than once we've used it for side loading with a forklift, so it almost become a dump stake bead with strong sides.

On trailers, a front mounted hitch makes all the difference in the world. At that point you can maneuver it into places you can't get a truck, particularly if you can also use your tractor for maneuvering.

Lots of things to consider.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I have a front mounted hitch on my one ton truck for pushing trailers. And you still can't get it everywhere. You're trying to put two vehicals into a spot that one would barely fit in by itself but still makes it.

I've done my share of 30 point turns to get a truck into a whole WITHOUT running over anything.

 

[BadDog]

I've done my share of 30 point turns to get a truck into a whole WITHOUT running over anything.

As have I. I suppose we just have different experiences. For instance, I had an 18' twin axle I towed my rock-crawler (and other stuff) on for years. Used it once or twice a month generally. Smallish lot at the time and no good place to store it out of the way and still get it easily when needed. But using the front hitch on my Expedition K5 (the family rig), I could put it through a back gate off an alley and hook it immediately 90* to slide it in between a Eucalyptus tree and the fence (that had the gate) where it was so close you could barely walk around it on either side. It took a 3+ point turn to get the K5 in there, but I could put the trailer in and out in one shot most every time.

 

[Billdog350]

I see Eric really hates trailers for many reasons, I respect his opinion.

Just posting up some pics of my 10.6 yard dual drop axle 10,000lb trailer that I bought used and completed for less than $1500. (Thanks Craigslist!)

I could buy a new battery every year (or every month) and never get close to the price of Insurance+taxes+depreciation+maintenance+registration on a comparable dump truck.

There will always be some areas where a dump truck will be more maneuverable than a trailer, however the trade off for me is a HUGE cost savings and increased usability of my pickup truck. I also stay out of the CDL territory and CT DMV doesn't mess with private trucks as much as commerical rigs. All trucks 1ton and greater require Commercial reg in CT and thus require appropriate insurance, registration, taxes, etc.

2500HD duramax with air bags is the trick.....

 

[BadDog]

I see Eric really hates trailers for many reasons, I respect his opinion.
<snip>
2500HD duramax with air bags is the trick.....

Agreed on both points. Love my 2500HD Crew 4x4 DMax.

I think a big part of the difference of opinions is usage. He wants something to use ALOT, and something to tow his equipment at the same time as hauling material. That completely kills the pickup and dump trailer. For me, it would be a few times a month at most, and as you say, a trailer wouldn't need maintenance, insurance $$, etc like a truck. And which is easier to use at any point is going to be determined by many factors specific to the task at hand, so probably no clear winner in general.

 

[Lil Foot]

Just posting up some pics of my 10.6 yard dual drop axle 10,000lb trailer that I bought used and completed for less than $1500. (Thanks Craigslist!)

Are you kidding me!?!? Out here you couldn't touch anything like that for twice the money! Man, I gotta make some shopping trips back east…..