thinking of getting a dump trailer???

[gunnar]

Hey guys,

I'm new to the wood scene....lol Recently had a CB6048 installed and am thinking about getting a dump trailer. Just in the short time getting wood from other properties, i see how my truck is taking a beating and see the benefit of less trips if i had one. And the ease of loading and unloading. I have a chevy 2500 crew cab.

Anything you guys could tell me abou dumps, pros and cons?? I'm sure sometimes it could be hassles getting into tight places with one. What brands, sizes, features? I was thinking a 6x10 or 6x12? Any info would be appreciated.....

 

[Richard_]

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=79065

 

[redprospector]

What ever you do, don't get a "Texas Pride" trailer. Unless you're willing to spend some money to make it do what it's supposed to from the factory.

If you think your truck's taking a beating now, wait untill you double the load.

Andy

 

[ktm rider]

I bought a 7x12 12k last year. I haul some firewood but I mostly haul coal in it ( I have a coal boiler ) and my tractor.
I went with the scissor lift and it works great. I also went with the low profile trailer since I knew I would be hauling my tractor in it. The low profile keeps the center of gravity low and is much easier to load . I also went with the poweder coat to combat rust. It works up to a point.
My trailer recharges the battery while moving which is nice to have.
I went with the spreader tailgate since I haul a boatload of gravel in the summer months.
If I had to do it over i would have bought the 7X14 or 7x16 so I could put a car in the trailer and still close the tailgate.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I rented a dump trailer for two days a couple of weeks ago. I used it to haul wood from a hill at the back of my property that will not be accessable once the wet fall weather arrives. I did not use it behind a truck I was hauling wood with a big 4 wheel drive tractor. It was 10 feet long and the tailgate would either swing to the right side or lay down flat. I can not get to this hill through my property as a result of a large creek - and the trip from my back field through my neighbors pasture, down the road an into my driveway was about 20 minutes - the round trip with dumping was about 50 minutes.

I first started to just dump wood in the trailer with the loader on my tractor, and then when I saw how little wood the trailer would hold with the wood just dumped I started to stack the wood. The wood had to be stacked with the rounds laying side by side - as laying them front to back would have put pressure on the tailgate and prevented me from opening it when it came time to dump. I could get a lot of wood on the trailer when stacked - however when dumping I was dissapointed to find out it would not dump in a big tall mound. When the trailer bed came up to dump the wood stayed pretty much in the same stack it was in the trailer and it would slide out until it hit the ground - then you had to pull the trailer forward and the wood then slid out in a stack that was the same height it was stacked in the trailer. I think the rounds would have come out easier if they were stacked in a way they could have rolled out - but then they would have kept me from opening the tailgate. Later I had a neighbor come over and pick wood up in his dump truck and he stacked the row up near the tailgate sideways and just a few inches away so it didn't touch the tailgate - and then he would stack the rest the other way so they rolled out easier.

I was able to load and unload 4 trailer loads of wood on Saturday and 6 on Sunday - and having this dump trailer was really nice if you needed to get a lot of wood moved in a hurry. I don't think it will be any faster than my regular trailer routine if I was going to split and stack the wood in my woodshed. My normal routine is to stack the wood in my trailer in a way that the wood that doesn't need split is in the front and the wood that needs split is in the back of the trailer. I park my splitter right near my wood stack and as I unload my trailer I stop at the splitter and put the wood on the beam and split it - then I pick it back up and carry it to the woodstack without having ever bent over. With the piles of wood I have from the dump trailer I have lots of wood laying on the ground to be picked up off the ground for the second time.

Before I bought a dump trailer I would go rent one and see how you like it. The one I rented was just $ 75 a day and it taught me a lot about how they work. They are very heavy and I am not sure a 3/4 ton truck will move one around very well. They don't dump in nice tall piles - they spread out the wood in a much flatter pile that is about as long as the trailer. You can't get a lot of wood in them unless you stack the wood - and the sides are tall and hard to climb over (My normal trailer is much lighter and much lower and I can stack the wood from outside the trailer - and I have 10 ply tires and can haul as much wood as I can fit in the trailer).

My recommendation would be to get a nice affordable flat trailer - and on the few instances that you need to move a lot of wood in a hurry you can rent a dump trailer.

Picture of the trailer I rented with my neighbor's tractor.

Picture of woodpiles from dump trailer when loaded with limbs.

Picture of wood dumped from trailer - the stack on the right side is the height the trailer would dump at, the left side of the pile has the wood from the loader bucket dumped on top.

Picture of my regular trailer with a load of wood.

 

[Wet1]

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=79065

I've added some thoughts in this thread (^) as well if the OP is interested.

 

[gunnar]

thanks for your input!

 

[porta mill]

dump trailer

dump trailer are a good to move fire woood .but consider only get what your truck can handle safley. the weight of hard wood adds up quickly. mine is a cam superline and it has hauled many many tons of wood and stone with no problems . Do some shopping around where is a big difference in prices between dealers in ne pa i hound a but that wanted to get a few dump trailers out on on the road with his name and ph# on the side got a hell of a deal .

 

[drmiller100]

i have a 16 foot long, 8 foot wide, with 4 foot sides. it can hold 3 cords easily of loose wood.
it is a goosneck, and weighs 5000 pounds empty, with a pair of 8000 pound axles.

3 cords is a lot in it.

it takes a HUGE trailer to get much weight for firewood if you leave it loose.

 

[rx7145]

I just got a 80"x12ft dump trailer about a month ago. Not sure how many cords I can haul but quite a lot. My neighbor has already used it a couple times. He seems to like it also.

A lot of money but worth it.

 

[charkan]

Don't get a dump trailer if you think it will dump in a neat pile when you do unload.Between me and my friends we have 3 dump trailers and they all tend to string out the load.Mine is 16'x7.5' with 3 1/2' sides.it is a triple axle gooseneck grain trailer.Work well for firewood and price was right.

 

[wdchuck]

A dump trailer that is easy loading will be a lo-boy.
Dumping will also be a low pile, strung out a little.
Wider than the truck, might be an issue through tighter areas, damaged easily by loader from the side due to fenders/wheels on the outside.


Axles under box, will offer a tighter dumped pile, and the same width as tow vehicle, won't get hit by curb side loading since there are no fenders in the way.
Higher center of gravity, same bed heigth as tow vehicle.


A 3/4 ton pickup truck can tow them just fine, its stopping that you have to worry about.
If you are going to rent one to try the idea out, or buy one outright, then do yourself and everyone else on the road a favor and get a brake controller installed on your truck.

Oh, one more thing, better call your auto insurance provider and ask some questions regarding that trailer, most auto policies do not include trailers of any kind. They are an extra item, and the DMV has the same idea, extra registration fees too.
You need to look into these details, because the sheriff knows the rules and may write citations accordingly as a friendly reminder.

Coming home after a tiring day of cutting/loading and just hitting a button to let it all slide out.....NICE.
Getting loaded by a tree service because they don't have to worry about damaging your pretty truck....NICE.

 

[cat320]

I have a cam 6x12 dul piston lift it works great I haul wood dirt and my bobcat fine. it's 8K lb capacity

 

[gunnar]

thanks for the info guys...

I'm leaning toward a 6'x10', 5 ton ,low profile or dump over, but undecided yet. Any opinions on low profile compared to dump over. Is it much easier loading low profile by hand or is the dump over only a few inches higher? I'm going to go with the cam-super line. I'm sure it would be easier in tight places without the fenders to worry about. any infor on likes and dislikes on the low profile and dump over would be greatly appreciated. My main use will be getting unsplit wood. some of the recent stuff has been big rounds!

 

[wdchuck]

thanks for the info guys...

I'm leaning toward a 6'x10', 5 ton ,low profile or dump over, but undecided yet. Any opinions on low profile compared to dump over. Is it much easier loading low profile by hand or is the dump over only a few inches higher? I'm going to go with the cam-super line. I'm sure it would be easier in tight places without the fenders to worry about. any infor on likes and dislikes on the low profile and dump over would be greatly appreciated. My main use will be getting unsplit wood. some of the recent stuff has been big rounds!

That covers it right there.

Assuming you are loading from the rear, it puts any ramps at a nice low pitch to more easily roll them or a dolly into the trailer.

 

[gunnar]

wdchk,

so you think the low profile would be better for my use??

 

[rx7145]

I would go with the "low pro". It is so nice to have it low to the ground.

 

[tawilson]

I got a Cam Superline also. I've pounded the snot out of it. Good choice. I'd see how much extra for the 12'. I almost bought the 10' then decided on the 12'. I can't remember what the price difference was.

 

[wdchuck]

This is a pic from a poplar removal, and the truck is a 2001 short box F-250 5.4l 4x4, with 225,000mi and I have to say, manuevering without the 4x4 engaged is fruitless on turf when its connected to a loaded trailer.
Look at the bottom of the trailer box, its the same height as the truck box, so if you can hand load your pickup, then a box-over will suffice.
Look also at the high center of gravity, need to watch your driving with a full load.
The pictured trailer is 6x12, 12,500 gvw, and does have an 18" sideboard on the street side, along with the head board and debris curtain.
Loading anything wheeled into this type of trailer is a PIA.

A member on the site was nice enough to lend me the trailer, and another member was nice enough to load it and the truck. It was a HEAVY load, but the truck handled it just fine, and braking was never an issue, stopped the same as if there was no load behind me.
It's worth mentioning, this load is just one of a number of responses to my request in the "wanted, free firewood thread".

The picture that rx7145 has, with the low boy, makes a great comparison photo.
If you are hand loading, like with a wheelbarrow, or hand dolly, or even (God forbid) rolling the biguns into the trailer with you under the round, then the low boy would be the easier way to go.

Keep in mind the extra width of the low boy.

The guy I run a processor for, brought home my injured S-10 inside of his 6x12 low profile dump trailer, and his skidsteer fits in there like a glove.
Its the more versatile option in my opinion.

Being that trailers are electric over hydraulic, having a second battery wired in parrallel will give a stronger lift. I've loaded heavy at the front, and really questioned if the box was going to get off the frame.

 

[porta mill]

dump trailer

I see you in Ne pa are you any where tunkhannock pa . if so give Don Johnson's trailers a call . He is a cam super line dealer ,that is where I got mine and he beat everyone's price in the ares . good luck with the new trailer when you get it