Dump Trailer Brands

Curbkrawler

Curbkrawler

****box Connoisseur
Joined
May 21, 2020
Member Number
947
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Loc
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Help educate me on dump trailers… I was originally thinking about buying a used F800 single axle dump truck for use on our small hobby farm. Mainly to haul gravel and top soil along with other random uses. I think I talked myself out of that and to just simply buy a new or almost new dump trailer. What I think I want: 7x14 high side trailer. Wanted gooseneck but doesn’t seem to be a lot of those in this area for sale. I see a bunch of Load Stars, Rex, Max D, and Triple Crown trailers new in this area. One PJ gooseneck used for about $2k more than one of the above new bumper pulls.

Any brand to stay away from? Any features I want/don’t want? Educate me…
 
I have a Big Tex 70SR (10'x60") box. Wish I had gone bigger. Dont get too high of sides if you don't have large tractor. My little Kubota can barely dump over side of this one. You can always add side boards. I thought I wanted the roll over tarp cover but glad I didn't buy now as I dont think I would use it. Get a spare tire, they usually charge extra and they don't come with one. Go thru the wiring for bed too, mine was new, but the wiring was junk, horrible crimps that came loose in first six months. These smaller single ram ones can easily be overloaded too, have had to shovel out road mix at times to get it to dump.
 
I am looking to buy one soon.

Sure Trac makes a nice trailer, dont know much about their dump trailers but their enclosed contractor trailers are about the best out there. Other top notch brand would be Diamond C.

I am probably going to get a 14' Appalachian, scissor lift , 2' sides and 15k gvw. I want to be able to haul a cat 255 CTL in it, 14' should work good for that. Appalachian is local to me in Ohio, their stuff is average but better than a whole lot of brands.

I would not reccomend Big Tex.
 
blackdog82 said:
I have a Big Tex 70SR (10'x60") box. Wish I had gone bigger. Dont get too high of sides if you don't have large tractor. My little Kubota can barely dump over side of this one. You can always add side boards. I thought I wanted the roll over tarp cover but glad I didn't buy now as I dont think I would use it. Get a spare tire, they usually charge extra and they don't come with one. Go thru the wiring for bed too, mine was new, but the wiring was junk, horrible crimps that came loose in first six months. These smaller single ram ones can easily be overloaded too, have had to shovel out road mix at times to get it to dump.
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I saw a couple advertised with the single cyl and just didn’t think that seemed like the best idea… I plan for a scissor type.
 
Hauling gravel or dirt is almost a waste of time with a 14k lb dump unless you just really enjoy towing and wasting time. You can only really haul 4 maybe 5 yds without over loading them a lot.

I get if you only need 5yds, but if you're doing your whole driveway, just call your local yard, and it's not thst bad considering you'll get ~12-17yds at a time. Mulch or brush is a different story obviously

To answer the original question, I had a 7x14 maxxd and liked it. It seemed better built than some other popular brands, and had more features for less money.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Hauling gravel or dirt is almost a waste of time with a 14k lb dump unless you just really enjoy towing and wasting time. You can only really haul 4 maybe 5 yds without over loading them a lot.

I get if you only need 5yds, but if you're doing your whole driveway, just call your local yard, and it's not thst bad considering you'll get ~12-17yds at a time. Mulch or brush is a different story obviously
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Or unless you want to put it somewhere a tri-axle won't fit, or you want to spread it in a bunch of places over a period of time, you want to keep things on the down low, or you want the gravel right there and ready when you need it and you don't know if that'll be at 8pm on Saturday or, or, or....

You'd be screeching about the value of flexibility if the shoe were on the other foot.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Hauling gravel or dirt is almost a waste of time with a 14k lb dump unless you just really enjoy towing and wasting time. You can only really haul 4 maybe 5 yds without over loading them a lot.

I get if you only need 5yds, but if you're doing your whole driveway, just call your local yard, and it's not thst bad considering you'll get ~12-17yds at a time. Mulch or brush is a different story obviously

To answer the original question, I had a 7x14 maxxd and liked it. It seemed better built than some other popular brands, and had more features for less money.
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I normally have a couple loads delivered each year. It used to be $500 for about 12 yds delivered. Now they want to charge $900. Same with topsoil. Quarry is only about 15 min from my house so if it takes 3 trips I'm not out much. I have a ton of other uses for it as well. Need to muck out my pond and I still have a solid year of storm clean up left. Like anything, you can find plenty of additional uses for something. Also try to buy at least one piece of equipment each year for something to depreciate for farm taxes.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
$900 for a load of gravel? ::eek:

It's about $250 for 15 yds near me.

How much are they charging for trucking?
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I've never been given a cost breakdown but from what I see online it should be bn $10-60 per yard at the quarry depending on type/size. Hence why I started considering buying a dump truck and now dump trailer. My neighbor just waits till the county periodically spreads gravel on our main road and doesn't even wait till they have left before he is out there with his tractor getting a couple buckets worth.
 
I have a Big Tex GX14. Gooseneck, 16', 24" sides, 2x 7k axles, scissor. I've been happy enough with it.
The only real issue has been vertical tubes for the rear doors/gate have plastic caps that get knocked off. I didn't notice until after winter and the square tubes turned round from water freezing inside. I drilled small holes in the bottom and then filled them with expanding foam.
Tires will be cheapos. Plan on upgrading to some G-rated.
I went with the 24" sides because I was warned it is easier to tie down equipment. 3 yds of rock/gravel maxxes it out, so that is well below those sides.
I have 2' side boards that I use when I haul wood chips. I can get 14-15 yds.
I love the roll out tarp. It's a mesh type and long enough to cover a full load of chips. Ive used it when I'm hauling live trees layed down, covering trash for the dump and even misc stuff you dont want blowing out.
It hauls my 8000 skid steer easily.
I went with a GN for the better towing manners.

It may take more trips to cover my driveway, but I live 5 miles from the gravel yard and it is about $15/yd. It cost 200 to have someone deliver 2 yds in his dump trailer before we had ours.
A dump truck is about 300 for 10-12 yds.

Its the only trailer we have so I even use it to haul the Rzr. Although we usually just drive the mile or 5 to get to the forest roads.
 
3/4" base rock is $6/yd near me. But it's also not the greatest.

$60/yd would be some fancy rock.

Either way, if it's the price per yard that's high, you're not saving with the trailer.

If they're bending you over on trucking time, then it would make more sense.

Unless you have a use for more rock. It's probably a 1hr min, so you could get 3 loads in the 1 hr.
 
The state cut down a bunch of pine trees during some highway construction last summer and posted them for free. We hauled the skid steer up and loaded full logs, drove home, dumped and went back for more. Those trips were about 20 miles one way. I got about 7 cords.
 
Batteries and charging for the hydraulic pump.
If I start fully charged I can get several loaded dumps. I run a shoreline to charge it. I have the single 12v battery the trailer came with in '21.
I want to add some storage boxes on the sides and/or on top of the goose for straps/chains and tools. A winch mount could be handy.
 
I’m looking at 15k dump trailers, Diamond C and PJ are the nicer ones up here. Was going to go with a 10k trailer as cheaper to register, but would take way more trips than a 15k trailer, and also farm plates so **** it. I’ve ruled out the galvanized ones, as it won’t be on the road in the winter, and cost a decent amount more. Both offer a solar trickle charger for the battery, and both have telescopic rams.

Quarry is only 3 miles away, so very short haul.
 
Krackle959 said:
I’m looking at 15k dump trailers, Diamond C and PJ are the nicer ones up here. Was going to go with a 10k trailer as cheaper to register, but would take way more trips than a 15k trailer, and also farm plates so **** it. I’ve ruled out the galvanized ones, as it won’t be on the road in the winter, and cost a decent amount more. Both offer a solar trickle charger for the battery, and both have telescopic rams.

Quarry is only 3 miles away, so very short haul.
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I’m so thankful I dont have to deal with salt… god that must be awful… we got 3” of snow down here and they salted the roads for the first time in my life. I was so pissed. It will fvcking melt in a day people! Had my dually up in the lift the next day spraying salt neutralizer and pressure washed…
 
Krackle959 said:
I’m looking at 15k dump trailers, Diamond C and PJ are the nicer ones up here. Was going to go with a 10k trailer as cheaper to register, but would take way more trips than a 15k trailer, and also farm plates so **** it. I’ve ruled out the galvanized ones, as it won’t be on the road in the winter, and cost a decent amount more. Both offer a solar trickle charger for the battery, and both have telescopic rams.

Quarry is only 3 miles away, so very short haul.
Click to expand...

Diamond c hands down over pj. Pj used to be good, but they are kinda **** now.

If anyone plans to do lot of dumping in a short time, add and Anderson plug to your truck and trailer. The single battery is only good for a handful of dumps in a short time.

Also, if it doesn't have a battery tender, add one and plug it in when it's parked.
 
Curbkrawler I'd at least take a look at bigfoot... Ive had one of their 10k equipment trailers for a few years and its been excellent. well built fairly priced... If their dump trailers are anything like their others you wont be disappointed...

2 pennies...

www.bigfoottrailers.net

Premium Bumper Pull Trailers | Deckover, Equipment, Tilt & More

We specialize in handcrafting high quality equipment trailers using premium Dexter Axles, Demco couplers and in-house fabricated components.
www.bigfoottrailers.net www.bigfoottrailers.net

AlxJ64 has a bigger equipment trailer and I think hes been happy with it as well.
 
I have a 7x14 sure track that is coming up on 10 years old, I got it before Covid either 2017 or 2018. It mainly gets used to haul materials around and as a dumpster. It’s a scissor and if you load the front of the bed with 2-3 tons it can not want to dump, if you load it evenly it’s pretty hard to overload with construction materials/ debris. Its showing its age, I’ll grab pictures if I remember but every 2-3 years I have one of the high schoolers that work in the summer for me hit it with the pressure washer sand blaster then a coat of rust oleum.

If I was in the market I’d be looking at a 16 footer with a telescopic hoist and 8k axles with 17.5 tires. If you watch marketplace like a hawk you can find 2-4 year old lightly used trailer for 6-7k. They are super handy to have around, you will find tons of uses for it. Diamond c is one of the better brands, I’ve heard good things about liberty and iron bull. If you’re a one man band and aren’t going to beat the heck out of it I wouldn’t be to worried about any of the brands, but they aren’t as bullet proof as a dump truck and you can bend them if you’re doing dumb stuff.
 
Pocahontas said:
I have a 7x14 sure track that is coming up on 10 years old, I got it before Covid either 2017 or 2018. It mainly gets used to haul materials around and as a dumpster. It’s a scissor and if you load the front of the bed with 2-3 tons it can not want to dump, if you load it evenly it’s pretty hard to overload with construction materials/ debris. Its showing its age, I’ll grab pictures if I remember but every 2-3 years I have one of the high schoolers that work in the summer for me hit it with the pressure washer sand blaster then a coat of rust oleum.

If I was in the market I’d be looking at a 16 footer with a telescopic hoist and 8k axles with 17.5 tires. If you watch marketplace like a hawk you can find 2-4 year old lightly used trailer for 6-7k. They are super handy to have around, you will find tons of uses for it. Diamond c is one of the better brands, I’ve heard good things about liberty and iron bull. If you’re a one man band and aren’t going to beat the heck out of it I wouldn’t be to worried about any of the brands, but they aren’t as bullet proof as a dump truck and you can bend them if you’re doing dumb stuff.
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What makes you want the telescopic hoist vs scissor? Curious as I have never seen/used one. From pics it makes me hesitant vs the scissor. Yeah it is not going to be used on a commercial/contractor basis. Just personal use around the farm.
 
F800 will haul more for the $$. I'd definitely go that route.

Or even a cab and chassis truck. I haul 3 yards in my F350 with dump bed.
 
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Curbkrawler said:
I normally have a couple loads delivered each year. It used to be $500 for about 12 yds delivered. Now they want to charge $900. Same with topsoil. Quarry is only about 15 min from my house so if it takes 3 trips I'm not out much. I have a ton of other uses for it as well. Need to muck out my pond and I still have a solid year of storm clean up left. Like anything, you can find plenty of additional uses for something. Also try to buy at least one piece of equipment each year for something to depreciate for farm taxes.
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Horry ****!

I get 10 yard loads of 3/4" minus for $100.
If I had it trucked vs me hauling it's $~$150/hr
 
Curbkrawler said:
What makes you want the telescopic hoist vs scissor? Curious as I have never seen/used one. From pics it makes me hesitant vs the scissor. Yeah it is not going to be used on a commercial/contractor basis. Just personal use around the farm.
Click to expand...

It’s just much more forgiving, with a scissor it’s lifting from the middle opposed to the telescopic from the end of the box where leverage is your friend. If you’re doing dirt or stone especially and if it’s wet or you’re nose down you can end up having to shovel out the bed to get it to start to dump. There’s a video on YouTube by one of the manufacturers, I think either maxx d or diamond c and the telescopic ram could dump everything even when grossly overloaded, like double the gvwr of the trailer. They didn’t have them when I was looking at trailers but now they are the standard and it’s $500ish more for the telescoping ram vs the sissor it’s just pace of mind. Now if you are loading stuff over the front where you may hit the ram or it would be in the way that would be the only reason I would shy away from it.
 
Pocahontas said:
It’s just much more forgiving, with a scissor it’s lifting from the middle opposed to the telescopic from the end of the box where leverage is your friend. If you’re doing dirt or stone especially and if it’s wet or you’re nose down you can end up having to shovel out the bed to get it to start to dump. There’s a video on YouTube by one of the manufacturers, I think either maxx d or diamond c and the telescopic ram could dump everything even when grossly overloaded, like double the gvwr of the trailer. They didn’t have them when I was looking at trailers but now they are the standard and it’s $500ish more for the telescoping ram vs the sissor it’s just pace of mind. Now if you are loading stuff over the front where you may hit the ram or it would be in the way that would be the only reason I would shy away from it.
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Excellent. Good info.
 
AKnate said:
F800 will haul more for the $$. I'd definitely go that route.

Or even a cab and chassis truck. I haul 3 yards in my F350 with dump bed.
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That was my original plan but the extra taxes, insurance, and something else that needs the damn oil changed around here made me lean towards trailer.
 
Back when I lived in RI one of my old bosses swore by Lamar dump trailers. He had 3 that he used for his landscaping stone side business and those things held up well.
 
Curbkrawler said:
That was my original plan but the extra taxes, insurance, and something else that needs the damn oil changed around here made me lean towards trailer.
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My F350 is around $500 a year to insure. $30/yr registration.

What's trailer insurance cost? Plus insurance on the 3/4 or 1 ton to tow it?

When I looked at dump trailers, 10k wasn't buying much.
I rented a "heavy duty" 14k rated Southland so I could haul logs on the truck and trailer.
Trailer couldn't even dump maybe 8k lbs of logs, and there was 4+ft cantilevered helped to dump.
Floor was the "upgraded" "heavy duty" and was barely 1/8". Whole thing was so light duty I was afraid to use it.
Heavy duty to me means 1/4" floor, not car fender thick sides, a hoist that is at very minimum capable of dumping the max load plus a bit extra.
 
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AKnate said:
My F350 is around $500 a year to insure. $30/yr registration.

What's trailer insurance cost? Plus insurance on the 3/4 or 1 ton to tow it?

When I looked at dump trailers, 10k wasn't buying much.
I rented a "heavy duty" 14k rated Southland so I could haul logs on the truck and trailer.
Trailer couldn't even dump maybe 8k lbs of logs, and there was 4+ft cantilevered helped to dump.
Floor was the "upgraded" "heavy duty" and was barely 1/8". Whole thing was so light duty I was afraid to use it.
Heavy duty to me means 1/4" floor, not car fender thick sides, a hoist that is at very minimum capable of dumping the max load plus a bit extra.
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If you can simply register it as an F800 and not as a dump truck, probably comparable rates to yours. A lot of the insurance companies around here want outrageous rates for dump trucks, bucket trucks, etc. Insurance on a trailer is a couple bucks a month. Already pay taxes and insurance on 1 ton pig so that doesn't matter.
 
Curbkrawler said:
If you can simply register it as an F800 and not as a dump truck, probably comparable rates to yours. A lot of the insurance companies around here want outrageous rates for dump trucks, bucket trucks, etc. Insurance on a trailer is a couple bucks a month. Already pay taxes and insurance on 1 ton pig so that doesn't matter.
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It a dually? Adding a dump hoist on the flatbed an option?
 
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