I had my dump trailer stolen about 6 weeks ago. After buying it I didn’t know how we ever got along without it. Now 6 week later we are struggling with our debris removal.
My crew and I have come up with some pros and cons of both a dump truck or a dump trailer but we can’t decide. So I am hoping somebody here can come up with one that will help me make up our mind. I don’t want to list the pros and cons because my pro might be someone else’s con.
Thanks for the help for this, and every other post that I have read with responding to!
Hope to post and respond more.
FRB
Replies
Purchase price, insurance and licensing are much less for a trailer.
Trailer: drop it on the job and leave it, it doesn't have a drivetrain to maintain and license plates are cheap, easy to steal.
Truck: no hassle with backing or situating a trailer, no need to bring a truck to move it since it IS a truck, has an engine and drivetrain to maintain.
Most attractive to me would be a stakeside dump bed (F-350 etc.) because with the sides off you can load it with a forklift. I don't like pulling trailers much because I don't do it often enough to get skilled at it.
This one might be a good compromise
http://www.appalachiantrailers.com/dump-trailers.php
Dump Trailer Catalog
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Deckover
Thats a great trailer, the upgrade to contractor is even a better deal for the money.
Besides side loading and slide in ramps available.
My dump has rust issues at the bottom of sides so being able to remove or build wood sides is very appealing.
I also like the spreader gate alot better than my side swing, with it you can haul longer materials on the road.
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Looked good to me.. It was the only open sided one I could find in a quick search. I'm still looking for a solid excuse to get a dumper. I just have a 5' x 8'+ utility with one of the Harbor Freight cranking rigs for unloading. OK for light stuff.
I love mine but if I had to pick again that trailer in contractor version is it.
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Fred,Would you mind describing the "cranking rig" in more depth? I looked on the Harbor Freight site and couldn't really find anything that I could envision working like you describe.We have a small 4x8 trailer that we sometimes use for debris on small jobs- it sounds like we could use what you have.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Jon,
I couldn't find it there either - and that may not be where it came from - but finally found it here:
http://www.truckspecialties.com/loadhandler.htm
Got mine a while ago from a buddy when he sold his truck.
The rig is designed to attach to a truck tailgate with straps, but I made a couple hardwood blocks, shaped sort of like the side profile of a truck tailgate, and bolted them to the sides of my trailer. I attach the load handler to the blocks with a couple 1/2" or 3/8" CC bolts and wing nuts.
Drilled the ends of the bolts and inserted spring pins so the wing nuts won't vibrate off. I can attach or remove the whole rig in a couple minutes.
Mine was on an F 150 and fits my trailer which is 53" wide on the outside of the box. So You should probably get the model for a full sized truck. Everything on it can easily be altered to fit your trailer.
Well worth the price - $100 new. I've unloaded some fairly heavy loads with it.
My removable crank is now wrapped in bright bands of yellow and red duct tape so it will catch my eye and not get left at the dump......... Again.
oldfred
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"No Shoveling, No Climbing, No Bad Back"
• Turn Your Pickup into a Dump Truck and unload up to 3000 lbs in 30 Seconds •
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Unfurl the Dragsheet
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Take on the Load
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Drop the Tailgate
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Insert Crank and Unload
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Very interesting.Thanks.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
I can tell you they don't work so well with spray in liners...too much friction. Plastic liner and stuff flies out of the back of the truck.
Yep, those could be problems. The plastic liners seem like a p.i.t.a.. My trailer has a plywood floor and it works great. Usually drop in the tail gate (boards) too.
That's the trailer I have. Excellent machine. 4 years - zero problems.
We did eliminate the spreader gate feature because we'd loose the tailgate under the dumped loaded from time to time.
http://www.quittintime.com/ View Image
Pros seem many to me for a dump trailer.
Less insurance,
Less to register (depends on state),
Less in sales tax
No gas.
No transmission to rebuild.
No oil changes.
Tires and grease the only maintence
Park it use the truck to get small supplies.
Larger ones can haul a bobcat..
I would buy one in a heart beat.
But you don't say what it is you haul with it most of the time. You could buy an wheel lock for it similar to a auto boot.
Wallyo
Edited 3/13/2009 12:39 am by wallyo
Trailer cons,
easy to steal and relicense/ my crew can't take it to the landfil/ wear and tear on (my) nice 4x4 truck towing to and from landfil/ can't park it on the street/ need to be moved with a truck/
Trailer pros,
cheaper ins/ licensing/ less maintenance/
Dump truck cons/
more expensive ins/ licnesing/ more maintenance/ possible break downs/ need to "fix up" an old truck
Dump truck pros,
harder to be stolen/ low paid crew member can take anywhere, load, and haul to dump, etc/ can park it on street/ anybody can move it/ can pull tool trailer or other trailers/
If we purchase a dump truck the plan is to buy one an old "beeter" as long as it runs and dumps and then fix it up along the way. So it will probably cost less than a new dump trailer. But then that is why we are so worried about the maintenance and repairs if it breaks down.
It will haul mainly construction debris from job sites to the landfil. But we occasionaly use if for hauling materials like gravel, dirt, lumber, etc.
When you say dump truck how big are you talking? A 1-ton with dump bed ( which to me would be a little small) or a "real" dump truck.Usually the bed on a dump truck is higher than a dump trailer, so loading debris is more difficult on a dump truck. Would you be comfortable letting an "unskilled" employee drive a loaded dump truck ( they are bigger and a lot heavier when loaded).A trailer you can drop and leave. A dump truck you drive there and then have to get someone to pick you up.In my head I like the idea of a dump truck, just not sure if I could justify it.Why not get both. Buy an older dump truck and a used dump trailer. Could probably get both for the price of a new dump trailer.Live by the sword, die by the sword....choose your sword wisely.
"A trailer you can drop and leave. A dump truck you drive there and then have to get someone to pick you up."Not necessarily - there is an item known as a tow bar that can be attached to a smaller vehicle to use as an accessory vehicle and towed behind the dump truck... It helps to have a small, older vehicle that can be dedicated to this purpose, however.
What kind of contstruction are you doing mostly?
We do a ton of roofing, so a fifteen yard dump trailer makes the most sense for us. But, as was said a 1 ton with stake sides is really versatile, but somewhat less overall capacity.
Naive but refreshing !
I have a one ton dump truck, so I'm kinda partial to it. I've never had a dump trailer.
I like the flexability of my truck. It can fit in some pretty tight places, where a trailer would be difficult to place. This means a lot when working in towns with tight lots. It's a lot easier to back into tight spots, turn around in a driveway, etc.
Around here a used truck like mine can be had for less than the cost of a dump trailer.
Like I said - I'm partial to my truck...
I'm another dump truck fan, gotta have 4x4 (or 6x6) running gear though. Best for bad terrain or close quarter work. Mine's a '63 GMC 1T 4x4.
Friend has a dump trailer, ideal if you only need to back one into a drive for roof tear off, but hard to get into tight spots.
I've had one 10+ years & never regret the purchase, Little maintenance & cost involved, used mostly for debris, but in a pinch extra hauled materials to keep the job flowing. I lock the coupler then a heavy chain thru both rims & lock it. Doesn't matter what you do, If someone really wants it, it's gone, all you can do is slow them down or at least think twice about it. Had my truck w/ tools stolen years back. would have to say I'd rather lose a trailer
Just curious did you have it insured? I am in no way trying to rub it in or anything the cost could of been expensive. Most states a trailer like that has a vin number so to speak and you need that to even get plates? I would hope the chances of it being stolen again are slim.
Buy a hot pink one the next time (special order it). Plaster it with you business name and number. lo-jack?
Here there is no problem with parking them on the street, You can do it for a certain amount of days. They get used a lot here because to have a dumpster on the street one needs a permit from the county highway district for each dumpster, trailer no permit just registered and licensed.
We have a problem with off road equipment getting stolen it does not need to be registered if brought to the site by a trailer. Couple of years ago a contractor's road grater was stolen.
Wallyo
Edited 3/13/2009 11:55 am by wallyo
Yes, it was insured and I should be getting the check next week. That is why I am now finally shopping around. It did have a vin and was registered. But you can grind off the vin, repaint, take it to be registered and tell them it was "home built" and they will title it. (so I've been told) Or i guess some states they don't need to be licensed.
I did think about a custom paint job, red to match company colors.
We also can't park it on the street here unless it is hooked up to a truck.
road grater was stolen
Ya gotta have a BIG trailer to steal one of those.
Last time I saw a road GRATER in operation it looked to be a 40 ton machine, sure could chew the top 3" off old asphalt in a big hurry with all them big 'carbite' teeth.
Not sure what the formal name for those machines is, but road grater sure does fit.
Junkhound Sorry my dyslexia kicked in spelled it the way one says it real fast.What I meant was a Road Grader! The one with the center adjusting blade. Still a tough thing
to haul off, I don't think it was ever recovered, theory was it was transported to another state. Thanks for catching that if you notice a lot of my post have edits, they sound correct when typing then I post and say what did I type.We have a lot of weird local news, two years ago some employees from the city ice rink took the Zamboni (edit spell check wanted Zambian) on a joy ride to the local Burger King Drive Thru. Oh they returned it. The BK was about 1/2 a mile away.Wallyo
Edited 3/13/2009 5:29 pm by wallyo
We had a local rink go bankrupt and when the owner was forced out, he took off with the zamboni down the street, cops chasing him and all. He claimed he still owned the boni because it's lien was through another bank.
I wish I was there to see that one!
I need to edit my previous posts too. And I tried to spell chasing "chaceing" but it just didn't look right.
Pretty sure what you probably meant, but ....
....did you notice I said the road graters I saw had CARBITE bits, the better to chew up the road!
LOLThis English language, a tough thing to master, lets all start using french!Wallyo
....did you notice I said the road graters I saw had CARBITE bits, the better to chew up the road!You oughta copyright that word before Freud thinks of it!Edit: oops, looks like a golf company already got it
Junkhound I am starting to like CARBITE it sounds tough and formidable.Wallyo
Concrete truck rolled into a subdivision where I was building. Truck blew a hydraulic hose and leaked fluid for about 500 yards of blacktopped road. Concrete company didn't try to do anything to clean it up for 3-4 days.Engineer said the blacktop was compromised... brought in one of those road graters, and around 200,000 bucks and 8 hrs later, it was new. Those graters have some kind of appetite<G>http://www.tvwsolar.com
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To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
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He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
The real name depends, on which one it is:There are profile grinders, also known as roto-milling machines. They are designed to mill off a certain depth of pavement from the top surface. The other is a road bed modification machine. It is designed to pulverize the full depth of the asphalt. Typically they then spread cement, lime, fly ash, or a combination of these, into the material so that it sets up like a weak concrete, but is still stronger than a gravel base course.
Maybe I'm just unlucky or have poor mechanical aptitude, but trailer lights always seem to be a pain. It seems that they are always needing to be rebuilt.
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
well i throw my 2cents in,as i have had both.
first i think you have to look at what your going to haul and what you have for a tow vehicle.
if your going to haul 10 ton of gravel & dirt quite a bit ,i would go with the truck.
if most of what you haul is tear out,const debris,in the 2-3 ton range i would go with the trailer.
i now have a dump trailer and to me the postives are,no tags ,no ins,no maint. downside is it tugs my 1 ton van around out at the dump [it's pretty rough out there],it doesn't haul big loads [maxs at 4500 in the trailer] and i can't leave it somewhere because it won't be there when i get back.
if i had to buy one or the other tommorrow with 5k in my pocket,i'd buy the trailer.
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I have an older, 1974 C70 Chevy 5 yard dump truck. It just has a small block 350 engine so not a lot of power but something that is not a problem for me to work on. I haven't used it a lot.
In Oregon, which generally has rather low registration fees, the yearly registration on the C70 is $525; however, they will let me register it just in the particular quarter that I want to use it so I don't have to pay registration fees over the winter. My insurance agency let me switch the insurance to the C70 from an old Chevy pickup in which I had blown the engine, although I think they really didn't know what a C70 Chevrolet truck was. My insurance thus was about $160 per year for minimal coverage.
My C70 is rated at a GVWR of 23000 lbs. and it has a single rear axle. If it were over 24,000 lbs, I would need a commercial driver's license to operate it.
A dump trailer don't break down. The truck can and will. And besides I have a trailer for sale.
Edited 3/21/2009 1:00 pm ET by jstew
I'd go with a dump truck... mine has a 16ft x 8ft wide x 4ft tall bed...duel ram... i think it's a 1973 GMC with a detroit diesel... I got it from the university of memphis (go tigers) think i paid $1823.00 for it at auction... it has 43k miles on it...
i register it as a farm truck... cost less than $100 a year... i know i overload it... but it now costs me $69 each time i go to the dump... vs $275 for a roll off... i pick up sand ... rock.... asphalt... single rear axle 900x20 tires... it think GVW is 16k but i know i have had alot more on it....
i just can't see kill'n a good truck haul'n an overloaded trailer to the dump... and have'n to drive my nice truck to/over the dump....
i know guys here love their dump trailers... but it's rare that you hear that from guys who use to have dump trucks....
I posted an ad for one for sale about 2 weeks ago... looked like a deal to me... (ad for a dump truck) was an old grain truck... think it was $2600 and looked pretty nice...
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