Dump trailers

[rx7145]

This thread needs more pictures!

Here is my 12ft 10K bringing home the bacon.

 

[banshee67]

This thread needs more pictures!

Here is my 12ft 10K bringing home the bacon.

NICE!!

 

[STLfirewood]

I don't think your math is working out. If you trailer is 12ft long and you cut your wood exactly 16" you can get 9 rows stacks on your trailer. Your rows are 6ft wide and 4ft tall. That makes them 24sqft on the front. You need 96sqft on the front to make a cord. Nine rows times 24ft equals 216 front sqft. Divide that by 32(1/3) of a cord gives you 6.75 Divide that by 3(there are 3 4"x8'x16" stacks in a cord) That give you 2.25 cords if you stack that trailer full. Now if you cut your wood 16" I really doubt your getting 9 rows stacked because there us going to be a tad bit of space between the rows. So if you have a back gate it wouldn't close. So stacked that trailer is really gong to hold 8 rows. That would be 2 cord exactly. If you use the match that 180 cubic feet is a loose thrown cord then your only going to hold 1.6 cords. You'll get a little more then that because you'll mound it some. If you customers are happy with that then that is great for you.

The math works.. Again were not loading @ stacked face cords. The trl dimensions are 6'4" x 12'0" x 4'2". I assume a crowned height of 4'8" (based on geometric size of an obtuse cone). This works out to a volume of approx355 cubic feet. (6.333 x 12.0 x4.666 ), or a "loose fill" of 177 cubit feet. Since we cut a shorter length (14-16 ") the consolidation is more efficient.Based upon actual stacking from a loaded trailer we have determined that the the loose load @160 -170 c/f is relative to a nice stacked cord of 128 c/f. We have done this for a long time and have proved it in My own wood rack. Still asking the question... why use a 14' trailer unless the log splits are 20-24" long?? The longer the splits, the more inefficient loose stack will be. If you go to a 16' goose neck w/ 8' width you can really pull some wood, but you might be needing a CDL w/ a minimum 1-ton truck. Plus the added insurance costs....In CA any com'l use of a fifth-wheel requires a CDL, D.O.T. physical, CA numbers, and a stand - alone comm'l ins policy. Plus, make sure not overweight. The fines are o so scary.

I don't think it fits very well. I cut all my wood 16" and it would make it hard to load a trailer like that. You have no room to spare. It might work for you but it won't stack out for me.

Scott

 

[KMB]

I have a 78 K5 with a 60/14 axles(one ton setup) and a 05 f-250 diesel crew and a 04 trailblazer. All have over 5000lb tow rating.

Sounds like you got multiple choices for tow vehicles. Good deal.

Kevin

 

[KMB]

Good info fellas, keep it coming!

Kevin

 

[kstill361]

kstill 361, I started out wanting a 6 x 10 10k deck over dump. Now I'm not sure!
Hauling a skid loader is not an issue. 1 guy I know started with a 7k deck over, switched to a 10k. Another guy bought a 10k deck over and loves it. When you talk to most of the trailer dealers, most of them say don't buy one. The dealer I'm talking to now, and probably will buy from, says his deck overs {SURE TRAC} are built very well and has sold many of them. I've bought other truck items from this guy over the years, and he's a straight shooter. The deck over would work better getting between my firewood stacks, 10 feet apart, 110+ feet long. But you don't see very many around. Cost wise, they are about 10% cheaper, and the way things are,every dollar counts! Loading height is not that big of a deal. Both trailers I'm looking at end up to be about 3" different in height, without side boards. Most of the time we will be hand loading. Take off 1 sideboard, load up, put sideboard back on, top off. Still trying to decide!

Yeah, it doesnt matter to me , i just want one witht the correct axle placemnt so I can load evenly.My old trailer has the wheels to far back! The tounge is bent

 

[2FatGuys]

Mine is a deck over and I wish that it wasn't but I was buying used and couldn't be real picky.... About the only advantage that I can see for a deck over is you get more of the load dumped out before having to pull up, as mentioned earlier, a deck over will give you a shorter, taller pile of whatever you're dumping.

Also a deck-over usually gains an extra 8" of bed width (if that matters). For us, we prefer the lower sides and less climbing. We can easily overload the trailer now. An extra 8" width gains us nothing.

 

[2FatGuys]

It seems to me that all the low pro dump trailers place the axles way back so theres just enough overhang for the bed to dump without hitting the ground, This could tend to easily cause excessive tounge weight. I never liked the look of the deckovers but now they seem mor apealing to me witht their axles at the correct ratio to the bed.. If i remeber right, a ten foot trailer should start in the middle and move back an inch for every foot of bed so the center axle point should be located at 70" back to give that 10% toung weight.

Our PJ "low pro" dump has the axles in the exact same location as their reck-overs. The dump pivots on the frame, not the axles.

 

[2FatGuys]

...If you own a dump trailer... you will overload it. Guaranteed. Right Guys??!!

:agree2:

 

[bdeboer]

Does anybody use a deckover and what are the pros and cons from low pros

Kevin

I have 6x10 Bri-Mar deck-over, purchased used. The con's would be hard to load by hand or with a small loader tractor. My kids sometimes help load and it limits what they can put in there.

It is nice for dumping, although I usually remove the tailgate for dumping firewood to protect it. Another pro for deckover would be hauling pallets as the sides would be accessible with removable sides.

For me a low profile would be a better fit.

 

[bdeboer]

kstill 361, I started out wanting a 6 x 10 10k deck over dump. Now I'm not sure!
Hauling a skid loader is not an issue. 1 guy I know started with a 7k deck over, switched to a 10k. Another guy bought a 10k deck over and loves it. When you talk to most of the trailer dealers, most of them say don't buy one. The dealer I'm talking to now, and probably will buy from, says his deck overs {SURE TRAC} are built very well and has sold many of them. I've bought other truck items from this guy over the years, and he's a straight shooter. The deck over would work better getting between my firewood stacks, 10 feet apart, 110+ feet long. But you don't see very many around. Cost wise, they are about 10% cheaper, and the way things are,every dollar counts! Loading height is not that big of a deal. Both trailers I'm looking at end up to be about 3" different in height, without side boards. Most of the time we will be hand loading. Take off 1 sideboard, load up, put sideboard back on, top off. Still trying to decide!

If you haul stone at all, the 10 foot bed is kind of short. The front end loader will either spill over the front or the back. A good operator will jockey it close. Also 7,000 lbs will only give you about 4,500 lbs of payload. It won't look like much stone in the back.

 

[kstill361]

Our PJ "low pro" dump has the axles in the exact same location as their reck-overs. The dump pivots on the frame, not the axles.

Good point, I guess its just each manufacturer preference where they put them. Depending on what the purpose of the trailer is hauling would determine where the axles need to be placed.

 

[kstill361]

I have 6x10 Bri-Mar deck-over, purchased used. The con's would be hard to load by hand or with a small loader tractor. My kids sometimes help load and it limits what they can put in there.

It is nice for dumping, although I usually remove the tailgate for dumping firewood to protect it. Another pro for deckover would be hauling pallets as the sides would be accessible with removable sides.

For me a low profile would be a better fit.

They do sit alot higher, im not liking that.

 

[Junkfxr]

They do sit alot higher, im not liking that.

Here's a picture of my 6 x 10 deck over, overloaded just a tad. Because of the height with that much weight, it rocks back and forth pretty bad which leads to swaying which leads to getting on the trailer brakes to bring it back in line behind the truck. I suppose that adding shocks would help some, maybe in the srping.

 

[STLfirewood]

:greenchainsaw: If you own a dump trailer... you will overload it. Guaranteed. Right Guys??!!

Your right I broke a spring,last year and a spring this year. They were on different trailers. The first one was a spring that was rated at 3800#. I bought 2 just in case I break another. The second broke this year. He is a tip for you guys looking at trailers. This trailer has 6k axles. It has 8 lug 16" wheels and tires. When I went to get another spring they told me they were rated at 2400#. So I have a 12x7 deck over dump trailer with 6k axles and 9600#s of total spring. It seems to work fine I don't haul as heavy on it as I do on the other 2. I will still haul 2 cords with it. So before you buy a trailer look at the springs and see what they are.

Scott

 

[nvrs]

why would they put underrated springs on there with heavier axles? is that a point of failure method? would they want the spring to go before the axle or is it for ride quality issues when empty(some people dont want the trailer bouncing around when empty)?

 

[firewood guy]

:greenchainsaw: If you own a dump trailer... you will overload it. Guaranteed. Right Guys??!!

Why can't we just buy 100 ply tires? Then we won't overload, right?

 

[STLfirewood]

why would they put underrated springs on there with heavier axles? is that a point of failure method? would they want the spring to go before the axle or is it for ride quality issues when empty(some people dont want the trailer bouncing around when empty)?

I think the reason they did it is because they didn;t want over a 10k rating. I think some states really crack on truck pulling trailers with a 10k rating or more. I can't read the tag to see the weight rating. I don;t have a clue why they did it. I have 14ply tires and 6k axles for 9800# springs. Go figure

Scott

 

[captndavie]

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This is the member Redbug's trailer. This is basically what I had envisioned building except a little shorter. This trailer is 20 feet long, steel floor, 8 feet wide, 14k.

I had a Southern Sales lowrider dump that was 12' long with ramps. It was a good trailer. I ended up selling it and now I wish I had it but can't afford to buy another. So I am gathering materials to build a trailer now.

 

[BPS. LLC]

Good point, I guess its just each manufacturer preference where they put them. Depending on what the purpose of the trailer is hauling would determine where the axles need to be placed.

Many manufactured dump trailers are designed to haul equipment as well, at least in my area. The axles are perfectly placed to drive my Bobcat right on and properly distribute the weight.

I can't say for certain, but it seems like the deck over models have the axles placed a little further forward than the lo-pro's. I have the lo-pro, and wouldn't trade it, but given the opportunity to get a deck over, I would as long as the sides could be folded down.

:greenchainsaw: If you own a dump trailer... you will overload it. Guaranteed. Right Guys??!!

Perhaps...not to bash anyone that does it, because these can take a beating, especially the commercial models. But I feel like a lot of people take the cheap way out and try to do extraordinary things with a non commercial grade trailer. Hauling 2 cords on a 5k rated dump is going to cause you problems, at some point, one way or another.

If money is the issue, make the extra trip and save your trailer's life or your own, you will be glad you did. Eventually, you will be able to upgrade to a better trailer and sell the one you have or at least have a lighter duty model. It took me a long time in life to be easier on my equipment, and it has paid off for me. We have all seen the ford ranger trying to tow 10k without trailer brakes at sometime in our life. Its just not worth the liability to me anymore. I own too much and have too much at stake.

The better trailers can take the loads, even handle the overload. Most of the 10k trailers are rated there to satisy DOT CDL standards. All this ranting aside, if I'd say I never grossed 12k on my 10k trailer, I'd be lying to you. But its being pulled by an F350 with trailer brakes and by a dump trailer that is "certifed" for the load, just not "registered" for it.