wood hauling trailer

[mjs97]

i was thinking of building a trailer for hauling wood. my creative mind got to thinking it would be very handy to have splitter mounted right to side of trailer. then got to thinking that i could put lift on splitter. lift big pieces onto splitter, split, then roll right into trailer. also have trailer dump.

could i run three cylinders off one pump? i don't know much about hydraulics. i have a 8 hp vertical shaft motor.

could i use straight axle. no springs. two axles probably be better.

just thinking,
matt

 

[SmokinDodge]

How big a trailer you pan on making? If it is over a 6 x 8 you will have a considerable amount of weight by the time you add up the weight of the trailer, splitter, and dump mechanisms in addition with green wood. Torsion axles would work well for this app. and give you more room to work with.

Make sure you get trailer brakes!

 

[CaseyForrest]

Yes its possible. You need to get a manifold with three levers....and an open center.

 

[tocold4u2]

i have my trailer set up to tow my splitter, but as far as backing it into a area , no way , it trailer is short and the splitter is even shorter, talking about major jacking around :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[stumpguy]

could i use straight axle. no springs. two axles probably be better

you can do it this way, but it's just wrong.

 

[CaseyForrest]

I agree with stumpguy...Sure you can bolt/weld your axles directly to the trailer frame....one of three things will happen...

You will bend the axle

You will bend the trailer frame

Or you will go through tires quickly.

The suspension on anything absorbs inconsistencies in the road. Without the suspension you are transmitting those shock loads directly to the frame.

 

[jags]

You really need suspension on any type of a road worthy trailer. It will be a total beast with poor handling even at low speeds without it.

 

[mga]

in order to be able to dump the trailer you will also need some height to it. adding the height means building the bed way up above the axles....all new engineering stuff going on now.

 

[CaseyForrest]

in order to be able to dump the trailer you will also need some height to it. adding the height means building the bed way up above the axles....all new engineering stuff going on now.

Unless you use drop or torsion axles.

 

[mga]

still need some height to be able to dump a load off properly....or a very long cylinder to raise the bed high. it's possible to design, but there's alot to consider with the frame.

so, how about the front half of the trailer dumping on the starboard side. the rear end could be used for the splitter and the log lift. i'm thinking of a dual axle 16 - 18 foot landscape trailer. they're usually rated at least 7,000 lbs

 

[timothykamp]

yeah...that's not going to work. i have a 14'x7' dual axle trailer with 10" sides and I can put well over a cord on it and it squats really low. If you get like sides that are 2-3 feet high, you are talking about putting at least 2 cords of wood + splitter and hydraulics. Figuring at least 4000 lbs/cord, you are maxing out the capacity of the trailer, and only using half of its size. If you build a trailer, you need to get some 6500 or 7000 lb axles and build yourself a strong tandem trailer. The other thing would be towing this thing. Anything over 7000-8000 lbs gets tough to tow regularly without a 3/4 ton vehicle and a trailer brake system. More than once I have jackknifed mine (not much) by sliding when its wet trying to stop because I dont have trailer brakes.


You have some great ideas - 3 big things
get strong axles and springs
make sure your sides are high enough
check into trailer brakes

 

[wdchuck]

Brakes for sure, electric brakes are the way to go. If your vehicle brakes go out the electric trailer brakes will help stop the vehicle too.

 

[Freakingstang]

I agree with stumpguy...Sure you can bolt/weld your axles directly to the trailer frame....one of three things will happen...

You will bend the axle

You will bend the trailer frame

Or you will go through tires quickly.

The suspension on anything absorbs inconsistencies in the road. Without the suspension you are transmitting those shock loads directly to the frame.

Good post Casey... Or worst case scenario, you break a weld, or break the metal around the weld, while heading down the freeway at 65 mph....


I have a 16'x7.5' landscape utility trailer. it is only rated for 7K, but I can comfortable get 2-2.5 cords on it without sides...had 3.5, once and thought I bent the frame..I'm in the process of building a heavier duty one now. Would love to have a dump bed on it, but I will use the trailer for hauling vehicles and full size trucks, so I need somewhat of a low deck height.

Torsion axles are great until you have a problem. I prefer regular old springs......(trailer type, off coarse, not some junkyard minvan suspsension) They ride a tad rougher unloaded, but are more stable and comfortable to haul when loaded compared to the torsion axles...as long as you are not exceeding the weight rating....

 

[saw-um]

I can assure you that broken suspension on either is a problem. Torsion axles are much better imho but are expensive beyond 5000lbs.

 

[CaseyForrest]

still need some height to be able to dump a load off properly....or a very long cylinder to raise the bed high. it's possible to design, but there's alot to consider with the frame.

so, how about the front half of the trailer dumping on the starboard side. the rear end could be used for the splitter and the log lift. i'm thinking of a dual axle 16 - 18 foot landscape trailer. they're usually rated at least 7,000 lbs

If you put your pivot point for the dump back far enough you can make the height any you wish. The reason you see allot of dump trailers "over axle" is because the pivot point is so far back on the frame. Cylinder length is determined on where you mount it. Here you are getting into some engineering.....You need to know how much cylinder you need based on the leverage you are imposing on it.

I know Ive on several occasions put a JD 250 skid on a 16" landscape trailer made from 2" angle....not the smartest. If you are planning on hauling weighty items on a regular basis you need to step up to C channel or tubing. You ever seen a dump trailer built from angle?!

I built my little trailer from 2x3x1/8 tubing...I have had it loaded with almost 5 yds of ground pallets...just over 4000 pounds trailer and mulch. Just like Steve I thought I bent the frame as its only a single axle trailer, but I didnt.

 

[mga]

If you put your pivot point for the dump back far enough you can make the height any you wish. The reason you see allot of dump trailers "over axle" is because the pivot point is so far back on the frame. Cylinder length is determined on where you mount it. Here you are getting into some engineering.....You need to know how much cylinder you need based on the leverage you are imposing on it.

I know Ive on several occasions put a JD 250 skid on a 16" landscape trailer made from 2" angle....not the smartest. If you are planning on hauling weighty items on a regular basis you need to step up to C channel or tubing. You ever seen a dump trailer built from angle?!

I built my little trailer from 2x3x1/8 tubing...I have had it loaded with almost 5 yds of ground pallets...just over 4000 pounds trailer and mulch. Just like Steve I thought I bent the frame as its only a single axle trailer, but I didnt.

true, any trailer intended to dump, can't be made from angle iron. lol..it would fold in half the first time lifting a full load. a landscape trailer would definately have to be modified almost completely from end to end. i should have made that statement clearer.

i guess it comes down to how much wood is intended to be hauled.

 

[mjs97]

i am not hauling that far so 1 cord capacity would be ok. i've come across a dump box mounted in the back of a ford truck. dump box is 4widex6long and is 2.5ft.deep. thought of putting it on trailer to lower height and not worry about another vehicle. it has 12volt hydraulic hoist so i would run cable fromm truck battery to back of truck and have a plug in there. i tried it and will dump loaded full of oak. pivot is way in the back.

what do you think?

thanks,
matt

 

[goof008]

A friend's dad had one heck of a trailer built with RV axles and an I-beam frame. He didn't make it dump, but it will hold about anything you can fit in it. If you have a full size truck, especially the new ones with high hp and torque, you should have no problem towing it. Make sure to put brakes on at least one axle.

 

[mga]

i am not hauling that far so 1 cord capacity would be ok. i've come across a dump box mounted in the back of a ford truck. dump box is 4widex6long and is 2.5ft.deep. thought of putting it on trailer to lower height and not worry about another vehicle. it has 12volt hydraulic hoist so i would run cable fromm truck battery to back of truck and have a plug in there. i tried it and will dump loaded full of oak. pivot is way in the back.

what do you think?

thanks,
matt

if that's the case no problem. here i was thinking like 5 cords of wood or several tons of logs...lol