OT: advice on dump trailer

Going to buy a dump trailer. My truck is a 2007 GMC serria 6 cyl work truck. Will haul mulch and dirt with trailer. Like to have low sides, 2 ft and 2 way gate. Been looking for a long time to buy a used trailer. It seems that people want as much for a 10 year old trailer as I can buy a new ones for. Have found some new trailers with dual cylinders and all wheel electric breaks in the $4500-6000 range depending on size and load rating. The floors are 10-11 gauge. Some much lighter. A few with adjustable hitch. I think my truck is only rated at towing around 7k. Do you think I should get a trailer in the 10-12K range? Where can I get the best trailer for the money within 200 miles of Terre Haute? It seems that ebay seems to have some nice deals arould Elkart.

Any advice on what I should avoid and look for in a good trailer is appricated. Plan to spend no more than $6k. Have no plans on buying a larger turck.

Trailer is really not a necessity item, just one of those want to have items. Perhaps a birthday gift to myself. Thanks

George

Make sure you get the OUT THE DOOR PRICE if you call ahead and travel to get one. I drove 100 miles only to find out the 5000 dollar trailer was going to cost me about 6200 to take it home. Setup fee, transportation fee,dock fee, and anything else they could think of. If you are buying it tax free for farm use you have to load it on a trailer and haul it away at most places. I would buy a heavier one even though your only using a 1/2 ton truck unless you will be traveling longer distances with it as it will be harder to pull. I've always got the best deals in Northern Indiana where alot of trailers are manufactured. This is all just my humble opinion based on my own personal experiences.

buy as much trailer as you can afford, the unit will last thru several pickup trucks you can haul lighter loads with the sierra, and if you have to haul a heavy load once in awhile you can probably borrow another truck to pull it, when you trade trucks you can trade up to a heavier pickup and already have the good trailer

Love my ez dumper deck over 6x10 9980 gvr 2 way tailgate (like a dumptruck or remove pins and flop down/ remove. 10 ga floor tiedown rings in the corners and easy fold down sides for sideloading pallets or bundles.

I would get a 14000 15000 lb trailer, which gives you 8 hole wheels. We found a 16 ft grain trailer with a hoist. It was 3500 and had to put a new floor in it. and tires were junk. Have since broken one wheel off, and replaced one axle. Then took off grain sides and made new sides just 10 in high. plenty for junk and dirt. It is a gooseneck and 15000 GVW. A better one would have been cheaper. Don't use it that often, but wouldn't do with out it.

Rent a trailer to see if the little pickup is up to the task.. First hand experience will help you decide.

George, My in-laws had a dump bed that was self-contained, just slid into a pickup bed. Worked alright with a 1975 K-20 Chevy with I think 9200 GVW. Old truck got tired, they sold the slide-in and bought a dump trailer. It is the handiest thing on the farm. The only trouble is it is always at the wrong house when someone wants to use it. By the way I have hauled 4 tons of white rock with it behind my 1/2 ton pickup without any trouble. It"s a good investment. btw it usually is in the Marshall-Casey IL area. Dale

Also don't fall for the " yea we got one in stock" , " we will meet anyones price " or for that matter any price quoted over phone. I bought an equipment trailer and just before I went to pick it up I called a competitor 40 mi furthur away ( last shop before I buy ) and she (yea you heard me) SHE lied on all three counts listed above. First they just seemed to have sold the last one , yea right. Second , she offered to order one for $4200 ( she priced me $3300 on phone on the one they didn't have) and thirdly on the matching competitors price? I told her I could drive half way back home and get the one I wanted right today for $3400! She said I'd better do it. I told her she needed to go back to selling cars in the city to idiots who will believe anything a woman tells them. She smiled and I ended up getting a nice deal from honest people on a nice trailer. Why would anyone buy from someone who lied three times in the first 1/2 hr you were there???

Hey old friend elnora ind sells carnhand (corn pro made between elnora and sandborn) Should be no freight and good trailers probably build just what you want with out too much special order thing. Nothing worse than cheap equimpent . You pay for quality wether or not you get it. usualy cost more in repairs in the long run

I looked at several brands before I bought my dump trailer. My criteria were durability and versatility. I ended up buying a 14', 14K GVWR B&B (Behnke) trailer. B&B was built better than anything else I saw...by far. Mine has 2' tall sides. I would have gotten 3' sides if the dealer had one in stock. I've had my trailer for 6 years and I don't baby it. I recently replaced the battery. The only other thing I've had to do is paint the floor. The powder coat held up great until last winter when it started peeling where it was scratched. The gate on mine can be used like a pick up tailgate, dump truck tailgate, double doors, or removed altogether. I haven't used the ramps. If I did, I'd be looking for a better way to store them. On a B&B they are stowed out of sight under the bed. The ONE feature that I've seen on other brands that's better is some of them store the ramps on top of the fenders where they are easier to get to. Another thing I like about the B&B is the single ram. It's a better and safer system than the two outboard rams you see on the cheap trailers. Of all the trailers I looked at, what I ended up buying was the most expensive, but I feel it was the best value for me based on what I use it for.
I suggest buying the biggest and best trailer you think you'll ever need. I'm not sure what B&B offers in smaller trailers but I highly recommend you give them a look. I fully expect to get 25-30 years use from mine. Oh yeah, it pulls great too.

http://www.behnkeenterprises.com/dump.htm

Happy New Years Bill,
The prices seem to range betweem $4500 to $6000. The cost isn't that important. I'm asking what is best, what should I look for? Why is a single cylinder better than a dual cylinder? Some single cylinders look scary others have a dump truck design. Shouldn't size matter, the size of the piston? Some have told me that if they load their trailers with too much weight to the front, they can't dump them.

My current utility trailer weighs about 2000lb. Some dumps weigh up to 4000 lb empty. I need to keep the weight of the trailer in mind.

I did find a 16 ft 14K, 2 cylinder dump around Elkart for $6000. Just wondering if I could use it to transport my tractors too. It is 83 inches wide while my old trailer is only 75 inches. Not a lot of room left when I transport a tractor with a 6 ft mower. Wonder how slick the metal would be with a layer of snow or rain on it?

A dump trailer has to have a slick bed. Does that mean they would not be good for transporting tractors?

Who sells corn pro trailers in or around terre haute? I don't want to drive hunderds of miles.
Thanks,
George

The good single cylinder dumps use a scissor looking setup. That creates a mechanical advantage. I haven't had any issues with mine not being able to dump a heavy load.
One of the issues with the two cylinder dumps is they mount the cylinders by the outside of the box. If a cylinder or hose fails it can cause the trailer to twist. Thats why semi dumps have their cylinders mounted in the center.
It takes a heavier duty frame for the single cylinder set up.
Look at several brands. You'll see allot of differences in the quality and in the details. Pay particular attention to the size of the frame, how the cylinder is mounted, the tail gate, and how the rear uprights are built.
My trailer ran $7700 out the door. I could have saved a third or more by going with another brand, but I would probably be looking at having to replace it by now.
I couldn't believe the difference in quality between the various manufacturers until I shopped around.

POP, What size did you buy? Length, width and weight? Do you think it would be a bad idea to haul tractors in a dump trailer? I have a 3100lb terramite, an IHC with a 6 ft belly mower, a Jubilee with a 6 ft woods mower and a 4600 lb lawn roller. I had to modify the ramps to keep from pushing my trailer into the ground while loading the roller.
George

Have an older BriMar 7'x12'x2' high removeable sides (1 bolt/each), single cylinder, 10k#, deck over wheels, top/bottom hinge gate. Following are my opinions/observations over 6 years use FWIW, Good: piles better than lower deck ones when dumping sand/gravel, low enough to load over sides with small loader/hoe (Terramite), excellent work height as bench/table, fairly light but strong, tracks good, good price, great hydraulic package.
Bad: short tounge -backs poorly/terrible tounge load when at full GVWR (used on HD dually P/U), poor paint, deck too high to use for equipment as ramp length/angle is greater than I am comfortable with, also high C/G with load higher than sides.

I think salidin trailer at elnora That's just east of carlisle in

(quoted from post at 22:46:43 01/02/11) POP, What size did you buy? Length, width and weight? Do you think it would be a bad idea to haul tractors in a dump trailer? I have a 3100lb terramite, an IHC with a 6 ft belly mower, a Jubilee with a 6 ft woods mower and a 4600 lb lawn roller. I had to modify the ramps to keep from pushing my trailer into the ground while loading the roller.
George

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14K with 14' L X 81"W X 2'H box. I've never hauled a tractor in mine, but I think it would be fine for a tractor with a belly mower. If you needed to you could raise the dump so its inline with the ramps so the mower doesn't get hung up. at 14 feet my trailer wouldn't be long enough for a tractor with a loader. I've seen guys hauling tractors with the loader raised over the tongue but that isn't legal as the loader has to be tied down. Some say the sides make it hard to tie a tractor down. I don't think it would be that big of an issue. Drive the tractor on, hook the front chains, and hook up chains and binders on the back with the doors (gate) open, then close it up.
A flatbed trailer would be better for hauling a tractor, especially if it has a loader, but it you only have one trailer, a dump would be something worth looking at. My dealer only had 12' and 14' in stock. If I had it to do over I'd get a 16 footer with 3' tall sides....but I'd need more truck to pull it.
Smallcrawler touched on an important issue. Deck height. A higher deck is better for dump trailers.