Dump Trailers

[Dmace]

I'm looking at purchasing a 7k 6x10 dump trailer for hauling light material and possibly my tractor on rare occasion. I am limiting the size to a 7k because I have a 1/2-ton truck rated at 8550lbs tow capacity and don't plan on replacing it anytime soon and yes it does have a brake controller for my camper. The one I am looking at is the DownEaster TQ610LE which is the "low profile" design. I was hoping to find pump capacity and electric motor specs but it does not look like the manufacturers publish these.

Any special options or build features to look for?

Does anyone have experience with the DownEaster brand trailers? They are made up here in Maine so it's probably not a nationally recognized brand but there are not many dump trailer dealers up here. The few that carry them either have DownEaster or PJ trailers and the PJ's seem to be about $1000 more for the same trailer.


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[Mike Costello]

I can't speak for the DownEaster trailers, but I have used PJ dump trailers and they get the job done. They are well made and the hydraulics work well. The one I used also had pull out ramps for hauling equipment which was a great idea if you want to haul anything with tracks or wheels. Weight capacity and length would be an important consideration too.

 

[CurlyDave]

I have a Western Dump low boy of very similar design.

In about a year, I have not had any real problems. Mine is a 6'x12' and it is possible to load it with enough rock to prevent the hydraulics from raising the bed. Must move eight to the rear by hand to overcome this issue.

I like the low boy design. Easier to load & tows better.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Dmace.

You kick around here in the trailer section enough what to look for and what to pass on. Do your homework and you will do fine.

As for the 7K thing I would not hesitate to get a 10K trailer or even a 12K. Just be careful on how you load it. Its easy to overload a dump trailer. With the larger trailer you would have a buffer before you did damage to it and your truck will handle the extra weight ok if needed.

I ordered my uncle a 14K Bri-Mar about 5 years ago and he has towed it with a 05 Expedition and now a 08 F-150 with no issues. He keeps the total load around 10K and it does fine. I have had it just a tad over 14k behind my F-350 and it pulled like a dream. Only complaint with his trailer is the powder coat paint. I would not do that again.

Main reason I would stay away from the 7K is it would be a tough re-sale if you ever decided to get rid of it. I imagine it would weigh about 2,500# empty so you would only have just over 2 tons capacity. While one like my uncles weighs 4,200# empty you would have the same load capacity without overloading your truck.

Chris

 

[captaincrab55]

Not sure of the Brand dump trailer, but I saw one that had drop sides loading up at the supply house several months ago... It was a good feature because a forklift could load it from either side as well as the back..

 

[AlanB]

I would buy a heavier rated trailer, you will find yourself wishing you had more capacity at some point (you don't have to use it)

I have the 10K 6X10

 

[Dmace]

As for the 7K thing I would not hesitate to get a 10K trailer or even a 12K. Just be careful on how you load it. Its easy to overload a dump trailer. With the larger trailer you would have a buffer before you did damage to it and your truck will handle the extra weight ok if needed.

I thought about that since I really wanted a 12ft trailer vs. a 10ft but here in NH and many places around, the DOT goes by what your trailer is rated for hauling and not what you actually are hauling. So if your truck is rated at 8k lbs towing capacity and you have a 10k rated trailer on it, then you get a hefty fine even if the actual weight is under your tow capacity. I could "de-rate" a higher GVWR trailer down to 8k and still have the longer length but it hardly seems worth it. Plus I get most of my product from a gravel yard that weighs you in and out and if you have a trailer over-rated for your truck then they wont load you. It's tough finding a 7k trailer with ramps.

Not sure of the Brand dump trailer, but I saw one that had drop sides loading up at the supply house several months ago... It was a good feature because a forklift could load it from either side as well as the back..

That sounds like a nice option but probably not found in the low profile style that I want due to the fenders and tires sitting higher than the floor.

I found a Bri-Mar dealer here in NH as well and like the looks of them. I will be contacting that dealer Monday.

 

[Duffster]

So if your truck is rated at 8k lbs towing capacity and you have a 10k rated trailer on it, then you get a hefty fine even if the actual weight is under your tow capacity.

That is got to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard of.

 

[CurlyDave]

I thought about that since I really wanted a 12ft trailer vs. a 10ft but here in NH and many places around, the DOT goes by what your trailer is rated for hauling and not what you actually are hauling. So if your truck is rated at 8k lbs towing capacity and you have a 10k rated trailer on it, then you get a hefty fine even if the actual weight is under your tow capacity.

You need to move.

Out here in the land of the free, you are checked based on actual weight. However, your registration is based on stated capacity.

The dealer claimed that my 6 x 12 dump, actually rated for 14k gross, and it does have two 7k axles. The manufacturer only rated it for 10k gross, and the reality is that I try to keep it under 8k because of the limits of my tow vehicle.

The low boy design is significantly lighter than standard trailers. mine weighs 1980 lb.

 

[Skyco]

The dealer claimed that my 6 x 12 dump, actually rated for 14k gross, and it does have two 7k axles. The manufacturer only rated it for 10k gross, and the reality is that I try to keep it under 8k because of the limits of my tow vehicle.

The low boy design is significantly lighter than standard trailers. mine weighs 1980 lb.

Curious if you've actually weighed it. My 6x12 lowboy dump trailer is rated at 14,000 claims to weigh 3500 lbs!
I'd be real surprised a dump trailer rated for 14,000 weighed under a ton unless maybe if it was aluminum.

 

[Raspy]

Dmace,

You asked about special featues and indicated you are interested in motor power or pump capacity. So I'm wondering if you are interested in the dumping characteristics of the box.

The ram setup shown is the basic design and has less breakout strength than the setup with linkage. You might have to be more careful how you load the box with this and the dumping is slower.

It looks like it has either 5200 lb axles or 3500 lb axles. I would definately not get the 3500 lb axles because they will be at their limit or beyond a lot and they have smaller brakes. Trailers can have a GVWR higher than the axles total because they figure 10% or so will be riding on the tow vehicle. It is so easy to load heavier than expected and exceed the axles rated capacity. This is OK for a dump run, but hauling a tractor on the highway might be a different story. What ever you get, make sure you get brakes on both axles. You can probably add the second set yourself if needed as the axles come with flanges and backing plates are easy to get.

I don't see that it has ramps for your tractor? Are you planning on making your own? My PJ trailer, for instance, has a set of slide in ramps under the bed and it's real handy.

Dump trailers are just great!

 

[Diamondpilot]

That is got to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard of.

It is but that is how it is here in Indiana also. I have never heard of anyone getting caught for it but I guess you would be hung out to dry if anything ever happened.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

Curious if you've actually weighed it. My 6x12 lowboy dump trailer is rated at 14,000 claims to weigh 3500 lbs!
I'd be real surprised a dump trailer rated for 14,000 weighed under a ton unless maybe if it was aluminum.

I have to agree. My uncles 14' 14,000# Bri-Mar Dump trailer weighs 4,200# empty. Bri-Mar allows for 10% tongue rating so the GVWR of the trailer is 15,400# and the payload rating is 11,200#.

It seems tough to believe the empty weight to be only 2,000# or so.

Chris

 

[Dmace]

The ram setup shown is the basic design and has less breakout strength than the setup with linkage. You might have to be more careful how you load the box with this and the dumping is slower.

By "the setup with linkage", do you mean the scissor type lifts like the heavier dump trailers?

I did like that design on my dump truck but the only thing it seemed to do was allow a shorter hydraulic piston. On my truck though, that design just meant that many more hinge points that all liked to gum up and rust and would need to be cleaned regularly or the dump wouldn't go down by itself without "power down". I am not looking to haul more than 2-tons at a time so even a basic design should have no problem. The ramps are optional.

I do like that the 9,990lb GVWR trailers from DownEaster come with two 6k axles vs the two 3,500lb axles on the 7k trailer. I was hoping to stay under $4k though so we'll see how much dealing I can get.

 

[Dmace]

That is got to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard of.

It is but that is how it is here in Indiana also. I have never heard of anyone getting caught for it but I guess you would be hung out to dry if anything ever happened.
Chris

Duffster, if someone's caught with drugs they are charged with possession. Now if they have a scale with them as well they are now charged with "intent to sell". They weren't actually selling drugs but were "capable of" and that is basically the same logic. Not everyone buys a heavier trailer for safety, most people buy a heavier trailer so they can overload it and hope the truck and trailer can handle it. If I have to obey to laws like that to keep morons from putting unsafe loads on the highway then so be it.
I've seen plenty of people on the side of the road with the highway patrol trucks behind them going over every last inch of the truck/trailer combo. They don't mess around up here, overloaded trucks don't mind the southern flat lands but are down-right dangerous up in these hills.

 

[Raspy]

Dmace,

Yeah, I was referng to the scissors type lnkage. But both have their advantages. When I was shopping I was told the scissors linkage will tilt a higher load or a more forward load. I ended up without it and it's been fine, but mine's really slow at the upper part of it's stroke.

The axles are a big deal to me. With all the regulations it seems like you have to buy a trailer with strong axles that is underrated by the manufacturer so you don't get a ticket for pulling too much trailer. Weird. The bigger axles can take the abuse and have bigger brakes.

I built a tandem axle trailer with 3500 lb axles for my tractor. But later felt it was overloaded and bought another one with tandem 6000 lb axles. Much better. My towing is in the Sierras mostly and the added margin is nice.

 

[Duffster]

Duffster, if someone's caught with drugs they are charged with possession. Now if they have a scale with them as well they are now charged with "intent to sell". They weren't actually selling drugs but were "capable of" and that is basically the same logic. Not everyone buys a heavier trailer for safety, most people buy a heavier trailer so they can overload it and hope the truck and trailer can handle it. If I have to obey to laws like that to keep morons from putting unsafe loads on the highway then so be it.
I've seen plenty of people on the side of the road with the highway patrol trucks behind them going over every last inch of the truck/trailer combo. They don't mess around up here, overloaded trucks don't mind the southern flat lands but are down-right dangerous up in these hills.

I don't know if the drug thing is a good analogy. Your intent would be to use the truck to it's full tow rating.

Is there actually a law to back this up or is it just some Barney Fife's interpretation of the law? Or is it just misunderstood kinda like needing to keep the manufactures GCWR under 26k to stay under CDL?

 

[Dmace]

I don't know if the drug thing is a good analogy. Your intent would be to use the truck to it's full tow rating.

Is there actually a law to back this up or is it just some Barney Fife's interpretation of the law? Or is it just misunderstood kinda like needing to keep the manufactures GCWR under 26k to stay under CDL?

MY intent would be using the truck to it's full tow rating but OTHER PEOPLE would have the intent of overloading the trailer and the truck pulling it. Those are the people these laws are trying to stop. Every law is up to interpretation, I read the laws the same way the officials do because they are the ones who enforce them and I would rather err on the safe side. YOU can interpret the law any way you want, that doesn't mean your right.
Are you actually going to add anything useful to this thread or just start a CDL debate like every other thread you post in?

 

[Dmace]

Dmace,

Yeah, I was referng to the scissors type lnkage. But both have their advantages. When I was shopping I was told the scissors linkage will tilt a higher load or a more forward load. I ended up without it and it's been fine, but mine's really slow at the upper part of it's stroke.

The only comparison that I have is my old dump truck (94 F-350 scissor-type dump) and my fathers older Ford dump truck (hydraulic piston mounted right to the bed). The first thing I noticed was his dump had a HUGE piston, probably 1-1/2 to 2 times larger diameter rod and much larger hydraulic reservoir tank. The other big difference was his piston mounted about 3ft from the pivot point at the end of the dump (rear of the truck) whereas my scissor was mounted right at mid-way. They both lifted the same amount 2-3 yards easily and at about the same speed. The big difference is mine was smaller and used much less hydraulic oil. He never had the dump body get stuck up like mine because the scissor was rusted but he did have the piston mount on the bed snap off because there is so much pressure on one point vs. my scissor lift welded all around. I guess each has their pros and cons...

 

[Duffster]

MY intent would be using the truck to it's full tow rating but OTHER PEOPLE would have the intent of overloading the trailer and the truck pulling it. Those are the people these laws are trying to stop. Every law is up to interpretation, I read the laws the same way the officials do because they are the ones who enforce them and I would rather err on the safe side. YOU can interpret the law any way you want, that doesn't mean your right.
Are you actually going to add anything useful to this thread or just start a CDL debate like every other thread you post in?

I was just asking if it was a written law.