Dump Trailer - Scissors Hoist - Plans?

[crazyal]

I haven't looked in awhile but I use to see used telescoping cylinders on places like ebay. My 8' dump truck uses a scissor set up but I see plenty that have the telescoping kind. It may take longer to extend but if you found a used cylinder it could be cheaper and simpler to make.

 

[FarmWrench]

If the cylinder is double acting, use the down force to compress a spring. The force will be returned for the lift and help hold the box up to drain when unused.

 

[PHPaul]

It works fine!

Just a quick update.

Built it to plan with two minor changes. I used a 3x8 cylinder because I got a heckuva deal on one, and I added a grease zerk to the bottom pivot and put two instead of one on the top pivot.

Picked up about a yard of wet compost just above idle with no issues at all. The wet compost didn't dump all that well and some of that is dump angle, but mostly it's just sticky and the trailer has a wood floor which doesn't help. Dry matter should dump just fine.

If I can find a 10 or 12 inch cylinder that mounts the same way for a decent price, I may upgrade, but I'm not all that worried about it.

 

[currierej]

Looks great! If it doesn't seem to have any trouble lifting the load you might try moving the lift back about 6", the farther back the lift is the more angle you will get.
What you have there is about 90% of what I want to build for myself, what was the name of the plans you used?

 

[PHPaul]

I got the plans from these folks for $22, paid up and downloaded the PDF immediately, printed them out.

Good plans, well documented and explained, clear drawings. WELL worth the $22.

Moving the lift back would require major re-engineering of the main frame and bed frame to relocate the mounting points. Not worth the hassle/expense. If anything, I'll put a longer stroke cylinder on it.

In reality, I'll likely just live with it. I don't move wet stuff very often and ANYTHING is better than shoveling...:laughing:

 

[currierej]

Thanks for the link, I'll be ordering the plans myself, I understand about the work involved in moving the unit back, and besides, even using a rake to pull the material out when it's raised is a lot easier than using a shovel to get it out of a flat trailer.

 

[currierej]

I was planning on building a four wheel trailer with wide spaced axles and steering front wheels because I wanted stability when unhitched, but now am leaning towards a tandem axle trailer to give a mix of stability and ease of backing (I am awful at backing a trailer that has a steering axle).

 

[davedj1]

That tongue looks a little weak but other than that I love it.
You could always move your hinges forward.

 

[pmsmechanic]

You could also line the bed with some puck board or equivalent.

 

[4570Man]

If there's any kind of salvage yard close by you should be able to get a cylinder cheap. The one I went to had literally hundred if not thousands of cylinders. I got a 5x22 cylinder for my wood splitter for 25 cents a pound.

 

[4570Man]

Here's the dump on my truck.

 

[AKwelder]

I found the photo below on a Cub Cadet forum, and took the measurements for my pivot points, then beefed it up. If you do a google search you should find it





I have a small 7 foot trailer that I have loaded with more weight than i want to pull in it. it works great

 

[Willie B]

I got the plans from these folks for $22, paid up and downloaded the PDF immediately, printed them out.

Good plans, well documented and explained, clear drawings. WELL worth the $22.

Moving the lift back would require major re-engineering of the main frame and bed frame to relocate the mounting points. Not worth the hassle/expense. If anything, I'll put a longer stroke cylinder on it.

In reality, I'll likely just live with it. I don't move wet stuff very often and ANYTHING is better than shoveling...:laughing:

If I asked you where is Downeast Maine, what would you answer. My wife, and I bought a building lot on the water in Quaddy Village in Eastport in 1987. 20 Years later we accepted no house was likely to be built, and sold.

I have a dump truck, a 1976 Chevy C65. 27500 GVWR, it has a gas 427 truck engine. It's OK but is a criminal gas hog, the frame of the truck is a rust concern. I want to upgrade. I bought a GMC Top Kick fire truck with very low miles, and hours. It is beautiful!

Plan A was to put the present dump (flatbed 14' rack body) on the newer truck. A number of minor differences in the trucks would require changes in the dump. It has two single action telescopic cylinders that seep a bit of oil.

It occurs to me a new body built for the new truck would be more to my liking. Looking at kits on the market, I find little information is available before I order. I need to dump a payload of 14000 LBS from a 15' long body with 2' overhang. I see scissor with pump kits at favorable prices, but I want good quality that will work.

The plans you used aren't heavy enough for my application. Is there a heavier one?

Oh, I am a capable welder/fabricator, but not much of an engineer.

Willie

 

[kebo]

I built a lift based off those plans. To some extent they are the only game in town, so if you really want to build a scissor lift, buy 'em. Overall they are good plans, only some minor things about them that I disagreed with.

View attachment 527780

The lift angle did worry me, so I built a 3D model in SolidWorks, stretched the design out and used a 12" instead of 10" cylinder. Then positioned it on my trailer to give me something absurd like 60 degrees of tilt. I suspect if I built it to the plans exactly, it still would have been fine though.

View attachment 527781

The big downside I found in those plans, was the design of the mounting points. I built it to the plans, and then had to struggle real hard to design matching mount points on my trailer. If I had to do it again, I'd pay real close attention to the mounts, and do them completely differently.

In practice though with it all done, it's works great. With a 3.5" cylinder, it doesn't even notice there is a load in the bed, no matter how heavy. Limiting factor becomes the rating on my tires.

Only other thing I'd say is consider the time factor. The commercial lifts aren't cheap, but a month fab'ing a scissor lift in your spare time isn't cheap either. Definitely not an option for a person in a hurry.

Go big and add a set of dual tires on it! :laughing:

 

[Willie B]

It has duals already. Fire truck will become dump truck to replace this.

Willie

 

[PHPaul]

Whoa...blast from the past!

Willie, exactly where "Downeast" starts depends on where you're from. Around here, it is generally accepted that anything East of the Hancock/Sullivan bridge on Route 1 is Downeast. Others will tell you it doesn't start until the Washington County line. Eastport definitely qualifies!

I don't know about heavier plans for a scissors dump that'll handle 7 tons. I'd want somebody WAY more qualified than me designing it for sure.

 

[Willie B]

As I progress in my research, a company in Arizona sells kits including electric pump, and scissor mechanism. These hoists are built in Texas. I could buy direct, but shipping factored, it works out to be cheaper to buy from Johnson Trailer Parts.

Eastport is an amazing place. Mid eighties there was a major time of property sales. Countless buildings were under renovation. Quaddy Village, on the end facing the mainland was built in the Depression by US Navy Construction Battalion. It was housing for the workers on the Quaddy Tides Hydro Project. When Congress failed to renew funding for the project, jobs suddenly ended. It has been virtually a ghost town since. I'm accustomed to beautiful waterfront building lots selling for millions, or if on a lake, hundreds of thousands. In Eastport, we bought waterfront property with power, water, and sewer for $5000. In youth everything seems possible, but the distance from VT proved overwhelming to use as a vacation place.

 

[Willie B]

As I progress in my research, a company in Arizona sells kits including electric pump, and scissor mechanism. These hoists are built in Texas. I could buy direct, but shipping factored, it works out to be cheaper to buy from Johnson Trailer Parts.

 

[billwleod]

Hawke trailers appear to manufacture their own scissor lift for their trailers. Simple design made from tube steel and channel.

Good picture here:
HAWKE – 6’x1′ 1K Deckover Scissors Lift Dump – ToolShed of America

 

[lennyzx11]

Hawke trailers appear to manufacture their own scissor lift for their trailers. Simple design made from tube steel and channel.

Good picture here:
HAWKE – 6’x1′ 1K Deckover Scissors Lift Dump – ToolShed of America

I'm trying to figure out how that lower frame mount pivots as the mechanism raises and lowers.