Griffin Dump Trailer Issues Never Again

[5030]

Time to bore the equalizers and rebush with 660 CA bronze alloy bushings, cross drilled for grease fittings and the outer links need to be remade and bronze greaseable fittings installed there as well.

All trailer builders go with the least expensive components to glean the best profit margin. Plastic bushings don't work on ANY trailer, least in my opinion but that is what you most always get anyway along with no grease fittings.

Had that issue with my Kaufman goose neck and redid the suspension myself plus I added triangular gussets the the outboard spring hangers to eliminate any twisting of the hangers when making tight turns with the GN loaded or overloaded as the case may be.

 

[Tinhack]

Never heard of a Griffin trailer around here.

Me either. Except for one dealer in Utah (probably a relative), they don't have any dealers west of the Mississippi. I guess the way they make them "affordable" is to use cheap parts and materials. Griffin doesn't sell directly to the public, so they don't have any prices on their website.

 

[workinonit]

I'll never for the life of me figure out why they put nylon bushings in those shackles and equalizers. My $60K RV had them. They were gone in no time. I bought the MoRyde bronze bushing kit for mine.

 

[Tinhack]

Time to bore the equalizers and rebush with 660 CA bronze alloy bushings, cross drilled for grease fittings and the outer links need to be remade and bronze greaseable fittings installed there as well.

That might work as long as they're not the cheap cast iron equalizers.

 

[Engineer42]

I'll never for the life of me figure out why they put nylon bushings in those shackles and equalizers. My $60K RV had them. They were gone in no time. I bought the MoRyde bronze bushing kit for mine.

Meets the minimum specifications required by the American Trailer Manufacturers Assoc. Or whatever they are calling themselves. Or the DOT. They're making money on the sales. Other than the few reputable builders, the rest are flash in the pan hustlers. They sell to the "Harry Homeowner" crowd and not most who research and crawl under what they purchase.

 

[BlueKnife]

Unfortunately so. A 6x12 should have 14k axles under it, in my opinion.

My neighbors 5x10 dual axle is a 10k rated trailer, and it weighs ~3k lbs itself and can hold 3 yards. 3 yards of wet gravel is easily 9k+ lbs of load. So I limit myself to 2.5 yd purchases when borrowing it.

I assume, by "14k axles" you mean tandem 7k axles. They don't make 14,000 lb. axles that will work under a trailer that small. But yes, it's very easy to overload a dump trailer with rock. Even the highest quality manufacturers don't necessarily make them to be loaded to the gills with rock. If they did, the trailer would be to small to haul a machine, or efficiently haul mulch, for example. A person needs to work within the limitations of their equipment.

 

[RandyT]

I think most trailer manufacturers spec the cheapest components that will carry the rated load, nothing more. I don't know what you were sold, but you might want to recheck the rated load capacity. The capacity I see on their website for the GT612 6'X12' dump is 6,000# load capacity. I don't see an option to upgrade load capacity, just a jack increase from 7,000# to 10,000#. That might account for your excessive wear. Also check the load rating for the tires. It doesn't list a rating on the website, just 15" radial tires, but they may have been Load Range D 8-ply tires. That would barely cover the GVWR of 9,990# with 6,000# of payload weight. If that is so, I would up that to a Load Range E 10-ply if it were my trailer.

View attachment 3196527

6410 payload listed in the chassis specs below the picture. But well under the 8K the OP was hauling.

 

[TWarrenNE]

HOLY S%^&, thats some criminal trailer design right there. A 6x12 dump trailer can easily be loaded with DOUBLE that much weight.

To the OP, if you really bought a 6k rated 6x12 dump trailer without realizing it, well first of all I am sorry. but second of all, c'mon.

No, it's got 2x6k axles, rated for 8K payload. The sticker on the trailer also says so.

I am guessing they de rated them after poor performance.

 

[deezler]

No, it's got 2x6k axles, rated for 8K. The sticker on the trailer also says so.

That's good, sorry to doubt you at all. Bummer about the suspension bits though.

 

[TWarrenNE]

I'm guessing they de rated after poor performance.

6410 payload listed in the chassis specs below the picture. But well under the 8K the OP was hauling.