Dump truck vs dump trailer

[IMCA38]

I've been longing for a hydraulic dump trailer to use around the place, but I can't justify the cost of $4500+.
Presently I use a two place snowmobile trailer that has 2' plywood sides. Works pretty good for hauling brush or tree limbs, but the bad part is unloading it by hand.
We have three long rows of evergreen trees that are slowly dying off from pine wilt, so I'll have pleanty of work going forward. Also, it would be nice to have something to haul driveway rock, soil, etc.
I have found out about a late 1980's Chevy truck coming up for sale, not sure if 3/4T or 1T (appears to have single rear wheels). It has an elec/hyd dump box, I'd guess 8-10' long and about 3' high.(Even with the top of the cab). Body looks decent for it's age. The box reminds me of what you would see a lawn service or landscaper use. Anyhow, indications are that this truck might be bought for around $2500.
For that price, I might be tempted to jump on it as it would be about $2000 less than a trailer. I can see some advantages and some disadvantages to truck vs trailer.
Truck advantages- Cheaper to buy, easier to manuver, save wear and tear on my good truck, maybe more versatile if I can pull a trailer with it too.
Truck disadvantages- More expensive to maintain, license, insure, etc(although I'd probably put comp and collision on a trailer due to value and risk of theft), Less payload than a tandem trailer (provided you have enough truck to pull a loaded trailer)
I'd be interested in hearing other thoughts on the subject.

Thanks

 

[bcp]

Could you drive the truck to every place on your property where you would take the tractor and a dump trailer?

Bruce

 

[alchemysa]

I recently had sort of a similar situation, although on a smaller scale. I was thinking of ditching my Suzuki Sierra (you call them samuri's) and getting a cheap Toyota Hilux tray top to use around the property. In the end I just bought another cheap second hand trailer. So glad I did. I know the Sierra inside and out. Its reliable and cheap to run and maintain. I decided I didnt want another 'unknown' vehicle with all its possible problems and expenses. It was one of my more sensible decisions.

(As I get older I'm getting better at resisting 'impulse buys')

 

[NuBota]

I had a similar decision to make about a year ago and opted for the 10K# DT and don't regret it. Here are some thoughts...

Not sure how it is in NE, but in MD you need a safety inspection done when transferring vehicle ownership. Even if you need relatively simple things done - like tires, brakes, exhaust, etc - you could easily hit $2000 just to get it on the road legally - on top of the other expenses you mentioned. Even if there is no issue on that front - the cost to maintain will quickly exceed the difference in initial costs

Given the payload capacity, I would honestly consider it a non-starter. You didn't mention what your current truck is - but before I bought the DT I used a Load Handler on my Dodge Ram 2500 - it worked great on any load I could carry in the truck - but compared to being able to haul 4 tons in my dump trailer, it doesn't even come close. For brush, what you are considering would be fine - but you may be disappointed the first time you go to haul a load of dirt or gravel.

When I got the Ram, I still had my old F350 SRW that was still in great working condition and considered a dump insert instead of the trailer - but again the same issue - maintaining an extra engine and much smaller payload

Maneuverability is the key and only advantage as far as your case goes, and if that is a hard requirement then it may be worth it - but the payload deficit would always bug me. If the truck you are considering was DRW with a 3-5 ton capacity for that price, the decision would be harder - but if it is only a glorified pickup...not so much

Good luck either way you go!

 

[JJZ 109]

Given the payload capacity, I would honestly consider it a non-starter. You didn't mention what your current truck is - but before I bought the DT I used a Load Handler on my Dodge Ram 2500 - it worked great on any load I could carry in the truck - but compared to being able to haul 4 tons in my dump trailer, it doesn't even come close. For brush, what you are considering would be fine - but you may be disappointed the first time you go to haul a load of dirt or gravel.
Good luck either way you go!

I was thinking the same thing yesterday when I was pulling 4+ tons of stone on my trailer and I saw someone with an OBS F350 dump truck sitting nearby with some stone on. No way he could take 4 tons on that.
The original poster has some things to consider. He's already aware of the long term costs like insurance and maintenance on a dump truck. He's also aware that a truck to pull a dump trailer needs the capacity to do so. I don't know that I'd attempt to pull my trailer with 4 or 5 tons of stone with my F150. But fortunately I've got an F Super Duty 7.3 diesel for business that I can pull the trailer with.
I have a fair sized gravel driveway that I maintain. I also haul 3-4 yards of mulch for the wife's landscaping. I have an S185 Bobcat that I can fit into the dump trailer. So it was worth it for me to get a dump trailer. Depending on IMCA38's needs, he just might get away with the dump truck. I couldn't because of limited capacity and the desire to not register, insure and maintain another motor vehicle. We already have 4 of those plus 3 Harleys to do that with.
In the end you have to weigh what your most common uses would be for both dump truck and dump trailer, think about the long term expenses and go from there.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Those trucks are just so limited on the weight they can carry.

For the same money or less my neighbor got a 1976 Ford F700 & a 1978 Chevy C60.

The Ford can haul 8 tons and the Chevy 6.

Chris

 

[JJZ 109]

Those trucks are just so limited on the weight they can carry.

For the same money or less my neighbor got a 1976 Ford F700 & a 1978 Chevy C60.

The Ford can haul 8 tons and the Chevy 6.

Chris

I don't know about Nebraska, where the OP is from but New York would spank you hard for the yearly registration fee on a truck registered to carry that much. That's why he should sort out how often he would use it and his long term needs for something to transport whatever materials he has in mind.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I don't know about Nebraska, where the OP is from but New York would spank you hard for the yearly registration fee on a truck registered to carry that much. That's why he should sort out how often he would use it and his long term needs for something to transport whatever materials he has in mind.

Around here we put farm plates on them. Cost about $45 per year.

Only limit is personal use and 150 mile radius from home in state only.

Chris

 

[hrcarver]

You need the weight on the truck whether it is on the truck or the trailer, at least here. I have to have 18k tags on my pickup.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You need the weight on the truck whether it is on the truck or the trailer, at least here. I have to have 18k tags on my pickup.

Not here in Indiana. We register the truck for its GVWR and the trailer for its GVWR.

For example my Nissan Titan has a GVWR of 7,200# but they only have 7,000# & 9,000# plates so I put 9,000# plates on it. My boat trailer is 12,000# so I put a 12,000# plate on it.

We have 3,000#, 5,000#, 7,000#, 9,000#, 12,000#, 15,000#, 18,000#, ect plates.

Chris

 

[NuBota]

I would dread the maintenance on those bigger trucks - like the F700 - just the tires could break you

 

[IMCA38]

Wow, some great discussion already! I'll try to fill in the blanks.
Yes, the truck would be able to reach anyplace I'd want to take it.
When I pull the snowmobile trailer now, I almost always have it on my pickup as I have to take it off-site to unload. That being said, my current truck is a Silverado 1500 crew, I beleive the tow capacity is 8000# or so, and being a super short box, it can't be used for a gooseneck. I may get a new one sometime, but likely still be a 1500 as I use it for my daily driver and can't justify thousands of additional cost just to pull a super heavy trailer occasionally.
Here in NE, there is no vehicle inspection requirement per se. so that isn't a concern. This truck has a 350ci engine (I think), and would be largely pre-emission, etc, so maintenence should be pretty simple. I have a shop full of 350 engines and parts leftover from my racing days, so should be fine there.
I get the issue of larger payload on a trailer, but given the limitation of my current pickup, that wouldn't be a large disadvantage. Tree limbs and brush get dumped about a mile away, so pretty easy trip. The place where I get driveway rock is under 5 miles away, so making extra trips wouldn't be the end of the world. If I need a lot, I'm going to have them deliver in a 10yd truck anyway.
I think it would be a hoot to have a true med duty dumptruck, but as noted the expense, hassles, etc, don't allow for that.
I totally understand that the dump trailer is probably an overall better option, but is it twice as good when considering price?

 

[RAS323]

Are you comparing the price of a new dump trailer to a used dump truck? I can find quite a few used dump trailers for $2000-$3000 on craigslist in my area.

 

[NuBota]

IMCA38 - given the extra detail it sounds like you are not overly concerned with the payload and maintenance and want to preserve your existing truck - in that case your thought process makes sense. Even if the trailer was cheaper you still have to use your truck. Having a beater or "farm truck" is a nice thing to have. That's why I kept my F350 after getting the Ram - would still have it too - but a family member needed a vehicle so I gave it to them - but it was sure nice having both

 

[IMCA38]

Are you comparing the price of a new dump trailer to a used dump truck? I can find quite a few used dump trailers for $2000-$3000 on craigslist in my area.

Used dump trailers are only slightly cheaper than new around here and you get dents, rust and bald tires at no additional cost!

 

[paulharvey]

I would also vote farm use dump truck. If its a 350/3500 series its probably rated for around 2/2.5 tons payload, which is about what a dump trailer will do on a 1500 anyways. Even if you need 6 new/newer used tires, you have over $2000 in savings to upgrade with. Insurance might hurt some, but I don't know for sure, might be able to do something creative to keep it low, like the progressive plug in GPS, doubt you'll be speeding in the dump truck.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Those trucks are just so limited on the weight they can carry.

For the same money or less my neighbor got a 1976 Ford F700 & a 1978 Chevy C60.

The Ford can haul 8 tons and the Chevy 6.

Chris

We picked up a 1989 Ford F700 with a 16' flat dump for $2800 in 2010 that has turned out to be a good truck.Did have to change the oil and coolant that I think was about 20 years old.

It had the bias tires with the Dayton two part rims and since it is getting harder to find tire shops that will work with them we changed over to radial tires that have the one part rims. For $600 we got six mounted tires pulled from a wrecked school bus. The steers are new Kumho tires (2008 date code) and and the rears are new like recaps so we should be good for years there the way we use it.

The farm tags are next to nothing but a good liability policy I think is about $250 per year.

The pros for trailers are well stated.

Due to great physical limitation and no rotation of the upper body trailers and I do not get along well plus ones that can haul much are hard to use without at tow vehicle. The F700 is just much safer for me to use/operate vs a trailer that can haul 8-10 tons around the place. The F700 came with a pintle hitch and for a $1000 I got an old equipment trailer that can haul the backhoe, etc IF I had a real need to haul equipment.

It is semi loaded with a huge tree that died last summer after a major trimming last winter after some major storm damage the year before. I just paid to get it cut down starting at the top since it was near the house/deck with no clean up. I loaded it using the backhoe with a manual thumb. We will move some dirt with it this summer but it is nice to have if we need it.

Every one is different but a dump truck works for me where a trailer would not.

Ours has to set outside so and old but solid truck works for us.

 

[schmism]

I owned a 85 C30 for several years. Bought it for $1400, sold it for $1500 and put nothing but gas in it.

it liked to haul 2 ton and that fit well in the box. Hydrulic pto dump that never struggled even with the 3 ton load of dirt i had in it while doing property only work.

It was certainly less expensive than a dump trailer, but would not haul as much given a 10K or 12K trailer

 

[sd455dan]

Used dump trailers are only slightly cheaper than new around here and you get dents, rust and bald tires at no additional cost!

Agree that a used dump truck can be a better value- I would say it works best in states where you can do the farm exemption plate.

Purchased this CMC 7000 at a city sale for $1350. it has a Detroit turbo diesel, 5 speed Alison and locking tandem axles, she smokes a bit till warm but then runs well, one other thing to check that I completely missed when buying was the rear axle ratio.

This truck came with 7.17 gears which limits the top speed to about 43 mph, luckily the gravel pit is on the same road and the speed limit is 45 mph...And it's only 4 miles away.

I do think a good used dump truck can be a good investment.

And looking for a dump trailer in our area turned up a few , but the price was not even in the trucks ball park ( more than twice the price ).

Also the truck is rated for 43,000 lbs. and the city licensed it for 61,000 lbs. so it can haul way more than most used trailers in this price range....my:2cents:

 

[Reg]

Poor man's version of a dump trailer is a tilt bed, on a single axle trailer.
Basically the tongue is hinged a foot or two back from the trailer's front edge, there is a pin to hold it straight.
When you want to dump you just take the pin out and back up - may need to chock the trailer wheels to get it to tip.
Pull forward again to level the bed, replace the pin, go get another load, etc.

Probably easy enough to convert the O/P's snowmobile trailer, a lot of them were built that way years ago.