Want to buy a dump trailer, kinda torn here.

[Gord Baker]

I have a bumper pull because I don’t have any vehicles with a GN but it’s riding close to 1k on the hitch empty. Add any load and you’ll really be feeling the sag with a 2500. My trailer is 14’ foot and it’s about the minimum length for putting a skid steer in. I also have a 20’ equipment trailer and it’s leaps and bounds better for putting equipment on.

Check your Weights carefully. GVW , Towing weight as per card on truck doorpost. Best to rent one if you can or you will be doing all your buddies trailering. Thats what happens!!!

 

[Noelie84]

Why I bought a 12ft bumper pull.

• Vehicle tow capacity minus weight of trailer = legal/safe load you can put into the trailer.
• I can fill a 12-foot trailer with more material then I could have a 14ft trailer because of the added weight of the 14ft trailer. This is the safety aspect of my reasoning.
• I do not have a GN. I do now but I have not installed it and I already purchased the 80”x12ft bumper pull.

Towing capacity 2011 Tundra 10,000LB

3570LB 83” x 12’ 12,000 capacity, available capacity minus trailer weight 8,430 (approximately 3 yrds of material)

4200LB 83” x 14’ 14,000 capacity, available capacity minus trailer weight 9,800, But vehicle capacity minus trailer weight = 5800lb available capacity.

Comparison BigTex 12XL and 14XL-14.

A similar reason to why I bought my 12 footer. It was an extra 500lbs of capacity. The other reason was maneuverability. A lot of where I'm working is fairly tight, and 20 feet of truck plus 18 or 20 feet of trailer (with the tongue) was a real pain. The 12 footer (16 with the tongue) makes it that little bit easier.

 

[can do]

Wanting to buy a dump trailer, I’ve wanted one for a while as it would be handy. My buddies and I could have used one many times for various things. I’m also humoring some sort of side hustle if I get one. I have a newer 3/4 ton Silverado gas truck with the 6.0 and 4:10’s out back. If I buy one I’m just going to go for one in the 14k trim.

I see a lot of guys pulling these things and nine times out of ten they’re a bumper pull. Toss a skid steer in one and unless you’ve got a one ton Dually I see a lot of these trucks with the front end reaching for the moon. Obviously they cold have loaded it a little tongue heavy ect.

I don’t have a skid steer but that’s another purchase down the road. That said I do have a 20 foot bumper pull electric tilt speedloader in 10k trim so that’s probably more ideal for hauling/loading/unloading a skid steer.

What I’m torn on is if I should go 12 or 14 foot. Should I go for the gooseneck? I’ve never pulled a gooseneck before, I get the obvious pros and cons to one. With my truck now it’s rated for 14k which I think is a stretch for it being a gas truck. Just seems if you loaded a 14k dump trailer to the max with a bumper pull that might get sketchy especially with such a short trailer.

Price wise I’m another 675$ to go gooseneck, drop in the bucket compared to the price of the trailer already. If a guy could have both bumper pull and a gooseneck that would be great but that’s not a option for now. I should also add I don’t have a gooseneck hitch in my truck so I’ll be out another 600$ or so for that.

Just need some guidance thanks in advance!

I myself never thought about a dump trailer. I came across a good deal on a 1999 Chevrolet 3500 1ton dually with a very nice Heil dump bed, That I use on my property for gravel, top soil, fill dirt & to hall away yard debris . I have a 2003 Silverado 1/2 ton that I use to pull my travel trailer & a 18 foot car trailer I also had 2 boats that i was not using since I acquired the travel trailer & the 1 boat was free a 1977 the other a 87 & they needed some work to get them running again , Long story short I traded the 2 boats & gave him a couple grand for the dump truck & the mileage was at 52,000 & at the time it didn't need hardly anything done to it & I have had it for 5 years now & over that time I've put a grand into it normal wear & tear items & I still get offers for way more than what I've paid for it.1 other thing I like about having a small dump truck I can pull either one of my tractors with it & still be able to haul a load in the dump bed. & I'm not saying this is the way to go , But for me it was Because I didn't have the space for another trailer & I got rid of stuff I wasn't using & it was cheaper for me than buying a new dump trailer. 1 other thing check into insurance rates, If I had the choice I would go the same way the truck has a 5.7 Vortec (350) with a 4 speed auto. trans.

 

[macklong]

Bdog is right on with the 14' dump trailer. The GN is the best way to go if you have the bucks to buy the hitch. I have a HD 2500 Ram 5.9 and no GN as the wife wants her shell on the bed to haul crap in so i put Air Bags on the rear and it works fine for me. I have a 22' equipment trailer i haul my JCB backhoe on and i just make sure i load most of the weight on the trailer axles not on the truck. I highly recommend a Diamond C trailer, they have the Paten on the design GN part and i think it's much stronger then the industry I beam that is being used.

 

[ScottK]

With a bumper pull, you can always add a weight distribution hitch if the payload gets too high.

 

[Hay Dude]

Good info thank you, I’m for sure gonna stick with the gooseneck.

Not sure if anyone mentioned yet, but a gooseneck puts more weight on the front axle than a bumper pull, because the down pressure point on a GN is 4’ further forward on the truck than a BP. This means the back axle and to a lesser degree, the front axle share the pin weight.
On a bumper pull, the rear axle bears all the weight and furthermore, lifts the front axle off the pavement, creating a lighter steering feel.

Gooseneck all the way every day except for a low GVW or short trailer.

 

[dboreham]

Interesting thread. I'll add my datapoint:

I have a 6x10 7K bumper pull scissor dump trailer that I haul with a 1 ton. I use it to transport gravel and rock as well as random other things such as skid steer attachments and construction waste. It is useless for hauling equipment but for that I'd use an equipment trailer. I realize there is a tendency to want the biggest trailer you can tow, but note also that larger trailers weigh more, which needs to be subtracted from the max GVW. Also more "beefy" trailers weigh more. Finally I have heard from the gravel pit guys that it is very common for homeowners to pick up gravel in trailers then find the hoist can not lift the load at the other end. My 6x10 has the same hoist setup as the manufacturer's 14k models and will dump without breaking a sweat when loaded to the door with rock.

 

[4570Man]

Interesting thread. I'll add my datapoint:

I have a 6x10 7K bumper pull scissor dump trailer that I haul with a 1 ton. I use it to transport gravel and rock as well as random other things such as skid steer attachments and construction waste. It is useless for hauling equipment but for that I'd use an equipment trailer. I realize there is a tendency to want the biggest trailer you can tow, but note also that larger trailers weigh more, which needs to be subtracted from the max GVW. Also more "beefy" trailers weigh more. Finally I have heard from the gravel pit guys that it is very common for homeowners to pick up gravel in trailers then find the hoist can not lift the load at the other end. My 6x10 has the same hoist setup as the manufacturer's 14k models and will dump without breaking a sweat when loaded to the door with rock.

I’d rather my trailer have a little Honda on the front. The electric is slower than molasses and isn’t overly powerful. I’ve never had a load my trailer wouldn’t dump but I’ve never even came close to its payload either. I pretty much just use mine for trash and even shingles is barley half the load rating. On the other hand filling up a dump trailer box with dirt or gravel is usually going to result in way overloading them.

 

[Hay Dude]

I think a telly hoist would make everyone a more happy owner in that respect. Most of your bigger/heavier dumps have a telescopic hoist, as did my dump.

 

[4570Man]

I think a telly hoist would make everyone a more happy owner in that respect. Most of your bigger/heavier dumps have a telescopic hoist, as did my dump.

I think the main dump trailer problem is a lack of power in the pump and not so much a design flaw of the hoist. That or they’ve undersized the cylinder to make it dump faster with the pitiful flow.