Dumping trailer thoughts

[Xanthoria]

I’m looking to buy a small (5x7? Slightly bigger?) hydraulic dumping trailer for my business and wondered if anyone has tips?

I need to haul debris to the dump (bulky green waste, construction debris) and pick up sand, gravel, mulch etc hence the dumping aspect for speed/ease of unloading.

Some trailers have two gates that swing open on the back, some have a tipping ramp that pivots up to allow dumping. I prefer the gates to allow bulky loads to slide out but then there’s no ramp for wheelbarrows to load the trailer. Is there a trailer w gates and ramp, or an after market ramp that’s good?

Winding tarps: loads have to be covered and faffing around with ropes and tarp is murder. Are there better/worse wind up tarp designs that attach to trailers?

I still need to research single vs dual axle compatibility for my current tow vehicle (v8 4Runner) though a truck may be in my future. If I could buy one trailer now that would handle smallish loads w the 4Runner and bigger ones w Future Truck that’d be great.

Brands to watch out for? Stay away from?

Other design aspects to consider?

Maybe I’m overthinking this? But coming from the horse world trailer details are important!

[phantomhorse]

We have a PJ gooseneck dump trailer that has the ability for the end to open as two swinging doors or as a solid piece that tips up. It also has loading ramps that push into storage compartments under the body. Not sure if that brand makes trailers as small as you are looking for, but we love ours.

[LCDR]

Are you sure a 5x7 is big enough? I think you need to set your sights on a bigger trailer, maybe a 10 foot tandem axle. PJ, Gatormade, and Big Tex make quality trailers. Hawke is a regional brand, assembled in the Atlanta area. They have ones with combo tailgates, plus slide in ramps as part of the package. My local horse trailer dealer sells them.

Hawke Low Profile Dump Trailers - Hawke Trailers

[Xanthoria]

@LCDR

I am not aware of a dump trailer with a ramp as part of the tailgate, as they are typically loaded from a tractor bucket. I know there are three-way tailgates, but one of the ways isn’t a ramp.

I recently rented one - like this, but the space below the pivoting ramp was smaller because the pivot points were lower. Actually, this one could work, except might be a bit too big? See below.

@LCDR

Are you sure a 5x7 is big enough? It will hold approximately (deleted incorrect math, so now my rebuttal below appears persnickety and insane -Xan )

Yeah I need to do the math because my 4Runner can tow about 7500#, so if the trailer weighs about 2000# I can take about 5000# of materials in the trailer. (For jobs where I need more than 2.25 tons I can just have material delivered, or do two pickups.) If the trailer weighs more than that (and a 12’ trailer is going to be… 3500#? 4000#? That reduces the amount of material I can take. So, until I get Future Truck, size matters.

The trailer shown above is about 2,000#, slightly bigger at 6’ X 10’ and capacity is 120 cf / 4.45 yards which is about 5.5 T of sand for example. More than I usually need, but plenty volume for green waste.

A 5x7 weighs about 1200# and capacity is 70 cf / 2.6 yards by my calcs (5x7x2) which is about 3.25 T of sand for example. Total 7,700# which is right above my SUV’s towing capacity. I could add extenders to increase the wall height to get bulky but light green waste in too.

Is my math off? I think a 5x7 is right, no?

[LCDR]

No, my math is incorrect. Sorry. I will go back and deete that part so no one else is misled. If you would go back and delete the quotes of my post where my math is incorrect so as not to mislead any other readers, that would be great. Thanks.

[Bluey]

I think ours is an 8’ x 14’, has a tarp rolled in front to cover loads, double 3500 axles ( I think) and two swinging doors to unload.
Has a battery with a solar charger that works very well, stays charged.
It has two ramps that slide to load tractor or skid loader or zero turn mower.

Works great, my 150F 4x4 can pull a good sized load full fine.
Pulls better with the 2500 Chevy of a neighbor that borrows it.
We clean pens, haul gravel, old fencing to the dump, go pick up gates or concrete mix pallets, etc.
That is a great size if you also need to carry machinery.

[Xanthoria]

done!

[SusanO]

Single axle trailers are a beoytch to back up. I can back my horse trailer or my double axle 8x16 trailer much easier than my 6x8 single axle. When it is empty I push it by hand versus trying to back it with my truck or trailer. And my single axle is only rated for 2000 pounds. I don’t know how heavy your cargo will be but you might be limited by weight and not capacity.

[Jarpur]

@SusanO

And my single axle is only rated for 2000 pounds. I don’t know how heavy your cargo will be but you might be limited by weight and not capacity.

I wonder about this, too. The Big Tex 5 x 8 trailer, for instance, has a 5K GVWR , weighs 1680# with 2.5 cubic yard capacity. Doesn’t the trailer weight need to be taken off the GVWR to obtain the weight it could carry, regardless if the cargo was 2.5 cubic yards or less?

5000 minus 1680 equals 3320. Way less than the SUV’s towing capacity, if I understand correctly.

[Leather]

Something else to keep in mind is the balance between the towing capacity and the payload capacity. Sometimes a vehicle will have an impressive towing capacity but when you run the numbers on how much weight that trailer would transfer to the vehicle’s payload (about 10-15% for a bumper pull) and include passengers and other stuff you want to put in the vehicle for the trip they don’t always line up. Especially with an SUV a lot of your GVWR is taken up by the vehicle itself compared to a truck.

You might be OK if it’s just you in an otherwise empty vehicle. But people that buy something like a travel trailer for camping and then put the whole family/dog/coolers/etc. in the vehicle don’t realize they have likely maxed out the vehicle payload even though the trailer is under the towing capacity.

IMO I’d be leery of a single axle dump trailer. You have to be really careful about balancing loads with a single axle so you get your tongue weight just right because they are essentially a teeter-totter. A load of sand/gravel really can’t be repositioned and it would be hard to get the yard to load things perfectly. Too far forward and your tongue weight will be high and possibly overload your vehicle/impair handling, and too far back can lead to too little tongue weight and trailer sway.

And if you don’t already have one be sure to get a weight distribution hitch. It’s often hidden in the fine print that vehicle manufacturers recommend/require a WD hitch for SUVs/half ton trucks hitch when towing heavier loads. Great video on how the weight distribution hitch can impact the tongue weight of the trailer and how to balance/level your load: https://youtu.be/XBZu39pQ8Gg?si=Fq3ferAZFi71l2Ui

Edited to add that we have a Big Tex (14 ft) and love it. It’s so nice to be able to pick up a load of sand/gravel whenever you need it or haul junk or brush/leaves. It’s fun to pull up to our county’s yard waste site while people are pulling bags out of their vehicles or shoveling out of their trucks and just push a button and be done with it.

It’s got the double function tail gate (barn doors or swinging bottom for dumping) and pull out ramps, but other than when hauling our skid loader we just use some aluminum atv ramps.

[Xanthoria]

@Leather

Something else to keep in mind is the balance between the towing capacity and the payload capacity. Sometimes a vehicle will have an impressive towing capacity but when you run the numbers on how much weight that trailer would transfer to the vehicle’s payload (about 10-15% for a bumper pull) and include passengers and other stuff you want to put in the vehicle for the trip they don’t always line up. Especially with an SUV a lot of your GVWR is taken up by the vehicle itself compared to a truck.

OK so I think I did the math here - does this work?

The max payload on this particular tandem axle trailer seems a bit low to me, but if I’m correct I have plenty of payload transfer wiggle room, carrying 1 3/4T of material in the trailer.

@Leather

IMO I’d be leery of a single axle dump trailer. You have to be really careful about balancing loads with a single axle so you get your tongue weight just right because they are essentially a teeter-totter. A load of sand/gravel really can’t be repositioned and it would be hard to get the yard to load things perfectly. Too far forward and your tongue weight will be high and possibly overload your vehicle/impair handling, and too far back can lead to too little tongue weight and trailer sway.

Yes, definitely not getting a single axle!

@Leather

Edited to add that we have a Big Tex (14 ft) and love it. It’s so nice to be able to pick up a load of sand/gravel whenever you need it or haul junk or brush/leaves. It’s fun to pull up to our county’s yard waste site while people are pulling bags out of their vehicles or shoveling out of their trucks and just push a button and be done with it.

Yes having been to the dump and spent 30 mins unloading brush while others came and went it was an eye opener!

[Leather]

In my non-professional opinion it looks like it should work.

The last part would be to make sure the weight transferred to the vehicle doesn’t go over the rear axle weight rating - that’s what the weight distribution hitch would help with. In other words the payload rating likely assumes a fairly even distribution of weight and not just dumping it all on the rear axle. I know on trucks the rear axles typically have a higher rating than the fronts so you have some wiggle room, just something else to consider.

[Xanthoria]

aha gotcha - I will have to go check that out. I did get the “hitch rating” on the SUV wrong - it was actually 750# of max tongue weight. so that changed things a bit.