# Dump Trailer Questions



## BOBONTUESDAY (Feb 17, 2017)

I'm new to this forum, not sure if this is the correct place to post this. 
I'm looking at dump trailers. I currently pull a 14 foot tandem utility trailer. But it's not the best for debris or pallets of materiel. 
I would be using the trailer mainly for construction debris, hauling, and pallets of concrete or block.
I'm hoping to pickup a 14 foot dump. Is the switch from a a utility to a dump worth it? I would still keep the utility for my zero turns.
Are there any feature I should look for? 
This is the one I'm looking at
http://www.mgtrailer.com/2017-sure-trac-14-dump-trailer-black-new-dump-heavy-duty-mn-i2013268


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## Bull Trout (Dec 6, 2016)

BOBONTUESDAY said:


> I'm hoping to pickup a 14 foot dump. Is the switch from a a utility to a dump worth it?


Absolutely, even if there was not a monetary ROI, you benefit every single time you pull into the dump and don't have to handle garbage one more time


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## SLSTech (Sep 13, 2008)

The single cylinder in the center is the only slightly worrisome thing I see - make sure you load pretty evenly for dumping


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

I don't get how that will be any good for pallet material? With that trailer you can only load from the rear. A deck over would be better for forked material. Not so good for equipment though


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## BOBONTUESDAY (Feb 17, 2017)

Bull Trout said:


> BOBONTUESDAY said:
> 
> 
> > I'm hoping to pickup a 14 foot dump. Is the switch from a a utility to a dump worth it?
> ...


That's the idea and I'm hoping I can stack brush higher with the higher sides. 


SLSTech said:


> The single cylinder in the center is the only slightly worrisome thing I see - make sure you load pretty evenly for dumping


I've read that the single siccor cylinder is better for uneven loads. But maybe you know something I don't. 



Morning Wood said:


> I don't get how that will be any good for pallet material? With that trailer you can only load from the rear. A deck over would be better for forked material. Not so good for equipment though


With my current trailer if I get any sort of palleted materiel and the place doesn't have fork extensions. I have to spend the time unloading by hand onto the trailer which results in double handling it for no reason.


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

Get a deck over. I had my welder add stake pockets to the inside of the side doors (after this picture was taken) added 2 2x10's to up my capacity to 15-16 cy yd. I can still drop the sides with the 2x10's in place, doesn't go all the way down as the wood hits the ground first but I could still load stuff on the side. 

And the dump functionality is worth every penny, unloading crap by hand sucks.


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## Juan80 (Oct 16, 2012)

Every time you are at the dump and push the button,you will smile.
Handle debris only once is great.
I got a 12' imago trailer and I will say it's heavy,so maybe a 14' would be to much.It would be for me.








I suggest a tarp roller ,(one ticket would pay for it.)
I also had mesh put on the ramps to help with a wheelbarrow .
I unloaded about 3000 lb of old decking in the rain last Thursday and it took about 2 mins.
Charlie


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## BOBONTUESDAY (Feb 17, 2017)

RobertCDF said:


> Get a deck over. I had my welder add stake pockets to the inside of the side doors (after this picture was taken) added 2 2x10's to up my capacity to 15-16 cy yd. I can still drop the sides with the 2x10's in place, doesn't go all the way down as the wood hits the ground first but I could still load stuff on the side.
> 
> And the dump functionality is worth every penny, unloading crap by hand sucks.


That's the first time I've heard of stake pockets on a deck over. Most of my debris is loaded by hand I feel like the high deck will be an issue for things that need to be dragged on. But at the same time it sounds like a good option to. Nice trailer, did you choose the deck over for the added ground clearance or the ease of loading pallets? 



Juan80 said:


> Every time you are at the dump and push the button,you will smile.
> Handle debris only once is great.
> I got a 12' imago trailer and I will say it's heavy,so maybe a 14' would be to much.It would be for me.
> 
> ...


That's is one sharp color. I saw a Video of a guy having one that thing looks really heavy duty. I'm in MN and from what I've read imago is in California if I'm correct? I'm willing to drive a state or two over but cross country is a bit much for a trailer but it might be worth it. 
I'm not sure if the lose of 2 feet would be doable for me I need as much space as I can get. Does the 12 footer still have enough capacity in your opinion or do you have those moments where you wish you had an extra 2 feet? 
The tarp roller is one of the number one reasons I'm looking at a dump currently I use a bunch of straps, bungy cords, and 2 or more tarps. Even with that I'm still pulling and praying nothing falls out. Do you still have to strap things down or does the tarp keep things pretty secure?


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## builditguy (Nov 10, 2013)

You will not regret the dump trailer. The first time you raise the bed and everything slides out, you will feel great on one hand and foolish on the other. "Why did I wait so long to get one?"

I recommend the tarp. You can use a tarp with a bunch of bungee cords, but a roll out tarp is alot easier.
Here, you can't even get into the dump without a tarped load. Also an untarped load will get you a ticket.


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

The problem with a 14' compared to a 12' is payload capacity. Depends on what you are hauling. Both are easily overloaded with bulk material. But I've found with construction debris it never gets very heavy. Depends on what you are hauling. I went with a 12' deck over so I could fork material into trailer. I built up the sides so it is 10+ yards. But I can only do 3 yards of fill and 4 yards of crushed stone, and even that is pushing the weight.


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## Juan80 (Oct 16, 2012)

BOBONTUESDAY said:


> That's the first time I've heard of stake pockets on a deck over. Most of my debris is loaded by hand I feel like the high deck will be an issue for things that need to be dragged on. But at the same time it sounds like a good option to. Nice trailer, did you choose the deck over for the added ground clearance or the ease of loading pallets?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I went from a 12' utility trailer to that and there is a lot of room.
The back and front are 3' tall and the side is 2', but you can add a 2x12 to make up the diff.
I have stacked it pretty tall , so for me a 12' is fine.

One ticket around here is$500 and the tarp roller is $400. $$$$ well spent.

The color is "desert sand storm "

I think you can get a semi car carrier for about $500 to haul it across country. Not sure tho.

You won't regret getting one , what ever brand you choose.
Charlie


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

We load all debris on by hand as well but the versatility of the deck over with the sides that can flip down more than makes up for the higher deck. I also like that it is a full 8' wide inside (although that's on top of the side doors). 
Couple more pics. You can see the factory included stake pockets, they are totally useless as you'd have to take the door off to use them and that is just dumb. 


Here is the inside pic of how I had my welder put the brackets 1 high and 1 low. You can also see a faint yellow line under the side, I masked off the bed with the doors closed, then opened them and painted it yellow, this way you'll know where to load to and still close the doors.


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## BOBONTUESDAY (Feb 17, 2017)

builditguy said:


> You will not regret the dump trailer. The first time you raise the bed and everything slides out, you will feel great on one hand and foolish on the other. "Why did I wait so long to get one?"
> 
> I recommend the tarp. You can use a tarp with a bunch of bungee cords, but a roll out tarp is alot easier.
> Here, you can't even get into the dump without a tarped load. Also an untarped load will get you a ticket.


That's one of the reasons why I'm looking at the dump also the tarping aspect. Does the roll up keep things pretty secured? 



Morning Wood said:


> The problem with a 14' compared to a 12' is payload capacity. Depends on what you are hauling. Both are easily overloaded with bulk material. But I've found with construction debris it never gets very heavy. Depends on what you are hauling. I went with a 12' deck over so I could fork material into trailer. I built up the sides so it is 10+ yards. But I can only do 3 yards of fill and 4 yards of crushed stone, and even that is pushing the weight.


With what I'm doing currently I don't see myself loading it past 5 tons. I don't do much dirt work but when I do it usually involves dump trucks or a tractor trailer of river rock. 



Juan80 said:


> BOBONTUESDAY said:
> 
> 
> > That's the first time I've heard of stake pockets on a deck over. Most of my debris is loaded by hand I feel like the high deck will be an issue for things that need to be dragged on. But at the same time it sounds like a good option to. Nice trailer, did you choose the deck over for the added ground clearance or the ease of loading pallets?
> ...


I'm 100 percent for getting the tarp kit with the trailer. I usually buy the 10 dollar tarps and tear those up with one or two loads. I've had the issue where my 14 utility isn't long enough for some materials such as 16 foot pieces of lumber. I have to either lean them up the gate or lean them towards the truck and hope I don't crush my tailgate. 



RobertCDF said:


> We load all debris on by hand as well but the versatility of the deck over with the sides that can flip down more than makes up for the higher deck. I also like that it is a full 8' wide inside (although that's on top of the side doors).
> Couple more pics. You can see the factory included stake pockets, they are totally useless as you'd have to take the door off to use them and that is just dumb.
> 
> 
> Here is the inside pic of how I had my welder put the brackets 1 high and 1 low. You can also see a faint yellow line under the side, I masked off the bed with the doors closed, then opened them and painted it yellow, this way you'll know where to load to and still close the doors.


You're trailer has made me consider a deck over now. I'll have to look at those a bit close now. I'm sure if I put those yellow lines down, the doors would still get covered. That's what I've liked about my current trailer it's 8.5 or 8 feet and it's nice to have the extra width. The low sides on my trailer make it pretty easy to load from the side currenlty. I might pickup a deck over now that sounds like a better option for my uses. 

How do these trailers pull in windy conditions? Does it pull like an enclosed trailer or a bit better? Is the sway pretty manageable? 

Thank you to everyone for the input this has convinced me I need a dump now. Deck over or low profile.


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

I have a dually and that makes a huge difference with all trailers in the wind. We took our camper to ND and had heavy winds in Wyoming, my friend that came with us was having quite a bit of wind whip in his single wheel while I barely noticed. So I never notice with this or with my enclosed trailer.


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## Jonbuild (Nov 18, 2013)

RobertCDF said:


> We load all debris on by hand as well but the versatility of the deck over with the sides that can flip down more than makes up for the higher deck. I also like that it is a full 8' wide inside (although that's on top of the side doors).
> Couple more pics. You can see the factory included stake pockets, they are totally useless as you'd have to take the door off to use them and that is just dumb.
> 
> 
> Here is the inside pic of how I had my welder put the brackets 1 high and 1 low. You can also see a faint yellow line under the side, I masked off the bed with the doors closed, then opened them and painted it yellow, this way you'll know where to load to and still close the doors.



I have a brimar with fold down sides, I also added a fold down on top of that, which works great I can drop the top section down and load trash in with ease, also I can fold down completely and load skids with forklift and or skid steer

I don't have any pics of it and right now, and its buried in five feet of snow !

Also last fall I went to the dump and everything was frozen solid in there, 😡 I was able to open the sides and the guy on the backhoe was able to push it off the sides👍🏻

Does trash get caught up on the stake pockets?


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

I do get some trash caught in pockets, I thought about putting some metal against them at an angle so stuff doesn't get caught.


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## TWhite (Oct 29, 2013)

I've had two smaller dump trailers and they work great, but the problem was getting nails in your tires at the dump or transfer station. It happened at least once a year. Now I just order a dumpster to be dropped and charge it to the job.


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## JFM constr (Jul 26, 2014)

I would hope it comes with adjustable coupler .
i saw hubs at my supply house that could be greased with a grease gun .has channels or tubes going right to bearings .as often as mine go dry that seems smart .also grease with synthetic ,my dump has light axel and brakes they are always heating up -the synthetic has been adding to how long i can go before repacking .
Another big deal if i bought another would be look at the wiring .i want my trailer plug to go to a junction box for easier replacement . most likely a better replacement also . see what kind of connections are made in the wiring as it goes to the back .failed connection seem to be an issue on trailers . there are so many times when loosing your trailer brakes is a seriously big issue .
look at the hooks and tie downs ,you always need more -better to have them on then find yourself adding them later .
being able to add sides seems valuable to me .i just had mine on to haul brush .
wish i had the internet when i bought mine ,unless there cheaper now ,i sure payed more for less then i see advertised right now .
that single cylinder uses more oil and the front box gets used up for the supply tank .pretty sure you can get the other style and have storage space for ropes chains hitch loc -whatever .
do not have the extra tilt angle of the single cylinder so cannot comment on how important it is .


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## Stunt Carpenter (Dec 31, 2011)

I picked up a used dump in December. Not anywhere as nice as some of the other ones on here but it has been on the the best additions to the company. 

I looked into buying a tarp kit. But for the price I'm going to make my own. A few pillow blocks and pipe is all they are. 

Here mine. Bit of a pig but everything functions 










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## Juan80 (Oct 16, 2012)

Stunt Carpenter said:


> I picked up a used dump in December. Not anywhere as nice as some of the other ones on here but it has been on the the best additions to the company.
> 
> I looked into buying a tarp kit. But for the price I'm going to make my own. A few pillow blocks and pipe is all they are.
> 
> ...




Very nice,
I would have bought that for sure, but used dump trailers are rare around here.
Charlie


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## Stunt Carpenter (Dec 31, 2011)

The are rare around here too unless you want to pay close to new prices. Got this one from a farmer about 45min from the major city. 

It's an odd ball trailer. Fairly low to the ground and it has a single front mount three stage ram. 


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

Stunt Carpenter said:


> The are rare around here too unless you want to pay close to new prices. Got this one from a farmer about 45min from the major city.
> 
> It's an odd ball trailer. Fairly low to the ground and it has a single front mount three stage ram.
> 
> ...




I've always thought those front mount rams have excellent leverage. Mine has twin two stage telescopic rams. There has been a couple times when the initial dump was real real slow.


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