I'm looking to purchase a new bumper hitch dump trailer. Looking at 14', 14,000 lb to 17,500 lb. with 24" sides with skid steer ramps. I would love to here what's brands are failing and which are holding up and what's been failing on you guys. I also am interested in what you would have got or not got for accessories also. Thanks in advance.
I have a 2014 14 ft Load haul with a scissor lift that I have had about 6 months. I bought it used ,I think the guy that had it before me didn't do any maintenance to it. When I saw it I thought it was a diamond in the rough. There was no structural damage to it cleaned it up and put new tires on it. I also straightened out the roll over tarp which was all twisted and bent. All I can say is so far this thing has been great. I hauled some 3/4 gravel last week and one load was 6 plus tons I was worried it wouldn't .dump it but it did just fine
I have a 2014 PJ lo profile. 14' with scissor hoist. No issues or complaints.
So far I am leaning toward the Midsota HV-14. It has a 8,000 lb axle option which gives it a 17,400 GVW. I like the sealed wiring harness that is still run inside the tubular frame. All connections out of the cord are shrink tubed and sealed. Some of the manufactures told me I don't need a sealed harness as they protect the wires with the frame. (southern manufactures that do not know what salted roads are like.) The Midsota comes with 16 ply, H rated 17.5 tires. They have a 7 gauge floor and choice of either 12" or 16" cross member spacing. They are pricing the 12" option for me. Every other new and used trailer I checked on had or comes with a 10 gauge floor. The two used ones I looked at were both bowed down between the cross members. Hard to find a used one. They are pretty handy so hardly any on the used market unless they are well abused. The Midsota HV is a bit more pricy. Around $10,000 with all the options I want, but the extra heavy duty and GVW should pay off for the extra $1,500 over the other brands optioned the same. It is also made in Avon, MN so the factory is within 150 miles from here and the people claim to understand what it takes for them to hold up to salt, ice, and snow conditions. Still talking to ABU in N,D, to. They make a great trailer, I have a 2006 ABU, 26,500 GVW tandem gooseneck, but the salesmen was not very enthused on talking about the larger axle option.
I guess I'm not much help since I just realized my dump trailers manufacturer is no longer in business. Ours is pushing 20 years old, and resembles it I suppose. It's a 6x12 low profile, 10k GVW. We bought it for the dual purpose of moving our skid steer and material. Neither of which is does excellent, but it's always gotten the job done. Things to note when shopping: rear lights and how well they are protected. There isn't a single light that hasn't been smucked and replaced. All of ours hang out from the trailer and are vulnerable to everything from equipment related damage, lack of ground clearance or even a stray piece of debris falling over side of box while dumping. Our floor is bowed between cross braces from hauling landscape rocks and concrete debris. The road salt has disintegrated our fenders, but the frame and body have faired very well. The less than ideal wiring on this trailer has led most of it to be replaced due to excessive corrosion. If you tend to haul equipment on it a lot you'll probably wish you had bought a dedicated equipment trailer. The tailgate is a pain in the butt to remove by one guy for everything from loading /unloading equipment or to dump the load. It's pinned top and bottom for dumping, but it doesn't work anywhere close to how it should. Much easier to just pull it off. The pins holding the tailgate have all been replaced and are in need of repair again. The equipment ramps are side mounted and heavy as required which makes moving the skid steer way more complicated than it should be. Ours is electric over hydraulic dump, power up/power down. That was a mistake. Get gravity down if you can, save your batttery. Our charging system has never worked right, battery lasts about 4 dumps and then needs an overnight recharge by our battery charger. With the power down, if the battery is below a certain voltage, the dump bed stays up. Been caught in that situation before. In all, I will keep this one and repair/maintain as necessary. It's about to head to the shop for some repairs/PM work and minor upgrades. To buy another, I would be looking for what you are, and watching put for the flaws nine carries
Thanks colson04, you bring up a couple of good points that I had not thought about. I would have no need that I can think of for power down. I need to verify what it has. I did spec the onboard 110 volt charger. The dealer told me that I could expect 7 to 8 dumps on a full battery and he also said that the truck connector charging has never keep up well on any of the electric dumps trailers they sell. I believe that, as neither of my trucks do a decent job of charging my 5th wheel camper batteries when in tow. I need to look again at how the LED lights are protected. I like the rubber mounts in cans. I will have the ramps for equipment but I have 3 other equipment trailers up to 19 tons better suited for equipment moving. I wanted the equipment ramp and tie down option mostly for throwing one of the smaller antique Cats in the bed when I travel to shows and have the popup camper on the pickup.
We bought our trailer because it was the smallest , cheapest, new dump trailer that could haul our bobcat 753. Not a good purchasing plan. No attention was paid to the options it had or didn't. It had ramps, tie downs, sufficient size and enough GVW so it was bought. While it has certainly worked out and we won't get rid of it, I wouldn't do it the same way twice.
OIH I'm curious to see what you end up with. I'd like to have something similar myself. I may not go that big but learning what to look for is helpful!
We have a 14' 14,000 lb load trail, nice trailer, got it in trade for a job we did. Don't use it a lot, but it is handy. It has a roll up tarp, which is nice, power up and down, which as mentioned above can get aggravating when the battery is low. I suppose maybe it is to pull it down if you still have weight to the back? I dont like where they put the slots for the stake pockets, they are in line with the sides, so if you add an extra board, it either hangs inside or outside of the trailer wall. Not a big deal, but could have been thought through better IMO. If I was to buy one new, I would probably get drop axles, because it's pretty tall with straight axles. Its nice to have the ground clearance when dumping, but kind of a pain when loading a machine. It has 6' ramps, and they could be longer. I don't load anything into it when its raining It has a type of drop leg jack in the back you can use to support the back of the trailer since the ramps dont have legs, kinda nice i guess, but dont use them to much. It also has a three-way gate. The heavier axles and 17.5 tires would be nice!
I ordered my dump trailer today. I ended up going with the Midsota HD. The dealer explained that the 8,000 lb. axle option raised the trailer bed from 24" to 28" as they are a straight axle instead of a drop. They also decrease the trailer width from 84" inside to 80" due to the big tires. That could be a show stopper for folks with big skid steers with wide buckets but will work fine for me. The 12" on center cross members was only a $120.00 add. The rear drop legs added $110.00. On board charger added $100.00. Caterpillar classic yellow paint at no extra charge. Other than that the rest was no charge. Just over $10,000 delivered to the dealer. Still got tax and registration. The brakes on the 8,000 axles are 1.5 times the size of the 7,000 lb axles. Lights are LED using a sealed wiring harness inside the tube frame, lights are rubber mounted in cans. As mentioned before the floor is 7 gauge, sides are ten gauge. Ramps are included in the base price. He had a couple on order for his stock so they were able to substitute mine for one of his spec'd ones so my delivery moved up from a 7 to 8 week lead time to be getting it around the 10th of May. I'll post pictures when I get it while it is still pretty.
I'm anxious to see how it turns out. I'm in the market for one, your logical approach to the process may save me some time and a mistake or two! Junkyard
Can't wait to see some pictures and read your review. Looked at their website and have some nice trailers. So with the 8000lb option you have to drop to an 80" width? I have an 80" bucket so that won't work.
PJ builds a good trailer and has lots of upgrade options. I would say that if you do nothing else, at least upgrade the axles to a heavier oil-bath Dexter with disk brakes. And buck up on the wheels/tires to make sure that when you are fully loaded you've still got 20% of the capacity left for whichever item is your weak link.
The dealer said that PJ did not offer a axle upgrade on there bumper pull 2 axle trailers. I have friends with PJs. Until recently they never painted the bottoms, rust is rampart here with the salt, many dogtracked. I do believe they are better now but they are not for me. My money will not go that route. I already got 17.5s with 16 ply tires and 8,000 axles ordered on my trailer. The dealer I ordered my Midkota from sells PJ also and had 20 of them on the lot and really wanted me to take one off his hands. Not comparable at all that I could see. The Midkota cost a bit more but is twice the trailer. Read the whole post and you will see the differences like the 7 Ga floor, 12" centers and 8,000 lb axles instead of 7,000. The PJ is 10 Ga and 16" centers only. Look at the tail light cans on both trailers and see which ones might stay on when bumped. And then the Midkota is built in Minnesota and I am all about buying a better trailer locally.
You get that trailer yet?
Got it a few days ago. Not been home since until now. I will take pictures today before I get it dirty. First (top priority) job is to get rotted manure dirt hauled from sister's farm to wife's garden. Will post pictures tonight. They also added the tarp mounts at no cost. Roll tarp if I want one can be stuck on in 15 minutes and costs $314.00. Not sure I need it but good to know I can add one easily anytime.
Pictures.
More pictures
A couple more. I really like the heavy cable door tie backs used when swinging them.
Looks like just what I need!
Nice trailer! Wonder if I can get one down here. Like the Unimog also.
Nice trailer OIH. Any of your buddys ask to barrow it yet? LOL. I have some rocks to haul, will be there by noon to pick it up.
Nice trailer! I like the location of the drop down jacks on the back, looks really thought through, alot better than where their at on our trailer. Also like the location of the stake pockets, nice!
So far it's working good. Pulled it to Southern California and back a couple weeks ago. Just under 5,000 miles. Brought back a period correct stinger style Go Dog tag axle for my 71 KW, a rare Golden Gate one lunger hit and miss for a friend, a cab for my D4D, and misc. other goodies. Took it out planning to haul back my 1929 Cat 22 but could not make it all fit. I would have been OK weight wise, only grossed 9,400 lbs in the trailer, but not enough room in the box. It pulled nice running 75 and 80 MPH both ways. Headed back out for the Cat and a set of Cat 28 tracks hopefully by the end of the month.
Come on over. I'll pick you up at the local airport. Our fly in/drive in pancake breakfast is weekend after next. Using my old Fordson Super Major TLB, I cleaned up a barnyard cow pond at my nephews yesterday. After hauling that stinky crap in it, it sure needs a bath now. I had it full of that muck, only hauling a hundred yards. Working up to a heaped load it dumped without hesitation.
Nice trailer! What do you think of the 8k axles and 17.5" tires over 7k axles and 16" tires?
So far I really am satisfied with them. There is a small penalty to pay as the 8,000 lb axles are not available as drop axles so it sets 4" taller to the bed. Noticeable when loading the tractor or skidsteer but no problem loading this far. With the5,000 mile trip heh I d us with 100 degree heat for half the distance home the tires look excellent yet. Time will tell.
Moose lake carlton co. airport? the 17th?
I'm looking into conventional skid steer trailers with 8k axles and 17.5's so I was curious what others have to say. How does your trailer stop fully loaded?
That would be it.
I was not at rated capacity but with 9,400 gross on the trailer with my control set at 3 the truck slowed like no trailer was behind when coming down the passes in the Rockies. That was one of the points I liked about the 8,000 lb. axles was the bigger brakes. Of course everything is brand new. Time will tell.
Well, @old-iron-habit , that looks a well designed one and a heavy duty dump trailer.
Thought I would post an update on my dump trailer. After using it for 2 years now I am very satisfied with it. I have had it to the west coast 3 times now bringing back two antique Cats, a couple of old large hit and miss engines, and a tractor. It has hauled a couple dozen loads of sand and a heck of a bunch of loads of firewood. My skid steer rides weekly. The ramps are still straight and work great. I have had one load of big 12 ft. logs in it that it would not lift to dump. My friend joking lifted on one corner and surprising enough it started up and kept going. It was that close. The baked on paint is holding up well. Even the floor has held up. I expected some minor floor damage hauling the Cats home from CA but none at all. I do have one small corner weld crack on the left fender as shown in one of todays picture. The only other defect I have noticed is that the LED light in the battery box no longer is lit telling me that the truck is charging it. It is charging as it has remained charged to dump and when I put a meter on it with the truck running the battery shows 13.8 volts. The one thing I would do if I was going to do it over is to buy the factory tarp system. It would be handy at times.
Small issue with dump control this week. While hauling a few loads of black dirt to the SIL and daughters home it started acting up. When I lifted the dump it would start right back down when I released the toggle switch. Then the battery went dead over night. After charging the battery I could lightly hear electrical static noise in the double pole control switch when I used it. I ordered a new one and today I went to replace it. When I took the switch out of the handle I discovered that the wires were frayed just inside where they came out the handle. The down circuit would short across at times lowering the box. It killed the battery holding the solenoid open continuously. Fixed the wires, charged the battery and now have a spare switch the pump/control box. Other than that it has been trouble free.
awesome job on the updates
thanks for posting this. i'm in the market now and had not heard of this brand. i am definitely adding this to the list. OIH, one question: how's the floor holding up? thanks!
I just seen your post and commented on it. My floor still does not have any ripples in it nor do the side panels. The 12" on center cross members seem to make a huge difference as well as the heavier floor. I don't drop stuff from a distance into it. I have hauled some scrap lately, but so far so good. I have lost some paint from salt and gravel splatter on the axles and I have some speckled paint on the front outer edges where the truck tires slap crap against the front. We live in the rust belt but so far it seems like they used a quality paint. Mine has Cat paint on it as ordered. I have added the tarp, I should have ordered it with it. I took a bunch of new pictures but for some reason my phone wont let them download. Need to get either the 9 or 5 year old grandson to help me so I can post them. One fender now has a 1/2" long crack in the corner fold where the edge bends down a inch. That's common on most any trailer for some reason. It has not extended any in over a year so I have not melted any paint welding it. I have a wee bit of rust showing at the bottom of the tailgate where the unloading has worn the paint off. The sealed LED lights and wiring harness has been trouble free to date. The original brakes are working good yet. The 8,000 LB axles are noted for much bigger brakes than the 7.000 lb ones. I am fairly easy on brakes though. Coasting to slow down uses less fuel to. I'd buy the same trailer again with no second thoughts. The trailer is one month shy of 4 years old now. EDIT: I should mention that so far I have not broke or bent any light mounts. The cans are very well built and have protected the lights to date. I have put a skid steer wheel against them a few times and dropped a log on one so I have tested them. I do try not to hit them but sh*t happens.
Great followup on your trailer @old-iron-habit . I've been using my dump trailer quite a bit this week doing a small demo job and I'm making a mental list of things that need addressing. Lights, wiring, tires, fenders, tail gate, etc. At 20 years old, I'm not surprised some things need mending, but the lights and wiring on my ezdumper have been a pain ever since new. I will be rebuilding the rear light mounts and making them look like yours.
I've been using my dump trailer quite a bit this week doing a small demo job and I'm making a mental list of things that need addressing. Lights, wiring, tires, fenders, tail gate, etc. At 20 years old, I'm not surprised some things need mending, but the lights and wiring on my ezdumper have been a pain ever since new. I will be rebuilding the rear light mounts and making them look like yours.[/QUOTE] Them little LED marker lights that only use a 1/2" or so hole to mount are great. Harder to hit and they are bright. I will use them on other applications.
20 years old that's pretty dang good for a light trailer. Mine is only 2.5 years old and already a POS, just snapped 2 leafs a few weeks ago. Fed up and just bought a new one and went to a triple to hopefully get rid of suspension problems. It's sad they are just made to be disposable now. Those little markers are good if you can get at the wiring, but I had one where it got hit and it pushed in the frame a bit, impossible to replace now because wiring is inside tubing frame.
Thought it about time to post an update. Now 8 years old and the trailer has held up well. I hauled a load off firewood for a friend a couple years ago, and he opened the passenger side tailgate and failed to pin it to the side of the bed. Of course when it hit the ground it bent the top hinge as I lifted the bed. Easy fix with a torch for heat and a 4 lb hammer. I lost one hold pin on my ramp pocket last year. It secures the right but it stayed in until I got home and noticed it. Other than that a few spots are showing some paint beat off and a bit of surface rust from gravel roads. Overall I'm still very satisfied with it. I'll add a few updated pictures. I love the 17,400 lb gross weight capacity. No issues with the heavy light cams and the sealed wiring harness yet!