What You Need To Know About Dump Trailers

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Lifting Mechanism

There are a hand-full of different lifting mechanisms to choose from. You can get a telescopic-style hydraulic lift (usually mounted on the center front of the box) that will lift the box all the way to its dumping angle with just one cylinder. Or you can go with a dual-piston style that uses two pistons under the trailer to push the trailer up to its dumping angle.

But the option that many, if not most, manufactures are going with these days is called the scissor lift. The “scissor lift” uses just one cylinder to push the trailer up to its dumping angle. This option costs less because it’s just one cylinder and works like a scissor to get maximum leverage when dumping the box. The scissor lift also spreads out the footprint so you have less of a chance of racking the box and frame if you have an uneven load.

If you have the option, be sure to choose gravity-down over power down. Some trailers engage the battery when lowering the dump box, which can cut your battery life in half. Gravity down will let gravity do all the work, saving your battery for when you really need it.

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Side wall options

Wall heights are an important thing to consider when buying a trailer. Most trailers have a standard 24-in. wall height, but if that’s not enough you can order or even build your own extensions.

New trailers can be ordered with tall side walls, or you can buy removable extensions. Wall extensions can be ordered in solid metal or expanded metal lath. Lath allows you to still see into the trailer, and it weighs less.

You can also build your own side and front walls out of wood. Wood extensions are not as sturdy but they do have other advantages: They are inexpensive, and easily replaceable if or when they get dinged with a skid steer bucket.

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How thick should the metal be?

When deciding on which trailer to buy you can’t forget about metal thickness. Some manufacturers build trailers with thicker metal than others. The metal on the bed of the trailer is always thicker than the sides because the bed takes more abuse. If your trailer will never see anything other than mulch you shouldn’t be too concerned about the bed thickness. But if you plan on filling your trailer with boulders and concrete rubble a bed with thicker metal is the way to go. Just remember that steel is heavy so the thicker the metal, the heavier the trailer. The heavier the trailer, the less weight it can accommodate.