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450/550 dump vs dump trailer

5K views 22 replies 9 participants last post by  LawnGuy110 
#1 ·
Late this season/ or early next season we plan on possibly getting another truck and dump trailer, or a 450/550 dump. I used the search function and couldnt really find what I was looking for. A little info, we do mainly residential mowing/landscaping. So here is the question. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a 450/550 dump vs a dump trailer other than price? Thanks for the help in advance:clapping:
 
#2 ·
Dump trucks you have to pay insurance on, so that's the advantage of a dump trailer. The 550 dump could be a nice plow truck, if you plow. Both are useful no matter what. Good luck with your decision.
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#3 ·
I don't like how slow the dump trailer dumps. It can be used as a equipment hauler which is a plus. Skid or mini.

I like the 550 if your hauling a lot of material. Easy to back in to tight spaces. But if it's one or the other I don't think you can go wrong with a dump trailer. Cheaper to buy. Cheaper to maintain.
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#7 ·
I have both. F-550 and a dump trailer.

I need another dump trailer and hope to get one later this year. Cost of ownership, as said above, is obviously cheaper. My advice is this- buy the dump trailer first. Truck is great, don't get me wrong, Trailer is versatile and cheap, compared to a dump truck. Fuel, repairs, insurance on our 550 are costly. Dump trailer has cost us tires. Maybe a couple batteries. That's it.
 
#9 ·
We are leaning more and more towards buying another dump trailer. If we plowed snow in the winter, the choice would be obvious, but since we dont, the dump trailer is probably the way to go. That being said. We already have a 6x12 brimar dump trailer. Would you get another 6x12 or go bigger?
 
#10 ·
We are leaning more and more towards buying another dump trailer. If we plowed snow in the winter, the choice would be obvious, but since we dont, the dump trailer is probably the way to go. That being said. We already have a 6x12 brimar dump trailer. Would you get another 6x12 or go bigger?
What size truck?

I'm still waiting on my 16 foot lol
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#15 ·
Like this

With a dump trailer you have to dump it on the floor then shovel it up. Might as well have a flat bed trailer then. My dump trailer only dumps at the land fill or somewhere my skidsteer can scoop it up.
Gotcha...makes sense now. Even then though, we generally have one guy that fills wheelbarrows constantly. Also, I would imagine this makes quite a mess...
 
#19 ·
My vote would be the dump trailer.
I own a dump trailer and a C5500 flatbed dump. Also own a 3500.
The C5500 like the F550 is a 19,500 lbs GVW truck. The C5500 for me weighs in at 12,300lbs with tools, gas, 14' flatbed dump, and two guys. That leaves 7,200lbs of "legal" payload. A 14,000lbs rated dump trailer will be about 4,000lbs which gives us 10,000lbs of legal payload - More than a class 5 dump.
BUT, my C5500 gets 6.5MPG. Thing doesn't care if it is empty, full, city, or highway... The MPG is 6.5 (gas).
However a class 3 truck can legally pull the 14,000lbs trailer, and while MPG will drop when loaded you have the option to get better than 8-12MPG unloaded. Lowest the 7.4L 3500 has done is 6MPG loaded and working hard.
The dump trailer give me the option to use a lighter duty truck that gets better MPG, lower parts cost, and seems less repair cost too compared to a medium duty. All I got to do is load differently.

The main compaint I have about dump trailers that is not to be overlooked is many have perminate sides that do not remove. Some have folding sides which is what I would get. That way you can unload mulch from both sides instead of only from the rear or liftin every scoop above the formed metal sides.
Even better would be a flatbed dump deckover trailer with stake pockets to utilize wooden sides of 2.5'-3' widths. Deckover wheels would allow tool boxes for the ultimate kickass dump trailer being hauled by a truck you probably already own.

Another advantage with a dump trailer is if you find you need more mulch, drop the trailer and use the truck to pickup the other 1,2,3, or 4 yards while the guys continue to work.

A disadvantage of a dump trailer is the skill level required to use a trailer. If employees will be using the trailer, are they smart enough to back in into a drive if need be without damaging turf or a mail box? The nice thing about the truck is ease of getting prduct there with less intellegence/motivation.
 
#20 ·
I already have 2 4500s and they are great dump trucks. But I still ordered a new dump trailer this week. Reasons are its bigger than my 9 foot beds and the sides are higher so it holds a lot more than my trucks which have contractor sides to make it easier for mowing which is their main job. The insurance was another reason I eliminated a 4th truck and lowered my insurance 1100 a year just from that. But the main reason is for mulch and pruning jobs the bed is a mere 27 inches high. At age 43 jumping into the back of a truck with a 4ft high bed is getting old, this is so low i can just take a big step and I'm in.
 
#21 ·
We are more than likely adding another dump trailer at this point, unless we find some really good deal on a 450/550 that is too good to pass up, but even if we did get a really good deal on one, we would probably still get another dump trailer. As it sits right now, we plan on adding a F350 regular cab and a dump trailer next season. We have a 6x12 dump trailer right now, as I said earlier in this thread, but I'm thinking that a 14 or 16 footer should be our next one. We can hold 10 yards of mulch in the 12 footer with the sides built up some, I'd be interested to see how much we could get in a 14 or 16 footer and still be legal.
 
#23 ·
Legal idk. But with 6 foot sides you can get 22 in a 16 lol
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Yea, I mean even if we are right on the edge, if we could legally get 15 yards in a 16 footer, I would be happy. It would also be one hell of a leaf rig in the fall with 10 foot sides like we put on our other dump trailer in the fall
 
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