[mrusk]

I was planning on buying a F550 mason dump next year and stop using my personal pickup truck. However i was having a discussion with a guy i know who has a trailer shop. He manufactures open trailers and would not benifit from me buying a dump trailer. He recommened me buying a f350 instead and just buying a dump trailer. The dump trailer may cost around 5 grand but i can haul more stuff. The main reason to stay away from a mason dump is because he says i will pay a LOT more in registration and insurance fees. He says i could save proably almost 2 grand a year staying away from the mason dump.

Does any of this make sense to you guys? By the way i live in NJ if it matters.

matt

 

[herkfe]

I too priced insurance for a med size dump. Here in NY, for me, the magic number seemed to be around 18k GVW. F-450/550 is just under I believe. Once you break that the cost went up significantly. I looked at a truck in the 23K GVW range and was quaoted around $2500 a year for liability only. When you do the math make sure you remember that comprehensive insurance will really change those numbers also. However, get some quotes. There are cetainly upsides to having a larger truck, especially if you put toolboxes, etc on it and use the dump often. Backing a trailer up a serpentine driveway to avoid having to drive over grass and deal with trying to turn a round can be worth the cost alone sometimes!!! LOL!!

Why not just a F-350 with mason dump? If it is a weight carrying issue, go with the bigger truck, besides although the insurance is more, it is a business expense and will just be added in with your other expenses by your accountant.

Good luck!

Pete

P.S. The money I pay my accountant is the best money I ever spend every month!!!!

 

[GeoffDiamond]

Depends on what your hauling.

Try towing a 10K or 12K trailer with an F 350. It is still not a perfect towing combo.

If you only plan on hauling small amounts of loam, stone, sand, ect then the trailer would be fine. You could probably completly fill the trailer with mulch and not have much of a problem.

However with an F 550, a load of loam, sand, stone dust, ect goes down the road easily. I think of you plan on hauling heavy material often a truck would be a far better choice.

Geoff

 

[Lombardi]

I have been borrowing a friend's 14k dump trailer. I pull it with my 03 Chevy 2500 HD. It pulls it just fine. I also thought about the dump truck theory, but after using the dump trailer I am convinced that is the way to go. I may be buying my own in December if I need another write-off.

 

[Gravel Rat]

Go with the F-550 if you can afford it pulling a trailer is a BIG PITA especially if your making multiple runs I would buy one but I can't afford the 60 grand. I have been trying to decide what todo for my trucking business I need 4wheel drive and I can't afford a 550 4x4 or a F-450 4x4. I can afford a F-Superduty which is what I have now it carrys 2 yards of gravel but its 2wd I really have tobe carefull of getting stuck.

I thought about getting a F-350 4x4 but the load carrying capacity or the lack of really worries me I'am pretty much limited to 5000lb max for payload. With gravel its pretty rare to keep under the 5000lb mark the F-Superduty can carry upto 8000lbs which I have carried on my previous F-Superduty.

I hauled 6200lbs of crusher dust its the first heaviest load I carried on this truck and it handled it fine I would be concerned about a F-350.

On my trucks I run a 12x8 flatdeck a 8' bed is completely usless for me because I haul lumber also up to 24' long. I have been thinking soon as I add a dump bed to a F-350 it sure would eat up the payload capacity. When you look at the suspension on and frame on a F-350 compared to a F-Superduty there is a significant difference.

Myself I have been flipping back and forth on what to buy trying to find a F-350 4x4 Cab and chassis with a 161wb is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Finding a F-Superduty with the same wb is considerably easier and I need another truck soon my current truck is showing its age pretty quick.

Like I said I'am really concerned on the F-350 4x4 cutting the mustard I have had 2 F-350s before which were 2wds they were easy to overload.

This is my second F-Superduty the first one was gas but it did have a dump on it worked great except for it got 6 mpg max. My current truck is a diesel it gets 11mpg max it has a straight flatdeck with no dump and I need a dumping flat but I don't want to convert this truck as it needs alot of work.

Its been a real toss up I have been trying to figure out ways of converting a F-Superduty to 4x4 cheaply I really don't want to loose the payload capacity.

Back to your point the F-550 will carry 9000lbs of dirt fairly easy thats more than a dump trailer can handle and you have the manouverability of a single truck.

I don't know what insurance rates are in your area but I don't think your gonna be any cheaper to insure a trailer and a truck.

You will really have to think about where you are going tobe delivering to if your not going tobe able to get a trailer into the places why own one.

In my line of work 90% of the places I deliver to a trailer is not even a option if a trailer will fit a tandem axle dump truck will go. For me my work is the people that want 2 yards or the road is too small to get a large truck down so I make multiple trips.

Get the F-550 you won't be disapointed

Good Luck

 

[QuadRacer041]

i would stick with just a f350 maybe f450 or a chevy 3500 mason dump.unless delivering heavy loads is gonna be your primary source of income you will be fine.i have a chevy 3500 mason dump and have no trouble, i can easily put 6-7 yards of mulch and about 3 yards of topsoil, and have had 3-4 tons of stone on it as well and it pulls no problem. usually when i have a large quintity of that type of material to bring in a sub it out to either the supply yard or private company with a tandom dump truck, for me its MUCH more cost efective that way then me wasting my time.they can bring in 15 yards or more at a time that way.

 

[Gravel Rat]

I 1 ton can carry roughly 6000lbs so thats around 2 yards of gravel or 3 yards of topsoil but the big thing is being legal if your running around city streets. In my area is urban there isn't much police presence or the DOT hanging around so being slightly overloaded for short jaunts is fine.

The old F-Superduty is a good truck same with the 3500HD they are a reasonable price etc and can carry 6000lbs easy. The DOT rules here class them as a commercial vehical so they cost a bit more to operate and the DOT can be harder on you.

It all depends on what you want to carry like Quadracer said if you need a large amount its cheaper to hire a tandem to haul it in. If the driveway is tough or too narrow for a large truck you have the material dumped in a easy spot and cart it in with a Bobcat or bobcat it into the 1 ton dump truck.

When I have been called todo hauling if I need to travel say a hour round trip I will do it if it requires 2 trips I tell the homeowner to hire a single axle 5 ton dump or tandem.

The road would have tobe really tough or too small that a bigger truck won't fit down the homeowner is gonna have to pay the extra money. Or they want a two different products say a heavy topsoil and then go get a load of coarse sand to mix with the topsoil. A 5 ton single axle dump can't carry two products so they would have to make two trips which will cost the customer more than I would.

If your on a tight budget and do short hauls a 1 ton would probably do you.

 

[GeoffDiamond]

What did that answer have to do with the question?

The question was trailer vs F 550

Geoff

 

[mrusk]

Mulch is light. I need to be able to carry lots of QP. You can only put so much into your 1 ton dump than DOT will be all over your butt.

matt

 

[Randy Scott]

Truck wise, you can also opt to bypass these little wannabe one ton dumpers and go right to a 26,000 or 33,000 GVW truck for almost the same or less money. I bought a 2002 International with 1900 miles on it, had a new dump box with fold down sides put on it, and ended up with a payment LESS than that of an F550. Look around there are lots of options. As far as dump trailer vs dump truck, hard to say, I have both, love both, and use both regularly. I put tall sides on the dump trailer and can haul 15 yards of mulch. The dump truck will haul 7 yards of material. It really depends on what you foresee yourself doing for work and amount of employees. I pity you guys on the east coast, sounds like your insurance numbers are brutal.

 

[Gravel Rat]

Randy is right if you are into hauling larger amounts of material and the truck gets machine loaded a single axle 5 ton dump is the answer. If you have to handload the truck like loading it with brush or your doing a small job and the the biggest machine you got to load the truck with is a goon spoon its prett tough to load a 5 ton.

For me I do alot of handloading so having a 5 ton truck is out of the question because I haul more than just gravel and topsoil.

 

[Pelican]

Not sure what your line of work is, but trying to back the loaded trailer into a greasy jobsite is going to be difficult at best. You'll be trying to push all that weight with no weight on the tow vehicle, the truck will just spin, 4x4 or not. Or, if you get in and dump, you may not be able to get out.

The load over the drive axle on the 550 will help with traction.