Get Ready for Spring Chores With a New Dump Trailer From McFarlane’s!

March 21, 2023 by
Get Ready for Spring Chores With a New Dump Trailer From McFarlane's!Spring is the perfect time to tackle those big landscape and clean-up projects you’ve been putting off all winter. With the days getting longer, you should have more motivation to get your home spruced up for the upcoming spring events, Easter, graduation, Mother’s Day and any other family get-together. Dump trailers are a great accessory for your spring cleaning process.

How To Use Your Dump Trailer in the Spring

Spring cleaning comes from Eastern traditions. During Passover, Jews clean their home to rid them of even crumbs of leavened bread. It’s a ritual dating back thousands of years. The Chinese and Iranians also have traditions to clean the home at the new year to welcome spring and good fortune. Here in North America, we perform spring cleaning, but it’s more likely that we want to get outside and clean up our homes and gardens now that we have more energy.As you begin your spring cleaning tradition, you might be moving furniture out of your home to take it to find a new home for it. Maybe you’re moving and need to haul furniture across the city to your new home. Dump trailers make great haulers for all types of materials. You can take all the accumulated trash out of your garage to the local junkyard without much effort when you have a dump trailer.Landscaping and gardening are other aspects of spring cleaning where the dump trailer can come in handy. Haul old brush and tree branches out of your yard. Bring in new soil and landscaping materials with your dump trailer. It’s easy to place a pile of rocks or a ton of compost where you need it when you can just lift the trailer and empty it.

What Makes a Trailer a Dump Trailer?

Trailers come in many shapes and sizes with different features. A dump trailer has an open box bed to haul materials. The dump trailer’s best feature is that the bed lifts from the front of the trailer to empty it without hard work. If you’re hauling a load of soil for your garden, you don’t have to shovel the soil out of the trailer at each location. Just lift and dump. At the junkyard, just lift the bed and empty it into the pile.

Features of Dump Trailers

Dump trailers come in many different sizes from a small 5-foot by 8-foot trailer that can handle around 900 pounds to huge trailers 80-inches by 14 feet with an 11,000-pound payload. Dump trailers can have loading ramps, come with different styles of suspension, and with single or tandem axles. At McFarlane’s, we can customize your dump trailer with a variety of add-ons to haul extra equipment or to keep loads safe on the road. Our designers can add heavy-duty fenders, LED lights, heavy-duty flooring and more to give you everything you need.

Why Buy a Dump Trailer in the Spring From McFarlane’s?

You may not think you’ll use your dump trailer after your spring cleaning events, but a dump trailer is a good investment. If you do landscape or move garbage or waste, you can earn extra money hauling materials or equipment for others. There are dozens of ways you can use your trailer all year long. McFarlane’s has a wide selection of new trailers for sale, so you can find the trailer that fits your vehicle and needs to get the most use out of it. Our trailers come with a warranty, so you can be assured that it will handle the job you need it to do. Contact McFarlane’s to help you find the trailer that fits into your spring cleaning plans.

Dump Trailer Basics: Choosing the Right Trailer for your Business

December 15, 2022 by
Dump Trailer Basics: Choosing the Right Trailer for your BusinessBuying a dump trailer is an investment that can last you many years. Getting a dump trailer that fits your needs now and in the future can save you a lot of money and stress. Dump trailers have many different configurations, from the length, front post style or scissor lift, type of brakes, and the size of the wheels. Learning about some of the options can help you choose the right one for your needs.

What Size Dump Truck Is Right For You?

Dump trucks come in lengths from 8 feet to 30 feet. A 14-foot trailer is a recommended size for most people for its flexibility in hauling lumber or landscaping materials. It can handle a skid steer or a load of furniture if you’re moving. You do need to think about what vehicle you’re using to pull a trailer to make sure that the tow load fits the size.

Lifting Mechanisms

The lifting mechanism is what makes a trailer a dump trailer. Instead of having to shovel off a load of soil or gravel, you can simply raise the trailer up and let gravity take over. A common type of lift is the scissor lift, which uses one cylinder to push up the trailer. It’s a cheaper option than the hydraulic lift or dual-piston style. Lifting mechanisms use a battery to push the bed up. Choose a gravity-down option instead of a power-down. A gravity-down option uses gravity to lower the dump box, instead of relying on power. This lets you do more work with less battery use.

How Thick Does The Metal Need To Be?

Trailers are made of metal, which determines the durability of the trailer. The bed will have a thicker piece of metal than the sides because the bed takes more abuse. The trailer needs to be sturdy enough to haul your loads, but keep in mind that the heavier the trailer is, the less load it can carry. If you need to haul mulch or lighter loads, you can certainly get away with a thinner bed. If you have heavier materials, such as gravel or heavy equipment, you want a thicker metal that will stand up to the weight.

Wheel Options

Aluminum wheels are an affordable option that won’t rust, so your trailer will look better for longer. Steel wheels are sturdier and can haul more weight. The downside is that you’ll pay more. Undersized tires are a hazard, so get the right tires for the loads you are hauling. Never try to just get by on cheap tires. Don’t forget to ask if the trailer has the option to carry a spare tire. You want the tire out of the way, but you also want it to be accessible in an emergency.

Brakes

When you’re hauling tons of materials on the road, the last thing you want is for your brakes to fail. There are two different types of brakes for trailers. Surge brakes do not connect to your vehicle’s braking system. These brakes detect when the towing vehicle slows, then slow the trailer down. There is usually a slower response time. Surge brakes aren’t allowed for some sizes of trailers and in some locations. Electric brakes are the most common style and connected to the towing vehicle’s brake system. They stop the trailer when you stop the towing vehicle. Electric brakes are generally safer, but you do have to make sure the system is connected properly. Trailers should also have an emergency brake system, giving you added control in case the trailer becomes detached from the towing vehicle.There are many other accessories and options for dump trailers, depending on your business to get the most out of your trailer. Still not sure what type of dump trailer suits your needs? Ask the experts at McFarlane Trailer Sales for guidance. We know dump trailers.

How a Dump Trailer Helps with Hauling Gravel, Sand or Dirt

November 8, 2022 by

How a Dump Trailer Helps with Hauling Gravel, Sand or Dirt

How a Dump Trailer Can Come in Handy

If you have not made use of a dump trailer before now, you may have questions about how to choose a dump trailer, how to use a dump trailer, and why you should purchase one. The right trailer can offer you many benefits, but there are some things you need to consider before buying.

Where Can You Use a Dump Trailer?

Whether you own a professional construction company or are carrying out some renovations on your own home, dump trailers are useful for hauling building materials home from the store and carrying away debris that results from demolition. If you own a farm, a dump trailer can make your work easier from planting season to harvest time.Maybe you don't own a farm per se but you own an extensive piece of property and you want to keep it looking its best. A dump trailer is also useful for yard maintenance, especially during the fall and winter.

What Can You Use a Dump Trailer For?

Now you know where you can use a dump trailer, but what applications does it have in these various locations? If you are using it for fall yard maintenance, the dump trailer can help you to haul away tree limbs that have fallen or that you have pruned away in the interest of improving the health of your tree. You can also use a trailer to transport bags of leaves to the appropriate dump site.Fall is a good time to apply mulch to trees in the interest of retaining moisture in the soil and getting ready for spring. If you have many trees on your property, you probably need a lot of mulch. A dump trailer helps you to bring it to your property and then apply it where needed.On a farm, you sometimes need to add more topsoil. A dump trailer makes transporting dirt easier. You can also use a dump trailer to haul and apply fertilizer. Depending on what you grow and when you harvest, a dump trailer could also help you take your goods to market.On a construction site, you need materials such as fill dirt, gravel, Portland cement, sand, and rocks. These materials are heavy and cumbersome to transport. A dump trailer makes it much easier.

How Much Gravel Can a Dump Trailer Carry?

It depends on the size of the trailer, but generally speaking, a dump trailer can haul approximately 3,000 pounds and up depending on payload of gravel. This is about half as much as a standard pick-up truck can haul, and a pick-up doesn't have the capability to elevate its cargo bed to deliver the material precisely where it is needed.

What Else Should You Consider Before Purchasing a Dump Truck?

The purchase of a dump truck represents a significant investment. Therefore, you need to be sure you choose one that meets your needs. Here are some things to take into consideration:
  • Metal Thickness: Thicker metal is better if you intend to haul heavy cargo such as rocks and gravel.
  • Side Wall Height: Dump trailers usually have walls 24 inches high. If this isn't tall enough, you may require side wall extensions that you can either purchase or build yourself.
  • Lifting Mechanism: There are many different lifting mechanisms available, but if preserving battery power is important to you, choose a gravity-down mechanism rather than a power-down. The former saves battery power by letting gravity do all the work.
  • Towing Limits: Calculate the combined weight of the trailer and the material you intend to haul most often. Make sure you are within your personal licensing limits, what your towing vehicle is capable of pulling, as well as the ball mount and receiver.
McFarlane Trailer Sales and Service offers new and used trailers for sale. No matter what type of trailer you are in the market for, we are sure to be of help. Check out the dump trailers we have available.