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.

4 Fall Maintenance Uses for a Dump Trailer

October 7, 2022 by
4 Ways to Use a Dump Trailer for Fall Yard MaintenanceAutumn is a popular time for property owners to pay closer attention to the maintenance of their homes and yards. One reason for this is that the fall season is the last time for people who reside in many locations of North America to do yard and other outside work before snow and cold weather sets in, which makes it more difficult to perform outdoor maintenance. Another reason is that autumn brings fallen leaves and branches that can clog gutters and cause damage to equipment sitting outdoors. Here are four ways to use a dump trailer to perform fall maintenance in your yard.1. Debris Removal Fall is a good opportunity to remove debris from your residential or commercial lawn before the snow starts to fall and make debris removal much more of a hassle. One reason to remove excess debris outside is to prevent rodents and other pests from taking up residence in the warm and dark space provided by the debris. Some types of debris to consider removing with your landscape trailer include:
  • Leaves that have fallen off trees
  • Branches laying in the yard as a result of dying or decaying trees
  • Fruit like apples and pears left over from the autumn harvest
Even though things like leaves do not weigh very much, they are very bulky and people who maintain yards can benefit from the use of a dump vehicle. On the other hand, items like branches and tree limbs do weigh a significant amount, and a homeowner helps ensure their safety by using the proper equipment to remove them rather than trying to carry the items themselves.2. Fertilizer EnhancementAlthough most people do not think of fall as the time of year to help their grass grow, the cooler and moister conditions of fall make for the perfect time of year to fertilize the yard. If you have a large yard, using a small dump trailer to carry the fertilizer around your property can make the job easier.While fertilizing, you may opt to perform other landscaping duties such as trimming trees, mowing grass or planting seeds for flowers to bloom in the spring. Rather than carrying yard equipment around yourself, consider using a trailer to lug the equipment around your property.3. Mulch PlacementFall may be your last opportunity to place mulch, and employing a dump trailer allows you to do this more efficiently. Using a trailer with a flatbed ensures that you have easy access to the mulch, however, you have to be careful that the mulch does not spill if you are driving fast or going around sharp corners. Mulch tends to be quite heavy, especially in large quantities, so consider purchasing a dump trailer if you do not already own one if you plan to do any mulching.4. Disposing of Old Plants and TreesMany plants and trees die off in the fall, so this season is a good opportunity to get those uprooted and cleared away before they cause further problems. This can be very dirty work, so having a flatbed to place and transport the dead vegetation is extremely helpful. Before purchasing a trailer to perform work such as tree disposal, consider how large of a trailer you will need. If you are deciding between something smaller and larger, it is usually recommended to go with the larger equipment as long as it is still within your budget. This is because you never know when you might need to carry more items on the trailer, but you can always carry a smaller amount on a larger trailer.Give McFarlane Trailer Sales a call if you need equipment prior to completing fall yard maintenance.
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