Dump trailer recommendations?

[Lil Foot]

Scheduled to pick up my new dump trailer tomorrow, if the bank got the money transfer done. Fingers crossed.

 

[Lil Foot]

Here she is:

 

[Lil Foot]

i settled on a LoadTrail.
7000lb, 6'x10", 3 way tailgate, scissor lift, onboard 8A smart charger, ramps, spare, D rings in box, LED lights (18 of them), roll screen tarp, radial tires, silver/gray wheels, adjustable coupler, drop leg jack, 10 ga deck & sides, brakes on both axles, 2yr roadside assistance on trailer & tow vehicle, 6"x4" I beam frame, powder coat, 3yr warranty on structure, 2 year on everything else, 5 year on tires, zerks everywhere, and probably more that I'm forgetting at the moment.

I looked at Patriot, (pure junk) Norstar, Big Tex, 5 Star, and LoadTrail. IMHO nothing approached to quality & dollar value of the LoadTrail. For instance, the Big Tex had no ramps, no 3 way tailgate, no roll tarp, thinner metal in the sides (14 or 16ga), and was still $650 bucks higher. The Patriot was VERY lightly built (3" channel frame ) bias ply tires, and no ramps, no 3 way gate, 16ga box, and the salesman was either a crook or an idiot. He told me "Stay away from radial tires, they're dangerous, unless you run it on the highway all the time." WTF? He also said "Single & double cylinders are safer than anything with a scissor lift." WTF?
5 Star was decent, but again, almost the same price with no extras. My second choice would probably have been the Norstar. They had a 5'x 10" with the same features as the LoadTrail I bought except for the scissor lift. (and smaller box)
The Big Tex was higher priced than LoadTrail, all the others were lower priced, but with little or none of the features I wanted.
I didn't look at PJs, no one had any in the 6'x10' size range.

 

[Lil Foot]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread, especially GeoHorn. You were spot on with your take on this.

 

[GeoHorn]

Well, this is not accurate any longer. PJ Trailers was purchased by ATW (Big Tex owners, as well) back in 2016. PJ Trailers did have a manufacturing plant in Mexico where they manufactured a subset of the trailers. Their primary manufacturing plant has always been in Texas.



It sounds as if a Load-Trail salesman supplied your information. If you look at the specs for both trailers, they are virtually identical in terms gauge thickness of the steel, frame spacing, etc. Every pivoting mechanism of the PJ employs a zerk fitting - this is not unique to Load Trail.

My PJ Trailer has the built-in charger plus a solar charger, and a key-FOB remote for the hydraulics.

I shopped the Load Trail and PJ Trailers side by side. The PJ dealers in my area were more aggressive on pricing than was the Load Trail dealer and both trailers being almost identical - although admittedly I thought the PJ had an edge in build quality and paint consistency.

I don’t know how two shoppers can see such drastically different results.
I bought my dump trailer six months ago (March 2019). Both trailers were current production with recent build dates. I compared the Load Trail and PJ on the same day. The PJ was made in Mexico. The Load Trail made in Texas. The lift design was as I described with the PJ much less robust. The PJ used light channel while the same 10K rated Load Trail used 8” I-beam. The PJ was not nearly as well-made as the Load Trail. The two dealers I shopped were 20 miles apart... PJ - O’Conner Trailers in Marble Falls, Tx. The Load Trail dealer was Reid in LIberty Hill, Tx. They were similarly priced, yet the Load Trail included the remote control, spare tire, and road-hazard warranty but the PJ those items were extra cost.
That’s what I found to be true here in central Texas.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I don’t know how two shoppers can see such drastically different results.
I bought my dump trailer six months ago (March 2019). Both trailers were current production with recent build dates. I compared the Load Trail and PJ on the same day. The PJ was made in Mexico. The Load Trail made in Texas. The lift design was as I described with the PJ much less robust. The PJ used light channel while the same 10K rated Load Trail used 8” I-beam. The PJ was not nearly as well-made as the Load Trail. The two dealers I shopped were 20 miles apart... PJ - O’Conner Trailers in Marble Falls, Tx. The Load Trail dealer was Reid in LIberty Hill, Tx. They were similarly priced, yet the Load Trail included the remote control, spare tire, and road-hazard warranty but the PJ those items were extra cost.
That’s what I found to be true here in central Texas.

Sadly sounds like my known information might be dated, my trailers are 15+ years old, but still in good to excellent condition.

Older trailers were either done right or done wrong, I guess I got lucky.

 

[Lil Foot]

Been crawling all over & checking out my new dump trailer and found another feature that no one mentioned. It has the outer jacks already in place on the back corners to keep the rear of the trailer from dropping when loading something heavy. All I need to add are the 2" drop legs & pins and I'm good to go. Not sure I'll ever need this feature, but It's nice to have the option available for very little cost or effort.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Been crawling all over & checking out my new dump trailer and found another feature that no one mentioned. It has the outer jacks already in place on the back corners to keep the rear of the trailer from dropping when loading something heavy. All I need to add are the 2" drop legs & pins and I'm good to go. Not sure I'll ever need this feature, but It's nice to have the option available for very little cost or effort.

If that's your trailer, why are over half the lug nuts missing?

 

[Lil Foot]

It's not mine, I should have been clearer.
I pulled that pic off the web just to show the jack setup. It also shows the drop leg & pin, which I don't have either. (yet)
Good eye, hard to put anything over on you, Sean!

 

[Lil Foot]

Spoke with the manager of my local State Trailer Supply (https://www.statetrailer.com)
and explained my need for some drop jacks for the dump trailer. He had nothing at the time, but called me back 5 days later saying he had a set of 5th wheel landing gear takeouts that I could have at no charge. I picked them up and the drop legs were exactly what I needed. I straightened & painted the landing pads, cross drilled the legs for 5/8" holes, and now I have rear jacks for the dump trailer.
(I have another 5/8" pin up at the cabin)