Anyone here have a Kaufman dump trailer?

[The Evil Twin]

My neighbor has a Kaufman. He uses the snot out of it for a firewood side business. He hauls the logs, his track loader, then delivers the split wood in it. He has no complaints. It definitely has battle scars but wears them proudly.
While they appear to be a good value, I have my eye set on a different brand that incorporates a 3 way tailgate. To load the tractor with a blade or rake on the back is a hair more than the box size of a 16' box.

 

[McMXi]

My neighbor has a Kaufman. He uses the snot out of it for a firewood side business. He hauls the logs, his track loader, then delivers the split wood in it. He has no complaints. It definitely has battle scars but wears them proudly.
While they appear to be a good value, I have my eye set on a different brand that incorporates a 3 way tailgate. To load the tractor with a blade or rake on the back is a hair more than the box size of a 16' box.

Come on ... spill the beans! What brand and model are you considering.

My PJ 16ft dump trailer has a two-way gate, either split or spread mode. So with a three-way tailgate the gate can be lowered like a regular pick up truck gate?

 

[The Evil Twin]

Come on ... spill the beans! What brand and model are you considering.

My PJ 16ft dump trailer has a two-way gate, either split or spread mode. So with a three-way tailgate the gate can be lowered like a regular pick up truck gate?

The beans;
I'm pretty set on a Lamar 8x16 Scissor hoist. The 3 way gate drops like a pickup tailgate. I believe Sure Trac also has the 3 way gate.

 

[hodge]

The beans;
I'm pretty set on a Lamar 8x16 Scissor hoist. The 3 way gate drops like a pickup tailgate. I believe Sure Trac also has the 3 way gate.

My Kaufman had a 3 way tailgate.

 

[The Evil Twin]

My Kaufman had a 3 way tailgate.

Interesting. They don't mention it in their website. None if the MeTube videos I've watched show it either. Including the two from Kaufman. Maybe they stopped doing it? Sure would make hauling long loads easier

 

[McMXi]

Interesting. They don't mention it in their website. None if the MeTube videos I've watched show it either. Including the two from Kaufman. Maybe they stopped doing it? Sure would make hauling long loads easier

And I couldn't find any reference to the three-way tailgate on Lamar's site.

 

[The Evil Twin]

And I couldn't find any reference to the three-way tailgate on Lamar's site.

That's pretty funny, actually. I don't either. Saw it on the video from a dealer.

 

[Lil Foot]

So with a three-way tailgate the gate can be lowered like a regular pick up truck gate?

Yes.

 

[Lil Foot]

A minor point on paint vs powder coat:
My former neighbor had a dump trailer about the same size as mine, very similar to my LoadTrail.
(superficially at least)
Unknown brand, it was a repaint.
Mine is powder coated, and hauling the same material, stuff slides out of mine noticeably better than the painted one, with less "leavings".
I have heard about the rusting problems when powder coat chips, but I've never have seen it- but then it is really dry out here.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

All powder coat paint is plastic that gets baked on, so slipperyer(sp) that sprayed on paint.
The problem with powder coat paint is that once it gets nicked, chipped, sliced,cut etc. water (even ONE drop) gets under the 'paint' and attacks the raw steel.. Actually use your trailer in winter up here ( Ontario) and the SALT water from 'snow clearing operations' will destroy a PC painted trailer in short time.
I found a 'nice' Snowbear trailer ( Home Depot sold them) in scrapyard, paid $50 for it. 'Paint' peeling off, huge rust sections. I saved the running gear.returned the rest. It was 5 years young !

Riding mower desks are a pain to repair, have to grind off whatever's left of the 'paint'. Surprisingly compressed air does a good job of lifting PC off though. Only 'easy' way though is to 'sand blast' the parts.

 

[hodge]

It was standard on the 16' dump trailer when I bought it. May 23, 2017. Barn doors, or they would lock and the gate would swing down, or swing at the top as a dump gate. I only used them as barn doors, to dump manure. It would lift any load I put in it, and the only issue that I ever had was a bad battery. Kaufman was willing to pay for a replacement, but it was beyond the warranty, and a battery is a maintenance item. I was fine paying for it. I didn't want to spend goodwill with Kaufman, in case there was a future issue.
The paint- I never have had an issue, other than normal wear and tear on paint. Some trailers are powdercoated, but I don't see that as an advantage. It is easy to touch up the paint on a Kaufman trailer- it's gloss black paint. Fixing damage or bad powdercoating is a different story.

 

[Tughill Tom]

I'm looking at Sure-Trac 14K 14ft, they only show 2 way tail gate. The only manf. I've seen with a 3 way is Iron Bull.
Waiting on a quote and for the Dam Snow to melt.

 

[Lil Foot]

The only manf. I've seen with a 3 way is Iron Bull.

LoadTrail & Lamar also.

 

[The Evil Twin]

I'm looking at Sure-Trac 14K 14ft, they only show 2 way tail gate. The only manf. I've seen with a 3 way is Iron Bull.
Waiting on a quote and for the Dam Snow to melt.

B Wise also has it.
I said in an earlier post Sure Ttac did. That was my mistake. It was B Wise I was thinking of.

 

[biketopia]

B Wise also has it.
I said in an earlier post Sure Ttac did. That was my mistake. It was B Wise I was thinking of.

Bri-Mar and B Wise are sister/the same company from what I can tell by looking at both trailer's construction and the marking/decals shared between the two.

Kaufman is a great company and their trailers & customer service are fantastic. My contractor buddy bought an enclosed from them last year and has been thoroughly impressed with it, and the entire sale and delivery process. It's sitting at my house right now while he finishes our basement. Looking it over it's definitely of higher quality than some of the "cheaper" enclosed we run at work.

Lamar is an awesome trailer as well. We added 3 of their 14k equipment trailers about 18 months ago to the fleet I run. They are top-notch and have held up extremely well to the abuse our crews put them through. I have a pretty good contact with a Lamar dealer who was able to get us any of our custom needs taken care of if you're interested @The Evil Twin

 

[McMXi]

I didn't start this thread but I want to thank @trackman23 and all those who've responded with information about Kaufman trailers. I just put down a deposit on a 30ft gooseneck (25ft + 5ft) with 10k tandem dual axles, Mega ramps, 12k two-speed jacks, a spare wheel/tire and an extra torque tube for a "deck on the neck" that I didn't add to order. The trailer should be ready for pickup in Nebraska around the end of April. That'll give me time to sell the PJ 22ft hydraulic deck over trailer that I won't be needing once I have this Kaufman. I love road trips, and a drive through MT and WY and down to southern Nebraska will be awesome! I might even be able to combine the trip with a work trip and have the company I work for cover some or all of the cost.

Kaufman will deliver a trailer, but the customer has to be able to lift the trailer off their delivery trailer. At 6,900lb, I don't have anything capable of doing that. The salesman was very knowledgeable and extremely friendly, and told me that in addition to factory direct pricing, there's a 3% discount for cash or a cashier's check. I decided to stay with the included color of black since blue, green, red, yellow or gray is a $600 additional charge. He also gave me good advice about upgrading the tires from the standard 10 ply to 14 ply. It would be $1,400 to upgrade the tires, but he mentioned that he never has any complaints from customers who opt for the standard 10 ply tires. There are eight of them supporting the trailer, and his comment was that they provide a better ride, and last a long time. His suggestion was to save some money and upgrade in 5 or more years if I think it's necessary.

I really like the pierced design of this trailer where the cross members pass through the I-beams (12″ at 16 lb./ft) which is much stronger than the non-pierced design. Also, I hadn't realized that the Mega ramps can be locked in the vertical position in addition to laying flat to provide more room at the back of the trailer if needed. This would be a situation where the load is longer than 25ft and the ramps aren't able to lay flat.

I think this is going to be the best trailer buying experience yet. Thanks again!

 

[biketopia]

That's certainly going to be a badass addition to the fleet and a worthy companion to the new tow pig. The 14-ply tires are a fantastic upgrade in my opinion (fleet world) but with tandem dulley axles, 10-ply will do you just fine. Once it's time to replace the tires, or if you have issues with the factory tires I'd price out the 14s, they just take abuse, rocks, cuts, occasional overload, etc. a lot better.

 

[McMXi]

That's certainly going to be a badass addition to the fleet and a worthy companion to the new tow pig. The 14-ply tires are a fantastic upgrade in my opinion (fleet world) but with tandem dulley axles, 10-ply will do you just fine. Once it's time to replace the tires, or if you have issues with the factory tires I'd price out the 14s, they just take abuse, rocks, cuts, occasional overload, etc. a lot better.

I'm not going to be towing anywhere near the max with only 13k at most on the trailer. I could haul the M-1078 (17,000lb) or both tractors at the same time I suppose (around 16,000lb), but that's unlikely. Given the rating of the 10 ply tires, they should be good for a non-commercial application.

By the way, no sales tax or doc fees with the purchase.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Bri-Mar and B Wise are sister/the same company from what I can tell by looking at both trailer's construction and the marking/decals shared between the two.

Kaufman is a great company and their trailers & customer service are fantastic. My contractor buddy bought an enclosed from them last year and has been thoroughly impressed with it, and the entire sale and delivery process. It's sitting at my house right now while he finishes our basement. Looking it over it's definitely of higher quality than some of the "cheaper" enclosed we run at work.

Lamar is an awesome trailer as well. We added 3 of their 14k equipment trailers about 18 months ago to the fleet I run. They are top-notch and have held up extremely well to the abuse our crews put them through. I have a pretty good contact with a Lamar dealer who was able to get us any of our custom needs taken care of if you're interested @The Evil Twin

Yes, please! I think the only added options will be additional D rings and a hydraulic tongue jack. Also, if not included, rear feet for loading wheeled vehicles.

 

[McMXi]

The salesman at Kaufman sent me some photos of a 30ft gooseneck set up the same (or similar) as what I've ordered. Those Mega ramps are awesome!