Firewood Trailer - Dump or Utility?

[HumBurner]

4x4?

My current truck? Yes

The larger truck to haul/deliver with? Ideally, yes.

 

[davidwyby]

Low range goes a long way towards controlling loads. Guy had a self loader deuce that he used for that terrain due to its low gearing.

 

[jcarlberg]

How did two cords go with the f-150?


I've also been pondering over starting a firewood business, but all I have is a 5.4l f-150 with no tow-brake.

Figured I'd need a 3/4 or 1 ton to haul 2-3 cords at a time, and probably a 6x12 or 5x16 trailer.

Our roads are often narrow, windy/hilly with lots of tight switchbacks, would be a lot dirt/rock road, steep hills, etc.

Biggest load was 2 cords of an oak/ash mix in a 7x14 trailer plus another half-cord in the bed of the truck. I could not have been happier with how well the truck pulled it! Easy-peasy. No issues at all.

 

[HumBurner]

Low range goes a long way towards controlling loads. Guy had a self loader deuce that he used for that terrain due to its low gearing.

Yea, low low is a saving grace when it's needed. Not sure I'd trust my life to it in lieu of a brake.

My truck also has 217k mi. I'd have to do a major overhaul and inspect the frame before I used it for that.

 

[Dustin4185]

Yea, low low is a saving grace when it's needed. Not sure I'd trust my life to it in lieu of a brake.

My truck also has 217k mi. I'd have to do a major overhaul and inspect the frame before I used it for that.

My son is wanting to get into firewood and I’ve been looking at dump trailer vs another truck. He is getting my 04 2500HD gas truck when he starts driving. Plenty of truck for pulling a dump trailer. My issue is a trailer is more than several 1 ton flatbeds I’ve found in decent shape. Especially for a firewood truck. I’ve found a few single axle dumps that are in the $6,000-$8,000 range and older, manual trucks with little electronics. I can work on most vehicles and equipment, so we are leaning that way I’m going to check with insurance first since another vehicle means another policy, another tag, etc.

All that to say, you may be better off getting a dedicated truck with a dump bed if you have them available in your area.

 

[Hoser]

I don’t regret my one ton at all. I use it for all my work now, sold my 1/2 ton bought a 4 banger car. Running around, cut jobs, going to work I run the car for peanuts and fire up the 3500 when there’s money to be made.
Plus I’ve picked up a lot of customers dump trailers can’t get in close and dump trucks won’t fit in the driveway.

 

[jcarlberg]

Getting a little closer to finally buying a dump - since I bought 35 cords of birch logs this fall I see more deliveries in my future! I rented a trailer a couple of times and other times made two trips with my pickup (half-cord capacity, more or less).

One of the things that has me feeling okay about spending the money for a dump is that they seem to hold their resale value pretty well if you take care of them. Heck, a guy is trying to sell a five year old powder-coated 6x12 on Marketplace around here for $13K. He's basically asking the same as new! You can't find a used galvanized dump trailer around here and if you do, same thing - priced as new. So I figure if I can use it to deliver bulk wood, use it to pick up giveaway trees, etc. it's probably not a bad investment for my modest firewood business.

 

[Hinerman]

Getting a little closer to finally buying a dump - since I bought 35 cords of birch logs this fall I see more deliveries in my future! I rented a trailer a couple of times and other times made two trips with my pickup (half-cord capacity, more or less).

One of the things that has me feeling okay about spending the money for a dump is that they seem to hold their resale value pretty well if you take care of them. Heck, a guy is trying to sell a five year old powder-coated 6x12 on Marketplace around here for $13K. He's basically asking the same as new! You can't find a used galvanized dump trailer around here and if you do, same thing - priced as new. So I figure if I can use it to deliver bulk wood, use it to pick up giveaway trees, etc. it's probably not a bad investment for my modest firewood business.

Inflation. I bought my 16' utility trailer in 2008ish for $1100; I could get more for it now, and it is well used. A new floor would get me closer to new prices now