New Jersey thread

Crap, my post count might be going backwards.

we got in 33.4 miles of biking today.
more to come tomorrow.

Anyone have advice on a dump trailer vs buying an older dump truck? I finally have enough accounts that I need to be able to go do mulch or something while they keep cutting grass. I don't think it's going to be like this for the whole season but right now its hard to keep up

Tony_D said:

Anyone have advice on a dump trailer vs buying an older dump truck? I finally have enough accounts that I need to be able to go do mulch or something while they keep cutting grass. I don't think it's going to be like this for the whole season but right now its hard to keep up

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When we do mulch, pruning debris, leaves, etc, we are in and out of our dump trailer all the time. I couldn’t imagine being able to do the same things from a dump truck no matter how low it sits.

Not a landscaper obviously so I can’t help much, but as was already stated a dump trailer is nice and easy to load with debris because of the low profile. If you need to a rent a machine for a job, you can move it with the dump trailer and you can leave it on a job site if you need to run to get something else done. Trailers cheaper and doesn’t need additional insurance, if it’s going to sit in the slower times of the year that saves you some real money

S_Marino87 said:

Not a landscaper obviously so I can’t help much, but as was already stated a dump trailer is nice and easy to load with debris because of the low profile. If you need to a rent a machine for a job, you can move it with the dump trailer and you can leave it on a job site if you need to run to get something else done. Trailers cheaper and doesn’t need additional insurance, if it’s going to sit in the slower times of the year that saves you some real money

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This right here.

I'm usually on the side of another truck, because a truck can go out on it's own and make you money, but if you're expecting it to sit a lot during the slower months a trailer would be the way to go. Especially since you're the other driver anyway from the sound of it, so it's not like you need to be able to send it out without you

Dump trailers are great for mulch, pruning, planting jobs etc I had the brilliant idea of selling mine and buying a second switch n go for this season, love the truck but miss the trailer

We have trucks/trailers/switch n go. Each have their place. For boss runs or small scale the dump trailer is where is it’s at. For economy of scale it’s the truck. For flexibility it’s the switch n go.

if cost of ownership is a concern get the trailer. Nothing is cheaper or holds its value.

Older, used mason dumps tend to be money pits especially if they've been plowing and salting. When I was in the same predicament I bought a new mason dump and never looked back but a trailer is wayy cheaper and will still get the job done.

Finding a good quality used dump truck isn't easy, they're out there but it'll take some searching. When I was in your shoes I bought a f350 pickup and put a dump insert in it, turned that into my maintenance truck and took the dump truck with me for construction and extras. The main reason I went that way over a dump trailer was to have another plow truck

prezek said:

When we do mulch, pruning debris, leaves, etc, we are in and out of our dump trailer all the time. I couldn’t imagine being able to do the same things from a dump truck no matter how low it sits.

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Yeah I was thinking about that, seems a lot easier to load and I could haul more material with it than any dump truck I'd be able to afford

truckie80 said:

Dump trailers are great for mulch, pruning, planting jobs etc I had the brilliant idea of selling mine and buying a second switch n go for this season, love the truck but miss the trailer

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What made you switch from the trailer?

V_Scapes said:

Older, used mason dumps tend to be money pits especially if they've been plowing and salting. When I was in the same predicament I bought a new mason dump and never looked back but a trailer is wayy cheaper and will still get the job done.

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Yeah I can't find any that are even half way alright that I can afford.

djt1029 said:

Finding a good quality used dump truck isn't easy, they're out there but it'll take some searching. When I was in your shoes I bought a f350 pickup and put a dump insert in it, turned that into my maintenance truck and took the dump truck with me for construction and extras. The main reason I went that way over a dump trailer was to have another plow truck

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That's a good idea too. The trailer I was looking at is around $14k after taxes etc, I saw some used dump trucks for around 16-18k but they were rust buckets. I'd rather buy a truck than beat up my pickup, but I don't think I can do it right now

Tony_D said:

What made you switch from the trailer?

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Since I'm back working in the city I didn't want to depend on the guys remembering to load up everything they needed for the day when I'm not around to run back to the garage. Sold the dump trailer and the dump insert out of my '13 pickup, and bought another switch n go and enclosed trailer for the "extras" crew and loaded up with everything they could possibly need

truckie80 said:

Since I'm back working in the city I didn't want to depend on the guys remembering to load up everything they needed for the day when I'm not around to run back to the garage. Sold the dump trailer and the dump insert out of my '13 pickup, and bought another switch n go and enclosed trailer for the "extras" crew and loaded up with everything they could possibly need

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Heyare you using the box on the switch and go or just and enclosed trailer? Wondering if anyone has experience with the job box version. We may purchase one.

Kvston said:

Heyare you using the box on the switch and go or just and enclosed trailer? Wondering if anyone has experience with the job box version. We may purchase one.

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Just the enclosed trailer, I don't have the use for the drop box everything we need fits in the trailer. Seem like they would be great for jobs that go on for weeks/months

Kvston said:

Heyare you using the box on the switch and go or just and enclosed trailer? Wondering if anyone has experience with the job box version. We may purchase one.

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I have a pair of hooklift job boxes. I like trailers better, but the hooklift bodies are a lot easier to get around in NYC / Jersey City etc, and a lot harder to steal (which was the main reason I bought them)

Kvston said:

Heyare you using the box on the switch and go or just and enclosed trailer? Wondering if anyone has experience with the job box version. We may purchase one.

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I was looking at the SNG box body too, but its pricey at $16k+

AG09 said:

I was looking at the SNG box body too, but its pricey at $16k+

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Yeah realistically I’m thinking seacan or van box used on a SNG subframe is realistic for me.

Good job trailers are 10-13k now so not that huge of a difference.

I have one storage box body so far. Not having to deal with tires going flat, unnecessary wear on springs etc while it's sitting on a job for months is a nice fringe benefit

I settled on the dump trailer thanks for all the advice. The main reason was insurance and all of that since I really don't think I'll be using it much in the summer when things settle down. I'm going tomorrow to pick it up, bought the wood for the sideboards yesterday so by the end of the day tomorrow I can have it ready to go for Wednesday morning for some mulch jobs