Dump Trucks vs. Dump Trailers – Pros, Cons and Efficiency

Tom Wiesen

black dump trailer

A dump trailer towed by a pick-up truck is a versatile and powerful tool. Advantages of using a dump trailer include convenient size, reasonable cost to buy or rent, truck efficiency, work productivity increase, low bed height, and low impact on landscapes. Let’s look at ways a dump trailer is useful and cost-effective.

It has many sizes depending on what you need.

Dump trailers come in a multitude of sizes, depending on your application. Small trailers are ideal for tight places, and larger trailers are advantageous for large capacity loads like trash or mulch. Larger trailers are generally rated to carry more weight for hauling soil, sand, or gravel.

Because of its small size and agility, a dump trailer can enable an operator to dump a load little by little. It is a huge advantage when spreading something like gravel. If you’ve ever tried to direct a dump truck driver to spread a thin, even layer, then you know you can end up with mixed results.

Dump trailers are commonly used for construction waste. For example, a dump trailer can be pulled right next to a house that is being re-roofed, and old roof debris can be thrown down into the trailer. Pull the trailer forward, and have the trailer convenient to the work area as the job progresses. By comparison, this is not possible with a standard dumpster that is stationary by its nature.

Dump trailer is light in weight and doesn’t cause big damage.

Especially when compared with a dump truck, a dump trailer is simply lighter. It can be driven onto a sensitive landscape like a lawn or over a walkway to reach hard-to-access areas without causing damage.

Low impact is especially true when compared to a roll-off dumpster for waste removal. The rubber tires of a dump trailer don’t scar an asphalt driveway or tear up a lawn like the loading and unloading of a roll-off dumpster.

It is cheaper than a dump truck.

Especially compared to a dump truck, a dump trailer is a cost-effective piece of equipment to own or rent. If you already own a heavy-duty pick-up truck and are hauling relatively small, light loads, a dump trailer is much cheaper to purchase and maintain than a dump truck.

Dump trailers can range from small to medium sizes, and a rear hitch or gooseneck hauls these on a pick-up truck. On the other hand, large dump trailers are hauled by semi-trucks.

trunk of dump trailer

 

 

A gooseneck dump trailer with a double hydraulic lift is rated for higher capacity for heavy loads like gravel or roofing waste.

Dump trailers are truck efficient.

A dump trailer is a separate component from your truck. Whether it’s a pick-up truck or a semi-truck, it allows the truck to be used for multiple applications versus only used for one.

Also, a consideration is that maintenance on a truck and separate dump trailer is simpler than maintaining a dump truck.

Furthermore, as your needs or business changes, it’s easy to adapt to a larger or smaller dump trailer, depending on the tasks. With a dump truck, you are locked into a single size attached to the truck.

It helps unload heavy cargo.

A dump trailer is a labor-saving tool. Unloading a heavy load by hand not only takes time it also diminishes physical endurance. Save your crew’s energy for the next task and squeeze more out of your day.

 

Save time and energy with the push of a button. There’s a rechargeable battery in the front of the trailer that powers the hydraulic dump.

It has a low bed height.

Low bed height is crucial when loading or unloading heavy items by hand. Compare it to the bed of a dump truck, where the bed is easily 4-5 feet off the ground. Now it takes extra hands to get items up into the truck.

The low bed height also enables you to use your dump trailer like a standard trailer and load in equipment with a ramp easily, like, say, a riding lawn mower or landscaping equipment. Or load up tools, ladders, and materials easier than a pick-up truck and go to your next job site with the cover protecting your expensive items.

 

 

Low bed height and easy access make dump trailers useful for many tasks.

Should I Buy or Rent a Dump Trailer?

Do you want to rent the perfect dump trailer for your home, farm, or business? Or is it more efficient to rent the exact trailer you need for each task as it arises? At Trailers and Transport, we’ve got you covered. We are a Texas Pride dealer, and we have dump trailers available in many sizes and carrying capacities.