[KHodges]

Received my new dump trailer today, from www.countrylawn-garden.com. I thought I'd post pics of the assembly and some mods that I'm going to do, nothing major.

These trailers can be ordered with or without wood, and I opted to get mine without. It's designed to use 5/4 PT decking planks, but I wanted a floor without cracks for loose stuff to fall through, so I bought a sheet of 3/4" pt plywood and will cut it to fit. For the side rails, I'll still use the 5/4 planks. The sides are 12" high from the factory, but I'm going to extend them to 18" high. The trailer measures 7 feet long (and can be ordered 6 feet long also) and is 38" wide. With 12" high sides, that's a bit over 21 cubic feet with a levelled load. At 18", that will make it about 32 cubic feet. The trailer is rated at 2000 lb capacity, and the dump mechanism will handle 1000 lb loads. The dump mechanism is optional, and consists of a lift arm operated by a small hydraulic jack. The jack is actuated by a handle and linkage at the front of the trailer, and there is also another handle that releases the cylinder pressure to lower the dump. It has a tandem axle that pivots to follow uneven terrain. The first two pictures are from the website, and show the trailer in the transport position and the full dump position. The third and fourth pictures are mine, dry-assembled without the decking, to show the structure.

 

[jeepersmitty]

That could be very handy. Thanks for posting.

 

[SonnyT]

That could be very handy. Thanks for posting.

:ditto: :ditto: Nice trailer.

 

[KHodges]

Here are the subassemblies. 1st is the dual axle trolley. The tires are 16x6.5-8, and the wheels are nice and heavy duty. The bearings are sintered metal, and the wheels have grease fittings. I think it would be a nicer touch if there were ball bearings, but these look like they will give good service if kept greased.

2nd is the subframe and tongue, 3rd is the dump mechanism, which fits between the subframe rails and bolts in place. Just to look, without measuring, the bottom of the jack sits about 6 inches off the ground, and looks like it might could "high center" if taken on rough terrain, but shouldn't hit the ground on lawns or garden. The track of the wheels is just less than the trailer width, I'd like to have seen the tires stick out a bit to give a wider stance and better stability for heaped loads. As a matter of fact, I'd like to see this trailer a bit wider overall, maybe about 45-48 inches, but it has quite a capacity as is, and maybe was designed narrower to better fit behind medium size garden tractors such as the X3xx and X5xx (and comparable other brands). The 4th picture is the deck frame.

For those who have CUT's and want something bigger than this one, a 4x8 footer is available and has the option of a hydraulic cylinder which can be operated from the tractor hydraulics. It has a 2-ton capacity. Both this and the bigger version are also available as wagons, with the front wheels steerable by the tongue, using spindles and tie rods (see the website). I wanted the trailer, as I have a wagon and it's a PITA to back up, where this trailer should be realtively easy to back.

I unpacked everything today. My box had a hole in the bottom from the steel bands tearing it, and part of my hardware did not make the trip. No big deal, a few nuts and bolts, so I took the parts list to the hardware store and just replaced them, rather than have to wait for the mfg to send replacements.

I dry assembled the trailer to get an idea of relationship of the parts, and then cut the plywood to fit and put it in place. One of the mods I plan to do is have a sheet of steel, maybe 14 gauge, laid over the ply and welded to the frame. This will make the floor much smoother for dirt loads to slide out when dumped, plus will last forever. the wood underneath will serve to stiffen the steel overlay, but will still slide out when replacement is needed, if ever.

Tomorrow, I will clean all the subassemblies and repaint them. The white wheels will become J-D yellow, and the red frame will become J-D green. I will let the 5/4 deck planks age a bit to dry them out, and then clearcoat them with polyurethane.

More to follow; after the paint dries, the assembly begins !

 

[Upper5Percent]

Excellent color choices...look forward to your next installment...

 

[slkpk]

Are you going to replace the manual jack and use your hydraulics from your tractor? slkpk

 

[KHodges]

Are you going to replace the manual jack and use your hydraulics from your tractor? slkpk

Not for now, I'll use the system as is, but later I'll find a small cylinder, run some lines, and then use my lift controls to dump the trailer. I painted everything except the wheels yesterday, and will assemble the trailer today, and paint the wheels this evening.

Anybody know a better way to mask off the tires than using tape? Is there anything I can smear on the tires that will wash off later, and prevent paint from sticking to the rubber? It's A PITA to remove the tires from the wheels just to paint, also kinda tedious to have to tape off the tires to keep paint off.

 

[G-1]

Not for now, I'll use the system as is, but later I'll find a small cylinder, run some lines, and then use my lift controls to dump the trailer. I painted everything except the wheels yesterday, and will assemble the trailer today, and paint the wheels this evening.

Anybody know a better way to mask off the tires than using tape? Is there anything I can smear on the tires that will wash off later, and prevent paint from sticking to the rubber? It's A PITA to remove the tires from the wheels just to paint, also kinda tedious to have to tape off the tires to keep paint off.

Masking off the tires or putting some kind of goo on them in order to paint is always very unsatisfactory, IMHO. First of all, just applying the tape or goo (and taking it off again) is tedious. Plus, often the inside of the wheels is a mess that really needs to get fixed. If I don't know what the inside looks like, I just go ahead and pull the tires. If I know the inside is OK, then I break down the tire and take two pieces of cardboard (cereal box works good) and tap against the edge of the rim to get a mark, then cut with scissors. These pieces can then be used to slip between the tire and the rim for masking. I guess there is more than one way to do it, but this way has worked good for me. :fing32:

PS What a great trailer you are have there! It looks like it will be very useful!

 

[KHodges]

This weekend has been fun; I repainted the trailer in J-D colors, it looks much better. As for the wheels, I just took the time to mask them the time-honored and labor-intensive way. glterpening, I understand what you're saying about what the insides of the wheels might look like, but these are brand new, so I figure they are okay. Otherwise, I would have popped the tires off and painted the whole thing.

I had to mow today, so I got everything taped up and sprayed a coat of paint, then went and mowed a while, then came back and second-coated the wheels. I touched up the frame in a few places I missed, when I painted it yesterday. It was getting dark by the time I finished the wheels and removed the masking. I assembled the trailer on our horses' wash pad, and made some pictures. I'll do some better ones of the assembled trailer when it's got the siderails on it, and speak a bit more about the quality of the construction.

If you look at the closeup of the lift jack, you will see that I made some spacers. This is one of a few issues I have with the trailer, but overall, it looks very strong. It wasn't made to look pretty, just basic angle iron and c-channel construction, but it should hold up fine.

 

[Upper5Percent]

Nice work...

 

[slkpk]

You'll be stylin in that rig when it's finished. Looks great and looking forward to the finished product. slkpk

 

[KHodges]

No new pics yet, but I have the "standard" sides on it, and used a scrap piece of the PT plywood for a tailgate. I'm working on the extended sides now. The sides from the factory are two-high 5/4 x 6" PT decking boards. I'm going up one higher and will make the top ones lean outboard a bit.

One thing to say about this trailer-- it's SOLID. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that doesn't have something in the X5xx size machine or larger. The empty trailer weighs about 250 lb or better, so with any kind of load, it will be past 400 lbs easy. The main reason I got one this size was for bulky stuff like mulch, or hauling brush.

Workmanship is okay. The frame is MIG welded, and the welds are good quality, but there is quite a bit of spatter that isn't chipped off (you know, tiny 'balls' stuck to the metal in the area of welds), so you know they weren't paying for neatness. There were no spacers included for parts that slide over rods (like the jack that serves for the hydraulic lift) and I had to put washers on both sides of the wheel to take up side-to-side play on the axles. These are things not absolutely necessary, but would make for a much nicer piece of equipment, and wouldn't take that much more attention to details from the mfg, for little or no increase in cost.

The lift mechanism is simple, a flat lever that has a pin for an axle on the front rail of the trailer frame, and a rod from it to the "pump" on the jack. Move the lever back and forth, and jack the trailer into the dump position. The release is another rod connected to the pressure release on the jack, it fits through a hole in the front frame rail, and you twist the rod, it turns the release, and the dump bed drops. It's the poor man's method, but begs for an upgrade to a true hydraulic system that can be operated from the tractor. It wouldn't be difficult to make the change.

Basically, it can be used as-is without any concern, but I think the average person who bought this would add the details at their own effort (and cost).

This is a trailer that will take tons of abuse; the wood can always be replaced, and the construction is solid enough to withstand about anything you could expose it to in the "line of duty". Given what a trailer like the J-D 18, or even the 17P costs (upwards of $350), for someone who needs a bit more trailer size than those provide, thisis a fair deal for the sale price. If you live towards central Ohio, even better, as shipping will be less.

 

[slkpk]

Any updates? slkpk

 

[x595]

KHodges , your Trailer looks to be Heavy Duty and up to any task you may throw at it , Congratulations and thanks for the pictures !!!

Very nice paint job , is that rattle can or spray gun ???

With your side boards at 18" , what will it measure from the ground ??? Just so it's not to high for you to throw firewood and whatnot in there ...

That will be sweet when you hook the Hydraulics up to the Tractor ... Will you install a set of rear Couplers ???

Again , great job and thanks for the review !!!

Later,x595

 

[KHodges]

Even with 18" sideboards, the top edge is about belly-button high, I haven't measured exactly, but I will have a lot more angles of pictures when I'm done, and some measurements. I'm still working on the siderails, making brackets from flat steel from Lowe's, drilled and bolted to the siderails to brace them. Probably overkill. The paint is Valspar spraycans, only took 5 to paint two coats on everything. The wheels is J-D brand spraycans, less than half a can to do two coats on the wheels.

I'm ready to put this thing to work already, but I gotta get it lookin' good, at least before I start knocking paint off and putting dents in the wood.

 

[Austen]

Nice trailer! I bet it's fun to haul around too!

 

[x595]

KHodges , what's the latest verdict ???

Later,x595

 

[KHodges]

Yesterday presented itself as an opportunity to aerate my property and my Mom's, fertilize and seed, so I aerated about 6-1/2 acres in two locations (with a 48" wide plugger) and spread 1200 lbs fertilizer and 1000 lb of lime, and overseeded some thin areas, so I didn't have time to work on the trailer. I actually put it to use to haul some fertilizer so I didn't have to keep making trips to the truck to refill the spreader. Hopefully today I'll get some more done. Here's what it looks like with the "factory" sides.

Note how muddy the tractor's tires are. This came from just driving around over the pulled plugs on damp grass. I got a plugger from the farm service where I bought my fertilizer, he let me use it without rental fee because of the amount of fertilizer and lime I bought. It looked pretty beat up, but did an awesome job. 150 lb of weight was burying the pluggers, about 4".

 

[slkpk]

It looks great. Now go get yourself a matching set of decals like on your tractor for the 2 sides and maybe a Leaping Deere for the front and back. slkpk

 

[Upper5Percent]

Yesterday presented itself as an opportunity to aerate my property and my Mom's, fertilize and seed, so I aerated about 6-1/2 acres in two locations (with a 48" wide plugger) and spread 1200 lbs fertilizer and 1000 lb of lime, and overseeded some thin areas, so I didn't have time to work on the trailer. I actually put it to use to haul some fertilizer so I didn't have to keep making trips to the truck to refill the spreader. Hopefully today I'll get some more done. Here's what it looks like with the "factory" sides.

Note how muddy the tractor's tires are. This came from just driving around over the pulled plugs on damp grass. I got a plugger from the farm service where I bought my fertilizer, he let me use it without rental fee because of the amount of fertilizer and lime I bought. It looked pretty beat up, but did an awesome job. 150 lb of weight was burying the pluggers, about 4".

Congrats...finished product looks real nice and GREEN...