I am trying to figure out a quicker way to move a bunch of oak logs, probably 20" to 36" DBH, been hauling them one 5x10 utility trailer load at a time and this will take awhile! I figure I haul 2/3 to 3/4 cord of 16" rounds per load. It's not only me wanting to go faster but also the landowner's sons want me out of there asap due to their perception that my activity hurts their deer hunting. A possibility is renting a dump trailer but I only have a 1/2 ton truck, a 2008 Nissan Titan. Anyone know if I could pull it? Must you have trailer brake hookup? I could drive slow, lol. It's about a ten mile trip from the logs to my splitting area. And if you have any idea how much you could haul per load, advise. Just as a for instance, I see a rental for a unit that is $166/day and it says 10x12 and that's gotta be a typo or else there is something I don't know about a dump trailer. Surely it's not 10 feet wide. Anyway, it says its capacity is 9900 lbs. Would that be about two cords? These logs are a little over one year on the ground, were felled green. Also, can you remove the tailgate and haul longer logs? Can you dump a load such that the dumped logs would rest on some runner logs that you put perpendicular to the logs? Another problem I have is how to get the logs on the trailer! My tractor does not have a grapple. If I bought forks, can you get logs on a trailer? Other than that, I could possibly hire a friend who has a skidsteer with grapple. Of course, this might not dollar up, we'll see! TIA! EDIT: Another option is to skid the logs with my tractor to another landing on their land which would be 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile away. The sons are ok with me splitting at that other landing. Not sure I want to do that but it is an option to get the logs out of the cleared tract. It seems it would take quite awhile to skid dozens of logs that far one at a time. And I wonder if I would need a log arch.
Can't tell you about the trailer. I will tell you that those deer don't care if you're there or not. I see them while cutting often. I've also seen them while hunting and saws were running very near.
10×12 has got to be a typo. 8'6" is the legal limit without special permits on most roads in the U.S. Trailer brakes ( at least in Ohio) are required for any trailer weighing over 5000lbs gross. 9900lbs plus the trailer would be too much for a half ton. Got to figure a 12×7 dump trailer would weigh about 2500lbs or more empty. And a cord of unseasoned oak comes in at almost 6000lbs. On the ground uncut and unsplit not much drying occurred. So even if you could load the trailer to capacity you could only load about 1.5 cord. I think the best option would be be to skid the logs to the landing. Then take your time. And last why only skid 1 log at a time?
if the trailer has brakes they gotta work . two axle trailers will have brakes. your truck is too small for the job.
As for skidding one log at a time... I dunno, 20" to 36" DBH oak logs, 20' to 30' or more long... I figured one per skid. Plus, I have a log tong and it just hooks into one log. If my 50hp tractor could skid two, I would need some kind of quick hitch that allowed for two logs. Ok, seems my truck is too small for a dump trailer.
It might be 10ft long by 12 inch high walls. I highly highly suggest ensuring you have trailer brakes unless it’s a short trip. I have an f350 diesel, and if I out 10k lbs in I am happy the brakes are there. You can run long with a few logs, but make sure the weight is biased onto the truck slightly otherwise you could get into a trailer wobble and wreck. If it were me, I would get an aftermarket brake controller and load it per your max towing. The rental place may not let you rent ut without a controller.
I think renting one is a great idea. Gives you a chance to decide if you think your truck is adequate to handle it. Consider log tongs for loading. If you have a helper and are careful, they work great and are a easier to swallow price point until you determine what works best for you.
Correct me if I’m wrong but 9900 is probably the gvwr of the trailer, which more than likely weighs in excess of 2000 pounds empty. This would leave you with a payload capacity of 7900 if the trailer did in fact weigh 2000 lbs. As Ohio dave said, trailer brakes are required for trailers far smaller than described dump trailer. I think once you’re pulling a load on there, you’ll definitely want to be using the trailer brakes. T.Jeff Veal pulls a dump trailer with his half ton, but has made modifications to the truck to make it more capable. He’d be the perfect one to chime in here
This ^ ^ ^ deer don't give a rip about you cutting wood...many times they'll come around to see what all the ruckus is about. Sounds to me like these guys are just bad hunters...
You are spot on. My 14k holds 11k net. At least that’s the OEM recommendation. The more I think about it, gotta have the brakes. If someone pulls out in front of you, and god forbid someone gets killed…..overloaded and no brakes is going to be a bad run for you. Somehow people love pulling out in front of me more so with trailer in tow.
A heavy duty 12ft×7ft trailer can have a gvw of 12k or more. I think a rental trailer they would use a heavier duty because people will overload it.
It would depend on the amount of logs for me. If available, maybe get a log truck/grapple loader with driver? They delivered atriaxle load of 16 ft logs to me that worked up to around 9 cords when done and I saw the logger pay the driver 400 bucks. Driver loaded, transported about 25 miles one way, and unloaded on my place in a neat pile. Took him about 6 hours all in I’d guess. Forks are very handy on a tractor. Loading a flatbed trailer works good. I have a grapple and forks and tongs. The forks are a very good medium. They can be used to load from the side and then drag logs off the end. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Your truck will pull that dump trailer. Just can't put heavy loads at the front. Definitely buy a brake controller. Net wt load on our trailer is about 6600#, legally. This was a bit more. 1st load we hauled on it, back in 2018... We added air bags later. Haul loads like this now Forks work great for loading logs, just be careful not to drop them hard on the trailer. Loaded these with forks Our bucket has 2 hooks welded on top. Short chain and tongs worked well before we got forks or grapple... It would be best to just dump on the ground and then stack on poles later. Logs don't slide off evenly But stack better
Think this is the heaviest load of wood I ever pulled. 6x10 dump with 10,000# gvwr. Trailer was in the 27-2800lb range stock. My mods have pushed it over 3000# empty. Only pulled it 3/8 of a mile from my neighbors house. No way I’d try it a further distance with the po po in Ct it’ll tear up your equipment fast. Your truck won’t have a hitch in the 10,000# range. So that’ll be your weak spot, the spot that will fail first. Not good to tear the back off your truck. And then there’s no brakes. I wouldn’t want to pull around my trailer empty without brakes. I’ve felt the difference when I had a bad connection once. I’ve also had to replace the brakes in my truck, not cheap anymore lol Dump trailers are a great asset but the entire system needs to match. my way of thinking it’d be faster to pull those logs 1/4 mile, maybe more than load them with forks and drive 20 miles round trip. Much cheaper too. I’m not a fan of dragging logs. Seems time is not on your side. So factor in dragging today compared to acquiring this different equipment needed to take them home.
So the towing capacity of the truck per Nissan is 7000 lbs unless you have a certain transmission bumping it to 9300. You might want to verify that first. If you go to e-trailer a Curt brake controller is $250 for your truck and looks to be plug and play. You might need to run a new plug to to the bumper though. Overnight the controller and start hauling? Most rentals offer a 7k trailer or a 10k gvw so you should be fine with common sense. Good luck
Thanks for all this info and pics, awesome. I did get in touch with a logger yesterday, he will get back to me. Guys... if you forego the rented dump trailer idea and load logs onto a utility trailer, how you gonna get 'em off? (Tractor would be back at the log landing.) I have done a little of this and just decided, heck, forget it, just keep bucking them into rounds as I'm doing and roll them off the trailer like you roll 'em on. Or, I guess you could buck them on the trailer at the unload site. Except don't cut a kerf groove in the trailer deck! But if you do this, you are really not saving any time that I can see. That is why I keep bucking into rounds and loading. A dump trailer solves this. Wish I would have bought one five years ago!
Kinda my not how to load a trailer picture. I only went two miles but pulled with my tractor. If you are going to buck on the trailer, I would simply buck at the log pile and load into your truck. Avoid the cost and added steps. You can also hook a chain to a tree and carefully pull them off, roll to side and repeat, just be careful with damage to the trailer.
My guess is the rental trailer is 6'x12' - most 10k gvw trailers are that size and weigh 2200 - 2800# empty. Mine weighs 2700#. A 1/2 ton truck can pull that trailer. Wouldn't want to do it for long and would be much better if you had a break controller. Short distances without hills and you will probably be fine. You don't have to fill the trailer to capacity. Yes, it would take more trips but having the dump trailer is nice because you don't have to unload it by hand. I would be wary of dumping green oak logs that are 16" in diameter over the sides into a dump trailer. Maybe on a rental but definitely wouldn't do that to the one I own. Make a log arch and skid them to the other landing zone. Could also make some sort of lift with your 3 point hitch.
