Products, Vendors, CAD Files, Spec Sheets and More...
Sign up for LAWeekly newsletter
The addition of a dump trailer or truck would be beneficial to almost any landscape contractor. This would allow for safe transport of loose product that can be tarped over. The time/cost savings to the contractor is going to be in the unloading. Being able to lift the bed and dump the material rather than having to remove it manually is a major time saver.
Start up cost for a dump trailer is going to average around $6,500. There are some major differences in dump trailers that are currently being sold. Be aware of what you are getting. Compare more than just the price. Differences to consider include; tires, axles, hoist, steel thickness, coupler and jack. If the trailer is cheap, there are good reasons for that. The start up cost for a dump truck would be much greater.
Advantages of dump trailers include easier to store; no engine to maintain; ease of operation; less maintenance overall. The general advantages to power dumping are that it’s less labor intensive, meaning fewer employees on the payroll. Push a button to dump instead of having to shovel out material. A dump box makes for a secure way to haul loose materials. Plus, it’s easy to tarp cover.
Axles – Check for a good brand of axles. This is what is riding on the road. You definitely don’t want to skimp on cheap brand of axles. To go one step further, torsion axles provide even more security and limited maintenance.
Paint – Be certain that your trailer of choice is coated with a high grade and reputable brand of paint. Something that will be used as rough as a trailer needs high grade paint so your trailer will continue to look good in the coming years.
Tires – Be aware of what you are getting for tires. Most manufacturers will use any given brand of import tires. That’s fine so long as you know what you are getting. You may prefer to check for a name brand tire.
Lighting – First off, make sure your trailer is legally covered in lights. Not all trailers on the road and being sold are legal. It’s up to you to make the right decision. Also, a sealed beam, rubber mounted light is preferred. This will be a much more durable light.
Frame – Check the frame/box specifications of the trailers you are looking at. There is often times a big difference in the build of a trailer from one manufacturer to the next.
Hoist – Look at the hoist of the trailer you are buying. A scissor hoist is the most ideal. There is also an option of a single cylinder and dual cylinders, both of which present different challenges. Also, notice the brand of the hoist. This is important just as the axles are. This is what keeps you from having to shovel out a load!
If you are using a dump trailer once every couple months, you probably should be renting. If it is being used on any sort of regular basis, it needs to be purchased. You would hate to show up at the rental store the morning of the big job, just to find out that the dump trailer is already rented out or is out of service.
Like anything, you have to be aware of what you are doing at all times. Some safety concerns would be: being properly hitched to the trailer, making sure your load is secure, make sure doors are latched, check that ramps are locked in.
Compact dump trucks have proven extremely valuable for moving material in limited-access or sensitive terrain projects. North American contractors are always looking for tools to help them do their jobs more efficiently, because speed and ease can translate into greater profitability. Often that quest leads them to look across the pond.
Because of narrow streets and limited space between buildings, European contractors are continually developing smaller machines that can handle big projects. For example, well-liked machines, such as compact excavators and compact loader backhoes, had their start in Europe and eventually caught on in the United States.
Extremely popular in Europe, compact articulated dump trucks, commonly known as site dumpers, have been used on construction sites for more than 50 years.
Because European law requires materials to be stored at an off-site location and transferred to the jobsite in order to alleviate congestion, contractors quickly discovered that having a site dumper on-hand to move dirt and other materials around kept jobsites open and tidier.
Site dumpers are able to go where traditional dump trucks cannot fit or move. Contractors worldwide are starting to catch on to the site dumper’s many benefits.
Only within the last year or two have site dumpers really gained momentum in North America. Landscape contractors in heavily populated urban areas, such as in the New England states, Illinois and Texas, have started utilizing these agile machines to improve project site congestion and aesthetics, as well as to protect existing landscaping and infrastructure.
Site dumpers are used in a wide variety of applications, on both big and small projects, according to Ernie Ferguson with Terex Construction Americas. From cramped construction and rough terrain project sites to utility, landscaping, golf course, nursery, cemetery and rental applications — site dumpers can save many hours of loading and unloading materials. Site dumpers haul all types of materials including clay, sand, gravel, spread fill, asphalt, rubbish, rubble, lumber, ashes, coal, slag, turf and fertilizer.
More than a motorized wheelbarrow, site dumpers are essentially a big brother to the power buggy. Site dumpers are dedicated haul and dump vehicles. Contractors realize decreased operating costs when employing site dumpers, said Ferguson.
Traditionally, contractors have tried to do most of their material movement with wheel loaders and skid steers, capitalizing on equipment in their existing fleet. But these machines are not designed to be dedicated haul vehicles, so for many reasons they are not as efficient or cost-effective to employ.
As an example, said Ferguson, loading machines are not able to transfer as much material in one pass as a site dumper can handle, thus reducing cycle times and saving on fuel consumption. Also, during transfer, loading machines will often spill materials and tear up sensitive turf, resulting in costly cleanup and restoration at the end of the project. Because of its light footprint and dump body design, using a site dumper minimizes those costs.
Site dumpers can be easily matched with skid steers or wheel loaders, as well as loader backhoes or excavators, to quickly load jobsite materials for transfer. This significantly reduces material movement cycle times and jobsite cleanup, maximizing production on the jobsite and resulting in a higher return on investment.
The multi-purpose power tip or forward dump, excels at moving materials around restricted worksites. With a fully hydrostatic drive to all four wheels, these site dumpers are easily maneuvered with a single joystick. The swivel-and-tip or power swivel models allow loads to be rotated 180° from side-to-side and tipped to place a load. These models are ideal for backfilling trenches and provide more options for loading and dumping.
Landscape contractors who try these versatile dumpers quickly realize increased productivity and a high return on investment. Allan MacCurrach, president of MacCurrach Golf Construction (MGC), purchased two site dumpers. MGC used agricultural-style tractors pulling small trailers to haul material to and from areas being renovated on the course. MacCurrach and his team were looking for a way to reduce the material movement cycle times. Using the site dumpers has definitely done that for MGC.
MacCurrach concurred. Their site dumpers easily moved material 40 percent faster than the company’s previous methods. “And given the fact that on an average golf course more than 15,000 tons of sand alone are moved at one time or another efficiency is everything,” said MacCurrach. “We see these units as playing a key role in our projects.”
Site dumpers’ popularity will only continue to grow in North America, said Ferguson, as landscape contractors are challenged to find alternative approaches to material movement and delivery. Strict worksite regulations may cause rising project costs.
“If contractors need to move material in a fast, cost-effective way, site dumpers are the best option,” said Ferguson. “Once contractors try these site dumpers, they don’t know how they lived without them.”
In the end, be an informed shopper. Not all trailers are created equal! Many times you are confronted with a cheap price on a trailer that sounds like something you are looking for, but when you dig a little deeper, there is a reason it’s cheap!
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
Sign up to receive Landscape Architect and Specifier News Magazine, LA Weekly and More...
Invalid Verification Code
Please enter the Verification Code below
You are now subcribed to LASN. You can also search and download CAD files and spec sheets from LADetails.