Building a Custom K2500 Dump Trailer

[JayY]

Hey everyone, I'm doing a mini restoration on my '97 K2500. The bed on it is pretty trashed, so I have a sourced a new one. I did a little thinking, I have an extra tailgate, lights, 2 8 lug wheels, 1 ton Express leaf springs, and a trashed bed, so I thought about potentially making a dump trailer to haul trash, gravel, etc. around the house.

Things to consider: I don't plan on hauling cross-country with this unit, probably no father than 40-50 miles away. I would like to be able to put 2-2.5 yards of gravel (5-6k lbs) in this trailer. I know I'll be running 14 ply trailer tires on some stock 8 lug steel wheels.

1. Should I back-half a junk 2500/3500 frame and use that as my basis, or start fresh with a hand built frame? If I did minor reinforcement to the back of a truck frame, would it be too stressful (dump angles, weight, etc.) or would this be within the limits?

2. Would the 9.5" Semi-Floater hold up well in this application? I may just end up using a Dexter 7k axle with electric brakes and call it good instead of trying to rig up something with my old semi-float that may not handle the weight.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Supercharged111]

9.5" SF I believe was rated to 6000# in an 8 lug.

 

[Nad_Yvalhosert]

If you're gonna license it as a homemade trailer, you'll need to seek out your specific state's bylaws regarding their regulations. Especially with a DMV rep performing a visual inspection and weighing it on a certified scale.

Using a former pickup truck frame would make the trailer unnecessarily heavy, thus reducing the load capacity.

Adapting a truck axle to work with electric trailer brakes is difficult, probably just as tough as getting a surge brake setup to work on the truck axle brake drums. Again, the truck axle is dramatically heavier than needed, reducing the weight you want to carry.

Any trailer that weighs over 1000lbs empty requires brakes. If the truck frame, truck body, truck axle and dump frame, hydraulic assy weighs less than 2500 lbs, I'd be surprised. Load E trailer tires have a 3000lb capacity each, you're left with 2500-3000 lbs of load.


Now, I'm planning on doing a very similar mod: Using an actual trailer frame, with a 5200lb trailer axle (theres no such thing as overkill here), 6 lug trailer brakes and...
Matching bed to the truck tows it,
Matching ride height,
Matching paint scheme,
Matching wheel (6x5.5 alloy wheel with trailer tire)
But mine is gonna be a camping trailer... think "Hot Rod Power Tour"


I'm thinking your idea is good, but short sighted.