5×10 Dump Trailer Plans – Single Axle, 7000 Lbs.

Description

Do you want dump trailer capability without the size and weight of a full-size tandem-axle dumper?

This trailer fills a useful niche.  Build it yourself with these 5×10 Dump Trailer Plans.  The compact design features a single axle, hydraulic scissor hoist, and 7,000 lbs total trailer capacity.

The smaller size makes it easier to tow and store, yet it still delivers serious capability.  It is a great fit for landscaping materials, dirt, gravel, yard waste, firewood, and trips to the dump.  Plus, the single axle makes tight maneuvering easier, with less tire scrub on grass, gravel, and other surfaces than a tandem-axle trailer.

Its compact, lighter design makes it suitable for many properly equipped half-ton pickups and SUVs.

Read more about the Advantages Of Small Dump Trailers.

5×10 Dump Trailer Plans

This 7K dump trailer is a collaboration between Mechanical Elements and Johnson Trailer Parts.  We provide the Full Engineering and design, while they provide a matched trailer parts kit to make your build easier.

Plans include detailed engineering drawings, a complete material cut list with options, a purchased-components list, and step-by-step instructions.  Notes and practical build tips appear throughout both the drawings and the instructions.  The matched parts kit saves you shopping time, helps ensure proper components to fit the design, and it costs you less than purchasing the parts separately.

See the images above, then explore the specifications and available options below.

Plans for this 7,000 lb 5×10 Dump Trailer deliver as a download, so you can have them in a few minutes.  No Shipping Cost!  No Waiting.  Purchase the plans and start preparing your build today.

Specifications

5′ x 10′ Dump Trailer Plans – 7,000 lbs

Size, Weight, and Performance Specifications are here for reference only.  Your choices with the options will affect these numbers.

• Single axle with leaf springs – use double eye or slipper style.
• 5′ x 10′ nominal box size, but the actual dump box is 60″ wide x 120″ long.
• Outside width at the fenders is approximately 82 inches and may vary slightly.
• Fenders mount to the dump box for efficient support and vibration resistance.
• Overall length including the tongue is 14 feet, 9 inches.
• Total height as shown in the plans is just less than 5′ with straight axles.  (Drop axles are an option.  Dump-box side height is your choice.)
• Dump box tilt angle is 50 degrees.  The actual tilt angle may vary slightly with part placement tolerance.
• Uses the Dexter PH416 hydraulic scissor hoist, which is a bit larger than typically specified for a trailer this size, providing better leverage, lift stability, and reserve capacity.
• Welded steel construction using standard materials.
• Rectangular tube main beam construction provides maximum strength and torsional stiffness.
• Dump-box floor is 11 gauge or 10 gauge steel.  (Make it thicker or thinner as you see fit.)
• Max trailer capacity is 7,000 lbs  –  which includes the trailer and everything in it.
• Trailer weight depends on options you choose.  Estimated base trailer weight starts at approximately 2300–2400 lbs.  Options will increase the trailer weight.
• Payload is total trailer capacity minus the actual completed trailer weight.  For this trailer, max payload is estimated at around 4500 lbs. (2-1/4 tons) – give or take, depending on the options you choose.
• Options are given for tie-down anchors.  A rail around the dump box provides attachment points for tarps and ratchet straps.  Set it at the height you prefer.
• Adding extended sides is an option.
• Plans include an optional simple ramp design.  Engineering data explains how to select the ramp length and needed materials for the capacity you choose.
• A tongue mounted hydraulic power box holds a battery, pump, and oil reservoir to run the scissor hoist, and (optionally) the tongue jack.
• Battery can be charged via a solar panel, and/or through a charging connection from the tow vehicle.
• The download files include 38 pages of drawings, plus 20 pages of instructions and lists.  They are thorough . . . and the best 5×10 Dump Trailer plans available.

More About The 5x10 -7000 lb. Dump Trailer Plans

What do you haul?  Probably a lot of different things – and it is so much easier to unload with the help of a Dump Trailer.  If you want to build a capable compact dumper, then start with these plans, and use the options to make the trailer to meet your needs.

This design is for loads that exceed the practical capability of a light utility trailer, without requiring the size and load volume of a full 14K dumper.

It is small in size, but not in the load it can carry.  7,000 lbs total capacity.  If your trailer build is 2400 lbs unloaded, that means you can carry up to 4600 lbs of cargo.  Rocks, dirt, sand, gravel, mulch, trash, branches, logs, or whatever!

The idea for the single axle is partly so the trailer is lighter and can be pulled by many half-ton trucks or SUVs.  Additionally, the single axle allows easy rolling over many surfaces with less tire scrub on grass and landscaping than a tandem-axle trailer when you back it or turn it.

This is a design improvement for many, especially if you don’t need a full-on 14K dumper.

We use proper materials to make the trailer strong without unnecessary weight.  Next, we optimized placement of the scissor hoist so it can lift the load without interference or excessive stresses.  That is just part of doing great engineering.

Speaking of loading, see the Specifications Tab above for information about the ramp design that comes in this set of 5×10 Dump Trailer Plans.  Some people like to carry a small tractor or ATV in the bed, so we give you the info needed to do it well.

In the front we incorporate a pump box for the hydraulics.  All the parts are off-the-shelf (and available from Johnson Trailer Parts) as a Dump Trailer Parts Kit.  All the steel is standard stock sizes.

Plans are ready for you to download, right after payment.  You can get started today.

The download is a .ZIP file which contains the Full Engineering Drawings as well as a separate Instructions Document containing a materials list, a components list, and a ton of other helpful information.

We wish you the best of luck with your trailer build.

Plans from Mechanical Elements are an awesome start to a great project.  Here are even more resources!

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