I agree with Iowa Boy about the dirt being wet and not sliding out of the dump trailer, it gets old real fast getting in there and shoveling to get the dirt to slide out. Another thing is if your dump trailer is using an electric pump, you are going to run the battery down pretty quickly since you are only going to be driving a couple miles each way. If it was me I would ask the contractor to haul it with their tri/quad axle (since it sounds like they were gonna haul it for free
) but maybe keep the loads a little bit smaller since you are worried about your bridge and maybe throw a little money their way for being willing to work with you and make a few extra trips due to the smaller loads

 

No one has addressed the 15% hill issue. I live on a 10% hill that goes to 17% for several hundred feet. I regularly see semi's and cement trucks back all the way down because they can't make it to the top. Just last week I saw a single axle dump with a couple of yards of topsoil that couldn't make it (or lost his nerve when he saw it).

FWIW, my F350 diesel can pull my 14,000 fiver up the hill, no sweat, but my previous F250 gasser couldn't. Bad feeling when you run out of rpm and are sliding backwards with four wheels locked up.

 

Seriously if the guy says he will deliver it and it can go over the bridge just have him do it. tell him to just load it a little light if you're worried about the bridge. 3/4 of the time i run into homeowners who want to do it themselves to "save a little money" but then they end up paying more to do it themselves and work a lot more and in the long run pay more money

 

 

 

Two quick things to add, United Rentals, Herc and Sunstate all rent 5 yard dump trucks very cheap at under 900.00 a week here. Also depending on location they also rent gooseneck dump trailers around here for under 1200.00 a month. These are my business rates but I don't get a huge discount. Just trying to offer alternatives.

 

I agree, he is tripping over nickels to pick up pennies.

 

I would also check with the town and or county on their rules. You might need a Grading permit. But if you get it the dirt will come free. Without it......... A Neighbor got Fined $36,000 for cutting a road across his wet land to access for his new home. Another Guy got turned in by his Neighbor. He took 800 yards from the new Fire Station 5 miles away. The County wanted him to truck the dirt out and pay $30,000 dollars as well. He settled but it cost him. Do it over a few years and Don't **** Off your Next Door Buddy. Dirty cars and rock chips will make enemies fast.

There is a Gravel Pit Near my house and I have borrowed a 10,000lb dump trailer and moved dirt over the weekend in the past. used my 8N to fill the trailer up. Hooked up a Battery Charger to the Dump Trailers Battery and that helped to dump it. With 10,000lb load (overloaded) in the trailer I could get out of the pit in 4 Low. Put 12,000lb ONE Time in it and I could not. Its about 15% Grade. I had a 3500 Dodge Quad Long bed back then. I had to lug broken Concrete and Stick into the bed for traction. About 800lbs worth. I stopped overloading it from there on out. I now pay a local dump truck driver I know $50 a Load for fill. He's getting paid to haul it and he has to pay someone to take it at $6 a ton. He's saving the $6 a ton and getting Fuel Cost reimbursed. We both win!

I have 40 yards in the yard now to push with my old 8N with a loader installed. My land is not level either and it has been raining. I have rented trucks by the hour and moved dirt before. It has cost me more that way. Your paying for him to travel both ways at $120 an hour each load takes 2 hrs to load and dump round trip. Plus you need a dozer to push it before the next load comes to be dropped. That was for Free dirt. Now the local Guys are getting $450 a 15 yard load of topsoil. $300 a load of fill dirt.

 

 

A 7' x 14' Dump trailer will weigh about 5,000 lbs empty. Dirt/gravel weighs about 3,000 lbs per Cyd. So you will get about 3 Cyd in a trailer load.
9,000 + 5,000 puts you at 13,000 lbs for this size trailer. I've snapped trailer hitches off if I load much heavier. Of course if you get the 3" stingers, You won't

The dump trailers will get across driveways or sidewalks that big trucks will break. But it's a time consuming job. Rent a skid steer and level out the dirt as delivered and the bigger trucks haul it if possible. The dirt is only worth $25 or so a load, The rest of any cost is trucking time. Even with my pickup for a neighbor I charge $100 an hour. Because I have fuel, tires, depreciation on the truck and trailer, and my time. Don't be a tight wad about paying a dump truck driver for doing the work It cost money to run trucks