You'd think buying a dump trailer would be easy. Does it rise up enough to dump things out? Does the hitch work with your vehicle? Will it carry what you need it to carry? While the buying process itself is simple, the decision process is not. You need to be aware of how the trailer's configuration and its materials affect your ability to tow safely.

How Tall Are the Sides?

Dump trailers can be flat and open or have walls that are very tall. The height of the walls that you need to get will depend on what you're placing in the dump trailer. However, keep in mind two things. One is that taller walls mean it's harder to throw things in because they have to clear a higher bar. (Chances are that many times you will end up tossing items in over the sides instead of opening up the trailer.) The second issue is that higher walls make the trailer have a higher profile, which can be an issue in high winds. High-profile vehicles usually mean semis and other trucks, but a dump trailer with high walls can suffer the effects of strong winds, too. If you need walls, you might want to avoid getting a trailer with walls that are taller than you really need.

Battery Use and Life

Having to stop to recharge or change a battery is a part of dump trailer ownership, but that does not mean you want to do this often. Some trailers use battery power to gently lower the bed of the trailer. On one hand, this is great because it's much gentler on the bed and trailer base. On the other hand, this uses up battery life. There's nothing wrong with choosing a trailer with battery-assisted lowering as long as you realize this will affect your battery.

Thicker Metal, Heavier Trailer, Less Cargo

Simple physics can make that trailer a lot harder to use if you don't plan correctly. When you buy a dump trailer, you can look at different thicknesses of metal. Thicker metal should be stronger, but thicker metal is also usually heavier. That extra weight also counts toward the total towing weight of the trailer. In other words, the total towing weight that your vehicle can pull is the weight of the trailer plus the weight of the cargo. If the trailer weighs more, that's less cargo you can safely pull. If what you were planning to haul generally won't approach the weight limit, then that extra trailer weight might not be a concern. If you regularly haul close to the limit, however, you need to keep that metal thickness and weight in mind when buying a dump trailer.

Contact a company that has dump trailers for sale for more information.