Mini Dump Truck Handy For Everyday Jobs

2017 - Volume #41, Issue #4, Page #27

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Andrew Salisbury sized his mini-dump truck to his compact tractor loader. The 4 by 5-ft. bed with 1-ft. sides can handle several scoops from his small Kubota’s loader.
    “I’ve used it to move a lot of dirt, including a remodeling of a 2-car garage into a house addition,” says Salisbury. “I excavated for a basement and hauled all the dirt with the mini-dump. I also use it every year to haul firewood. It’s really handy.”
    Salisbury fabricated the main frame from mostly 4-in., 1/4-in. thick channel iron. He used 1/4-in. thick, 2 by 4-in. rectangular tubing for the front axles. The driver’s deck, fenders and control panel were made with 1/16-in. thick steel plate with 2 by 2-in. square tubing as an underframe.
    He mounted a 16 hp Honda-clone engine at the rear of the frame. Power is delivered to the transaxle via a torque converter system common to snowmobiles with a clutch and drive pulley.
    The transaxle has a 1,500-lb. working capacity and is rated for a 20 hp. engine. It came with hydraulic drum brakes and forward, reverse and neutral built into it. Salisbury ordered it from Surplus Center.
    “It works great,” he says. “I only wish I had ordered two as they no longer carry it.”
    He used 11-in. rack and pinion steering with spindles from an old go-cart. While not as heavy as he would like, they’ve done the job, as has the go-cart shocks on the front. They stabilize the front end and reduce sway.
    Leaf springs provide suspension on the rear. They are rated for 2,250 lbs, more than enough without being too stiff. The front axle is designed to pivot in the center for a smoother ride on rough terrain.
    The dump box is framed with 3/8-in., 1 1/2-in. angle iron and lined with 1/8-in. steel. It is hinged to the back of the frame with hardened bolts.
    “The box doesn’t haul enough weight to need lubrication,” says Salisbury.
    The lift for the box is provided by a cylinder, pump and tank purchased from Tractor Supply. Salisbury used a log splitter valve for a dump valve and powers the pump with a 5 hp electric start engine, also recycled from a go-cart.
    Throughout the project, Salisbury looked for the lowest cost component or reused a component he had on hand. The exception was buying his hydraulic cylinder, pump and tank at a local Tractor Supply.
    “They were more expensive than I might have found elsewhere, but I could go in and pick out what I needed,” he says. “Even with that, I only have about $3,000 in cost. That was more than I wanted to spend, but it works great and I use it a lot.”
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Andrew Salisbury, 114 Quaker Hill Rd., Morgantown, Penn. 19543 (ph 610 256-0317; m21alta@msn.com).

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Mini Dump Truck Handy For Everyday Jobs TRUCKS Miscellaneous Andrew Salisbury sized his mini-dump truck to his compact tractor loader The 4 by 5-ft bed with 1-ft sides can handle several scoops from his small Kubota’s loader “I’ve used it to move a lot of dirt including a remodeling of a 2-car garage into a house addition ” says Salisbury “I excavated for a basement and hauled all the dirt with the mini-dump I also use it every year to haul firewood It’s really handy ” Salisbury fabricated the main frame from mostly 4-in 1/4-in thick channel iron He used 1/4-in thick 2 by 4-in rectangular tubing for the front axles The driver’s deck fenders and control panel were made with 1/16-in thick steel plate with 2 by 2-in square tubing as an underframe He mounted a 16 hp Honda-clone engine at the rear of the frame Power is delivered to the transaxle via a torque converter system common to snowmobiles with a clutch and drive pulley The transaxle has a 1 500-lb working capacity and is rated for a 20 hp engine It came with hydraulic drum brakes and forward reverse and neutral built into it Salisbury ordered it from Surplus Center “It works great ” he says “I only wish I had ordered two as they no longer carry it ” He used 11-in rack and pinion steering with spindles from an old go-cart While not as heavy as he would like they’ve done the job as has the go-cart shocks on the front They stabilize the front end and reduce sway Leaf springs provide suspension on the rear They are rated for 2 250 lbs more than enough without being too stiff The front axle is designed to pivot in the center for a smoother ride on rough terrain The dump box is framed with 3/8-in 1 1/2-in angle iron and lined with 1/8-in steel It is hinged to the back of the frame with hardened bolts “The box doesn’t haul enough weight to need lubrication ” says Salisbury The lift for the box is provided by a cylinder pump and tank purchased from Tractor Supply Salisbury used a log splitter valve for a dump valve and powers the pump with a 5 hp electric start engine also recycled from a go-cart Throughout the project Salisbury looked for the lowest cost component or reused a component he had on hand The exception was buying his hydraulic cylinder pump and tank at a local Tractor Supply “They were more expensive than I might have found elsewhere but I could go in and pick out what I needed ” he says “Even with that I only have about $3 000 in cost That was more than I wanted to spend but it works great and I use it a lot ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Andrew Salisbury 114 Quaker Hill Rd Morgantown Penn 19543 ph 610 256-0317; m21alta@msn com

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