I’ve been doing property preservation/junk removal since 2013 here in Florida,
I think my worst mistake was not investing in a dump trailer because those mid-day and or end of day clear off by hands are not for the weak!
Man, I felt this in my soul. Unloading a packed trailer or truck bed by hand at the end of a long, hot day is a brutal workout nobody needs. You are 100% right, those hand unloads are not for the weak.
Investing in a dump trailer is an absolute game-changer for operations. It saves your back, cuts your time at the dump in half, and lets you get right back to quoting or onto the next job. Once you make that jump, you'll wonder how you ever survived without one.
Keep grinding down there in Florida!
I think the straw that broke the camels back was putting tile on my trailer thinking not thinking about how horrible that offload would be… after that I started renting my cousins dump trailer from that point on in 2017… no more cramping or calling it quits for the day!
Your story is a good reminder that there is a difference between being busy and being productive. If a piece of equipment saves hours every week, it may be worth more than adding another truck or employee.
I learned early on after trimming large jobs and using a utility trailer. Didn't think much of it until I read the dump receipts and realized I loaded and unloaded about 2,500lbs per dump (3 dumps). Next larger job I struggled to rent one (no replies or not available) and could only find a 6'x12' and trying to get the job done and trailer back to owner in time to not pay additional rental day. That became too much of a pain given the total amount I was limited to stack. Following that, I had a large tear-out and renovation and renting a 7'x16 was going to cost $2-3k for the full job. Decided to stop the stressing and bought an Iron Bull 7'x16'x4' (W x L x H). Stood there on pickup day staring at this beast and the drive home asking myself WTH did I just do. I am using it all day on Saturday for a cpl different cleanups and let me tell you that I now smile and think it is one of the best decisions I have made thus far. No matter what the job I do not have to worry about renting one. Provided a huge piece of mind for taking on bigger jobs with one less detail to worry about or trying to coordinate a rental. It stepped up to the plate for several loads of soil and plants. Was dumping max loads with it as well with a huge smile on my face during that project. Became a big confidence booster to tackling larger jobs that have shown up.
