Anyone running a tractor and trailer for moving earth?

[thecoops60]

I run a few machines on plant hire and run a building company local to me circa 5mile from premise....
I'm wanting to move my own excavated spoil through the increased grab wagon costs etcetera etcetera....
1/ I've a rural gaff and have land to park
2/ I've machinery to load trailers
3/ I've no idea where I'd dump said spoil - cost per ton to landfil?
4/ what size tractor and trailer is best?
5/ could also be used to move bigger machinery??

Any advice / tales would be greatly appreciated.... I'm interested in the topic even if I didn't actually do it.....

 

[Smiffy]

Hi
This has been discussed many time and I think the forum verdict still stands as a
Fendt 939 or John Deere 7r350. With any Irish made half pipe triaxle trailer. On muck shift you have to be sure to get the right package though. Beefy flaps all round. Not only do they keep everything clean but you can add a catchy slogan about running bent. Twin beacons are a must and every optional lighting package on both trailer and tractor just to draw maximum attention. The grassmen sticker is optional.

 

[Brendan]

 

[DaveDCB]

As said i think you need 300hp+ just to be on the safe side..

 

[thecoops60]

Hi
This has been discussed many time and I think the forum verdict still stands as a
Fendt 939 or John Deere 7r350. With any Irish made half pipe triaxle trailer. On muck shift you have to be sure to get the right package though. Beefy flaps all round. Not only do they keep everything clean but you can add a catchy slogan about running bent. Twin beacons are a must and every optional lighting package on both trailer and tractor just to draw maximum attention. The grassmen sticker is optional.

Laughed out loud.....
It's genuine..... its a means to an end.....
Sometimes you have to take the easiest option in a view to move forward in business first... he who dares an all that.... going legit ALL the time sometimes doesn't stack up when profits are concerned.....

 

[goldeneagle]

Farm has a 10 tonne NC dump trailer and when the 115 HP tractor is pulling a full load it knows it, main farm tractor is 190 hp and its a good match and doesn't get bossed by trailer.
The NC with the magic door is quite a low trailer compared to some of the dump trailers manufactured by RW, Bailey etc, not a problem if its soil your loading but when firing boulders in with a back hoe its a different story.

If you are doing serious miles annually then a lorry with grab is what you should buy but you already know that. DVLA/HMRC will go after problem areas when there is a problem to address when that comes who knows. Understand it goes on a lot but doesn't make it right, local builder to me does same as what you are proposing as well as burning what i assume to be trade waste as there is regularly smoke signals emanating from his farm.

Think there are waste exemptions and transfer licenses for the spoil. In some cases its a bit mental as if you have the machinery bad bits of land could be sorted economically with spoil removed from sites . However I'm pretty sure people have royally took the p*ss over years dumping all kinds of crap and why this is not allowed. Much the same way tractors doing haulage work not authorised for are heading

 

[V8Druid]

is this Bill's alter ego ??????

 

[Bill]

is this Bill's alter ego ??????

Nothing to do with me . Couldn’t possibly run the estate with such fragrant disrespect for proper conduct

 

[Vinpetrol]

Laughed out loud.....
It's genuine..... its a means to an end.....
Sometimes you have to take the easiest option in a view to move forward in business first... he who dares an all that.... going legit ALL the time sometimes doesn't stack up when profits are concerned.....

Ram raiding cash machines is a good option with heavy plant for fast profit . The police even give you an advantage now with their response times . Even if you get caught you won’t get a sentence for a couple of years and it’ll only be minor so in the effort vs profit stakes it stacks up very well

 

[DaveDCB]

Laughed out loud.....
It's genuine..... its a means to an end.....
Sometimes you have to take the easiest option in a view to move forward in business first... he who dares an all that.... going legit ALL the time sometimes doesn't stack up when profits are concerned.....

Do you run your diggers on red diesel still?

 

[Smiffy]

Laughed out loud.....
It's genuine..... its a means to an end.....
Sometimes you have to take the easiest option in a view to move forward in business first... he who dares an all that.... going legit ALL the time sometimes doesn't stack up when profits are concerned.....

The problem in my mind isn't the legalities of it. Tbh I couldn't care less whether people are paying tax correctly. The problem i see, having worked on farms and driven many many tractors and also driven lorries for construction companies in the past, is that using tractors for lorry work is simply dangerous. It doesn't even matter if they are on farm work, if a lorry can be used it should simply from a safety point of view. Tractors have been designed as to be absolutely perfect at ploughing. Lorries have been designed to be absolutely perfect at moving stuff on the road.
And this isn't truly obvious until you have driven both just how appalling the road manors of tractors are.
There are a few circumstances when a tractor is useful on a muck trailer or plant trailer but that is primarily in an off-road role.

The next problem you have is that most people running tractors are tipping on there own land. If you need to run into tip sites I don't know how well it would be taken doing so in a tractor. As the lorry boys don't take kindly to being undercut.

 

[Steve]

I can’t see anyone running a Fendt 939 or similar tractor with a dump trailer undercutting anyone running a lorry. Servicing & running costs for such an outfit would be far higher than the equivalent capacity on a lorry.

 

[DaveDCB]

I have a decent tractor and dump trailer, it’s literally farm work only and an off-road dump truck. Ran on white like all the other plant is.. it guzzles fuel like nothing else !! All my building projects are quite large so have the space to use it, I wouldn’t want to be using it on a housing estate etc.
Just get a grab/8w in, send the muck away with the ticket and be done with it! The best way to save money on muck away is keep everything clean and separated.. find the right company who needs stock and you can almost give hardcore away for free!

 

[thecoops60]

Do you run your diggers on red diesel still?

No. It isn't cost effective anyway. Red diesel isn't much cheaper by the time you claim VAT back. Listen I run a legitimate business.... all my operatives are CIS etc.... and I pay my taxes. I'm just looking at moving waste away from our jobs effectively and as economical as poss. I'll probably not bother with a tractor its just an idea.....

 

[JD450A]

Listen I run a legitimate business.... all my operatives are CIS etc.... and I pay my taxes. I'm just looking at moving waste away from our jobs effectively and as economical as poss. I'll probably not bother with a tractor its just an idea.....

If your looking at a tractor and willing to ignore the Taxation, Licensing and Operational issues it casts a dark shadow over any claim of legitimacy.