Side Dump Trailers Replace Scrapers for Cost Savings

When Global CM had the opportunity to bid on a 28-acre site preparation project for a new TA Travel Center in Pueblo, Colorado, owner Grayson Edwards knew if he ran traditional scrapers, he wouldn’t be able to win the bid or make a profit if he did.

“It's hard to compete against the $2 per yard stuff,” Grayson says. “Most of these guys have been in business for a long time, and their scrapers are paid for. We had to learn how to compete against them if we were going to step into this world. And we did.”

Edwards has worked in the earthwork and civil engineering industries for more than 40 years, but he’s not too old to learn new tricks. In 2012, he founded Global CM, LLC and Grayson Consulting LLC in Calhan, Colorado. His companies employ 35 people and focus on pipe, dirt, and demolition projects throughout Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico, with occasional projects around the Midwest and East Coast.

Edwards and his team set out to find a solution that would allow them to haul more dirt faster, without using scrapers, allowing Global CM to go toe-to-toe against much larger companies.

Side dump trailers for mass excavation

Global CM used two excavators to load dirt into the side dump trailer train.

In the past, Edwards ran a fleet of more than 30 scrapers, since they were the industry standard for moving massive amounts of dirt. But the financial burden of managing such a fleet was immense, and it was harder to justify their use. They were expensive to fuel and required an on-site mechanic to keep them running properly. Even then, with so many moving parts—including twin engines, elevators, and planetary gears that are easy to blow out—the cost of repairs ate into profits.

“We found that for every 10 scrapers we ran per day, I had two of them always down putting in frames or putting in transmissions,” says Edwards. “We're talking a hundred thousand dollars a pop.”

Edwards knew there had to be a better way to haul more dirt faster. an online search led him to side dump trailers and ultimately the CP30 from SmithCo Mfg. His team thought that if side dumps performed as advertised, Global CM may have found the key to winning more bids and increasing profits. After multiple conversations with SmithCo, including touring the plant in Le Mars, Iowa, Edwards was convinced he had found his solution to hauling more dirt faster. He invested in two off-road side dump trailers and a tractor and never looked back.

Although the travel center was originally scoped at 28 acres, a diner and truck service center were later added to the project, expanding it to 34 acres. It was anticipated to be an 11-month plus-one job, but highly unusual weather—including an extremely cold winter and record-breaking rainfall—resulted in 120 days lost on the project, adding additional complexity to the schedule.

Trailers dumped dirt in windrows, and a tractor towing a disc (far right) compacted the material.

Over the course of the project, Global CM stockpiled 34,000 tons of road base for the 16-acre hardstand using its Hitachi 470 and John Deere 470 excavators. The company used a John Deere tractor to pull two side dump trailers connected in a “train” to haul the road base around the construction site. The team was running on the top of the site down to the bottom, with 11-foot fills that took approximately 10 minutes to complete each cycle. Although the speed was comparable to a scraper, Global CM was able to haul 60 to 65 tons per round with side dumps, more than double the amount a standard scraper can carry. To grade the site, the crew used the side dump trailers to dump the dirt in windrows. It then processed the dirt, known as “Colorado Clay,” by dousing it with water before running over it with a tractor and disc to compact the soil.

Ease of use quickly became another clear advantage of side dump trailers. Unlike scrapers that require skilled operators, who have become harder to find as seasoned drivers are retiring in greater frequency than new drivers become available, side dump trailers require minimal training. If an employee can drive a tractor, they can operate a side dump trailer.

“We hired two 19-year-olds fresh out of high school, and they ran those tractors with us for a full year,” Edwards says. “The tractors and side dumps are just simple to operate.”

Using a tractor and two side dump trailers also took pressure off the budget.

“I can have a tractor and two side dump trailers for half a million bucks,” says Edwards. “But for future projects, there are a lot of used tractors out there with 600 horsepower we can buy for $35,000 to $40,000 each. So, I can keep my costs really low and I'm a whole lot more competitive against the guy that's going to run 30 to 40 scrapers on a dirt job.”

The TA Travel Center project was completed on schedule, and Edwards and Global CM found a permanent solution to site prep projects. They plan to continue using this approach for future bids.

“I have a 34-acre site that proved we can move dirt cheaper, save money, make better profits, and beat standardized schedules based on scrapers,” says Edwards. “A lot of these bigger boys will be going to this kind of system, I guarantee it, because we have it figured out.”