Felling Trailers manufactures hydraulic dump trailers ranging in capacities from 4,500 – 30,000 lbs. Each trailer has a hydraulic pump system that operates the raising and lowering of the hydraulic cylinder or hoist that raises/lowers the dump box. If your Hydraulic Dump Trailer System is not working properly, we are here to help. We recently talked to our Warranty Coordinator, Scott Brown, to get his expertise on fixing hydraulic dump trailers. Below are some troubleshooting tips for issues that may occur with the regular operation of a hydraulic dump unit.
Trouble Shooting Hydraulic Dump Trailer Systems
My hydraulic dump trailer is leaking fluid, what should I do?
Always have the safety prop in place before inspecting the dump trailer.
Before inspecting for leaks, make sure that the box is up. Always use the safety lock bar to hold the box up. View the Operating Instruction Felling Hydraulic Dump (PDF).
What is the leak caused by?
Typically any leak is caused by a battery with a low charge. The weight of the box is putting pressure on the system so as the box is lowered, the pump can’t keep up with that pressure due to the low battery. Then it creates excessive pressure causing the oil to blow out of the breather on the tank. We have seen some cases that the breather is plugged with so much dirt that it creates excessive pressure and cracks the tank. It is advised prior to the use of the hydraulic system to look over the unit and ensure it is free of debris and dirt.
I am having issues with keeping the battery charged. What battery chargers do you recommend?
There are some very useful battery chargers that can help. Be aware, however, that to charge your dump trailer system, the tow vehicle has to be running and the headlights need to be turned on. Both examples below can be purchased through Felling Trailer’s Parts & Service Department at 866-335-5464 or email at [email protected].
Email Felling Parts & ServiceTrickle Charger – Trickle chargers are very convenient because they allow you to always start the day with a fully charged battery. Click here for more info on a trickle charger.
Solar Panel Charger – The solar panel charger is also a great choice. If you don’t use the trailer every day, you can be assured that when you do use it, it will have a fully charged battery. Click here for more info about how the solar panel battery charger works.
How many cycles can an average dump trailer run before the battery is depleted?
If you are doing short runs between cycles – approximately four to five. If you are driving 100 miles between cycles, then you would probably get more, since the additional distance would allow for more charging time for the battery.
Order Parts HereThe hoist is stuck in the dump position, what should I do?
Square Coil
Round Coil
Looking down on the pump there is a square-shaped coil (down) and a round-shaped coil (up), generally, you can loosen the nut onto each coil and swap them around, which then allows you to lower the box. It is possible to continue to haul with the trailer this way by swapping the coils around until the new one arrives. Note: This is a temporary fix until new parts are received to replace the defective parts and/or pump.
After my unit is fixed, what type of hydraulic fluid should I fill it with?
Fill the tank to approximately half full. The type of hydraulic fluid should be automatic transmission fluid.
If you have more questions regarding the hydraulic pump system, or maintenance or operation of another Felling Trailers product, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-888-335-5464 or fill out this simple form. Thank you for putting your trust in Felling Trailers!
I had no idea a leak with the hydraulic system could simply be caused by the battery not being fully charged. I guess it makes sense, if the battery isn’t charged enough to support the press, then the pressure will build till the oil gets pushed out. I will have to tell my friend who has a dump trailer about this so he can keep it running smoothly. Thank you for the information!
I have a trailer the battery seems is sufficiently charge but when I try to lift it the pump will not run,any idea of what the problem could be?
Good Morning Jose,
The pump should have a relay mounted on the outside of the motor. I would try jumping that by taking a wire and touching both large terminals. This will bypass the relay which if the pump works then the relay will need to be replaced.
Hope this helps,
Felling Trailers
my trailer will not raise and I’m have a lot of oil coming out of the rear in of the cylinder. I did notice that I had a low battery at the time. What is going on here ?
Hello Dennis,
If its leaking at the cylinder I would guess a blown seal on the cylinder.
The other thing to watch is if the battery is low and you are lowering the box down, the pump is turning so slow that with the weight of the box pushing down on the pump it creates pressure, which typically the oil will spray out of the tank fill cap which is also the breather. But if the breather is plugged it looks for a spot to relieve the pressure, sometimes I have seen it actually crack the plastic tank.
If you have additional questions feel free to call our Parts & Service Department at 1-866-335-5464
Felling Trailers
I have a dump trailer it raises and lowers just fine but when it’s all the way up it leaks down slowly what is the cause for this and how much would you charge me to get it fixed
Hello Clark, It could be a hydraulic cylinder or even bad o-rings in on the valve body. If you have more info we could troubleshoot it a bit more for you.
Hope this helps,
Felling Trailers
I’m having this same issue. Did you figure out or know how to jack it up safely.
Hello Crystal,
To lift the dump box you can try lifting it up with a loader or jacking it up, which you may need to remove a hose to do so.
For more information or parts assistance please call 1-866-335-5464 or visit our Parts’ website https://store.felling.com/.
Have a good day,
Felling Trailers
My dump trailer is sending power to both up & down solenoids at the same time…. brand new less then 10 dumps on pump – beyond frustrating can you all help me?
Hello Jeff,
Could be a bad contact in the switch, can he send a trailer vin?
Hope this helps,
Felling Trailers
Can I connect my trailer to my trucks charging system with a splice of the large power wire that power my electric hydraulic plow? Since I would never be using them at the same time I figured this would solve the constantly read or under powered battery problems. If I can splice this should I remove the battery in the trailer or connect it together with it?
Hi Eric,
To answer your question, yes you would be able to do so. This would allow you do dump your trailer without draining your battery. But, I would suggest leaving your battery connected in case something with your charging system would fail.
Thanks,
Felling Parts & Service Department
i have a 10 ez dump trailer and sometimes it will dump just fine and other times it will not it puts presure on it but will not dump. it was working just fine the other day & the next day it was setting at the same place & in would noty dump
Hello Tom,
I will refer your question on to our service department and get back to you soon.
thanks much
Felling Trailers
Can you give advise? My dump trailer very slowly lowers if I leave it up for any length of time. The battery was low, but I have since fully charged it, but it is still lowering. The rate of lower is about 1/2″ in an 8 hour period. I see no leaks of any kind? What could it be? Thanks
Hello Kevin,
In reply to your question on your hydraulic dump trailer, I suspect that you may have an internal leak in your hydraulic cylinder or in the pump both of these would allow the oil to pass through with not external leak.
Felling Parts & Service Team
Mine goes up just fine but powers down at about 1/2 speed, it sounds like gobs of air is coming from somewhere when I lower it, everything is tight,
Hello Jeremy,
Assuming that the battery has a good charge, I would then pull the valve and check the O-ring condition. The square coil on top of the pump controls the down function, you can remove the coil and then the valve will turn out of the housing. Something to keep in mind is that if the battery has a low charge and you lower the box this can cause pressure in the system because of the weight of the box and a pump that is barely turning the system will build pressure and usually shoots oil out of the vent cap.
Thanks,
Felling Trailers
I have a dump trailer (my first), and the battery is located underneath and is dead. The battery is in a case, so how do I raise the dump enough to either charge the battery or replace?
Hello Lorne,
To lift the dump box you can try lifting it up with a loader or jacking it up, which you may need to remove a hose to do this.
Thanks,
Felling Trailers
Hi, I have a homesteader dump trailer. It has been sitting for a year or so before it was given to me. I put a set of cables from my diesel to the battery because it was dead and wanted to see what it would do. When I hit the up or down button on the the controle the pump motor will run and I can hear what I believe to be the solenoid click, but all that happens is the body will shift a very small amount and that’s it. What could be the issue?
Hello Jeff,
This is a good question, with your trailer having sat idle for that amount of time there are several factors that may be coming in to play. Read below for some trouble shooting checklists.
In the case where the start Solenoid just clicks and the system is not engaging, check the following:
1. Carbon buildup on contacts in start solenoid
2. Rust inside motor
3. Loose wire from start solenoid to DC motor
4. Cracked housing on start solenoid
For the case where the cylinder won’t extend, you can check the following:
1.Check Voltage at Start Solenoid when trying to run Power Unit (Voltage May be below 9.5 volts)
2.Check to see if power unit is bypassing over the relief valve
3.Improper fluid in reservoir (viscosity to high)
4.Check Directional Valve Section D/A
5.Check Packing on Cylinder Section
Another set of check points if the dump struggles to lift the load:
1. Low battery
2. Poor ground
3. Gear pump sucking air
4. Directional valve half shifting D/A
5. Debris in relief valve
We hope this has been of help.
Felling Parts & Service Team
Thanks for. The great tips on your web site my dump trailer had a bad ground from the solenoid to the frame on the up side.
Installed new remote for dump trailer, just keeps on clicking.
Tested battey have13v, tested start solenoid wire while pressing remote in up position, had 12-13v, tested lowering valve coil wire while pressing down button, had 12-13v.
My remote is 3 wire, power up, gravity down.
I have worn myself out trying to get my dump trailer to raise, does nothing but click, click, click at lowering coil.
Motor simply does not engage.
Dont know if i’m hooking up solenoid wrong, or coil is bad, etc.
If you can help, would be greatly appreciated.
Good Morning Dan,
If this is a KTI brand pump I would suggest calling the Service Department at KTI, they are very good to work with and should be able to help
KTI Service Department 949-752-8818
Hope this helps,
Felling Trailers
How do u adjust the valve if it’s stuck?
Hello Brice,
I’m not sure of any adjustable valve on the pump that we use here at Felling?
What is the issue that you are experiencing? With a bit more information we may be able to figure out what you will need to do to get the trailer back in working order.
Thanks,
Felling Trailers
I have a flo n dump truck that snap’s the connection nut(from the hose to the operational valve) on the bottom of the lift piston while raising .I’m aware THAT THEIRS ROUGHLY 500 PSI DURING LIFT OPERATION YET I HAVENT FOUND A RESTRICTION IN THE SYSTEM TO CAUSE THIS DAMAGE
Good afternoon Kirk,
The system for a dump truck, dump box is different than that of our dump trailer system. We would suggest to contact the manufacturer of your unit for troubleshooting.
Felling Parts & Service Team
I have a big tex 7×14 dump trailer. It just started giving me problems. It dumps fine but keeps freezing up on the way down like it’s stuck but if I go up and down with the remote it will finally come down
Hello Jason,
Could be losing power to the coil, I would check the connections and make sure they are clean.
Hope this helps,
Felling Trailers
I have the same problem, terminals are tight and clean. Did you find the issue?
Hi Logan,
Depending on the brand of pump, there could be a loose or bad wire at the coil. Typically, there is a up and down coil on the top of the pump with two wires running to each.
Hope this helps,
Felling Trailers
My trailer is not lifting, though it has no load on it. I thought it was the battery so I bought a new battery, it didn’t solve the the problem. Is there a way I can lift the trailer box so I can check the solenoid?
Good afternoon Al,
You question has been referred to our Parts & Service department and we will have an answer for your shortly.
Felling Trailers
Good afternoon Al,
It is suggested to put power to the opposite side of the solenoid and see if it engages. If it does then you will need to replace the solenoid.
Felling Trailers Parts & Service Department
I have A 5 ton dump trailer, when I lift to dump it works fine but when I bring it down. and it gets to the last cylinder it starts shaking and vibrating while coming down. still comes down but it is very rough and noisy.
Hello Jason,
I have sent your question on to our Parts & Service Team and will have an answer back to you soon.
thanks Felling Trailers, Inc.
Check the wires in the plug in for the control.One of mine was broke not letting the dump box down because of a bad connection
My trailer lifts up and lowers when it’s empty. But, when it has a load, it will not lift. Any suggestions to help troubleshoot would be great. Thanks.
Good afternoon Jeff,
I have sent your question on to our Parts & Service Team and will have an answer back to you soon.
thanks Felling Trailers, Inc.
Good morning Jeff,
Assuming that this just started I would suspect that the pressure relief valve may be inoperable, and may need to be replaced. To check the valve you will need to hook a pressure gauge to the pump to check the actual pressure which should be 3000 psi. If parts are needed we do have an online parts store, see the following page link to our Hydraulic Dump Trailers http://store.felling.com/dump-series/
If you need further assistance please contact our Parts & Service Department at [email protected] or 1-866-335-5464
Felling Trailers Parts & Service Department
i have a trailer replaced line now it has trouble going up and down and motor gets hot
Hello Jerry,
Did you replaced 1 line or 2? If you replaced two lines it is possible that you hooked them up backwards, but if you only replaced the one, then I would put a pressure gauge on it to see what the pump is putting out. Assuming that this issue just started, it could be the pressure relief valve or could be a low or bad batter. The longer the pump runs the hotter it gets, so if its just barely lifting and you hold the button down the motor can get real hot.
Thanks Felling Trailers Parts & Service
My 14′ dump trailer just buzzes when I push up or down it did this often and I would wiggle the solenoid and it would start working the ground had got so hot over heavy use it melted off the plastic covering it now it is just bare wire and it got stuck in up position so I swapped the round and square up down and got it down when I was going to put a new up part on it would not work at all only buzz even when moving the solenoid and ground do you think it could be the ground solenoid or connection of ground to solenoid or possibly something else
Good morning Michael,
I suspect that it may be the relay, if you jump between the two studs on the relay with a wire and then try it, if it works then the relay will need to be replaced.If you need replacement parts, we do have an online parts store, see the following page link to our Hydraulic Dump Trailers http://store.felling.com/dump-series/
If you need further assistance please contact our Parts & Service Department at [email protected] or 1-866-335-5464
Felling Trailers Parts & Service Department
My trailer spilt all the oil when I tried bring it back down the battery was poor is there something I have to do before putting in more oil???
Good morning Mac,
If the battery is low and you lower the box it will build pressure and spray out the breather. You will need to re-fill the tank to the mark on the reservoir tank with automatic transmission fluid.
Thanks much Felling Trailers Parts & Service
My dump trailer lowers crooked one cylinder is extended about 1 1/2″ longer then the other
Hello Jerald,
The thing to do is run the box clear to the top in the dump position, then measure the amount of the shaft extended on each cylinder. If that measurement is the same there may be a restriction in the line or cylinder but if one cylinder is extended more than the other it could be a twisted box or hoist.
Thanks Much,
Felling Trailers Parts & Service Dept.
My dump trailer lifts fine, even with a full battery it over flows the tank on the way down . If I lift it again it doesn’t have enough fluid to go all the way up. It’s a dual action system.
Good morning Matt,
Have you checked the breather in the fill cap? You need to make sure that it’s not plugged, if plugged it could be the cause of your issue.
Felling Trailers Parts & Service
My trailer will lift, but will not hold in the “up” position. It bleeds back down rather quickly, basically like it’s not holding the pressure. It is not a telescopic cylinder. Could this be due to a low battery? Thanks
Hello Mitchell,
This should not be a battery issue, but without knowing what brand of pump system is on the trailer, it is tough to be sure due to the fact that each manufacturer uses different set-ups. The first thing I would check is to make sure that your oil level is at the recommended running level. Secondly, check all hoses and fittings to make sure they are all tight and that we do not have any leaks in the systems which would allow for oil to leak out. Third, check and see if there might be a backflow/check valve inline that might be bad and allowing oil to flow back through the system. If all of these scenarios look good, you might have to look more into pump issues.
Thanks,
Felling Trailers Parts & Service
Mine does same thing it wont stay up…no leaks
Good Afternoon Cody, A couple of questions and I can pass this on to our service department for there advice. What is the brand of trailer. Also what is the brand of the pump that is installed on your dump trailer.
If there is any other info you can provide that also would be helpful.
Thank You
Felling Trailers
Good Day,
I have a farm built, dual scissor ram, single pump system. Only one scissor system will work at a time. As the load shifts or if I disable one side the other scissor system works like a champ. How do get both sides to work in unison? Do I need some sort of priority flow control valve installed? If so where in the system and what type do I need? 14′ trailer. My system is a 5gal reservoir tank. It supplies dual 5in D rams(33″L) w/2in D rods each. HPU by Bailey 309-235A DSA1S1602S20H-25 12V 1.3GPM@2500PSI SGL ACT w/20ft remote. Pwr up/gravity down. Thanks, Chris
Good morning Chris,
What we would recommend is a flow control valve similar to the ones we use on our bi-fold ramps, part number 1001792.
Thanks
Felling Trailer’s Parts Department
1-800-245-2809
My trailer will rise all the way up and stay there it will not go down!
Hello Jacob,
If it’s a Felling trailer you can swap the two coils around on the top of the pump. The square coil controls the “down” and the round coil controls the “up” so if you swap the two around it should come down which if it does and won’t raise then the square coil needs to be replaced.
Thanks, Felling Trailers Parts Dept.
Hello,
My trailer has been working fine. I had problems last fall and replaced the solenoid and cleaned out the inside of the starter motor because everything had become covered in rust. But up until this morning, it had been running great. On my second load dumping, about 1 foot into the lift, the motor sounded like it had a dying battery. I could hear the motor slowing down. Not wanting to damage anything, I lowered the load and hooked up my battery charger. But my battery was putting out 12.7 volts. I tried to lift, and only got a clicking out of the solenoid. So, I disconnected every contact on both the positive and negative sides and polished them well, still only a click. I pulled apart the starter and cleaned the rust buildup on the inside contacts, still only clicking. I checked my connections and grounds again, still only a clicking out of the solenoid
Please help me, am I missing something simple? Has my starter itself just finally gone? Is there a way to check it out?
thank you very much for your time and con
Hi Glenn,
A quick way to test the motor is to use a good battery and jumper cables. Hook the cables to the battery and then hook the positive cable to the positive post on the pump and then the negative cable to the ground post on the motor. This will bypass everything and just power the motor which should make a squealing sound (it’s not going to pump fluid but should bear down) which if it does then the motor should be good if it does not make a noise then it has an issue. If the motor is bad you can take it to a local electric motor repair shop or call Felling Parts & Service or order online at http://www.store.felling.com, a complete new motor/pump.
Thanks Felling Trailers
The problem I’m having with my dump trailer is that all it will do is make squealing noise when u push up or down and this is when it’s hooked up properly. What could be causing this?
Good Morning Will,
It sounds as if the pump is “deadheading”, possibly the valve is not opening on the pump so the fluid is unable to flow. I would check the coil on top of the valve to make sure that it’s still good. If your pump is a power up and power down, you can try swapping the two coils around, if the box then goes up you would know it’s a bad coil. If the box does go up, you will need to swap the coils around again to bring the box back down.
Hope this helps,
Felling Trailers
How can I lower a hydraulic trailer if it won’t go down and I need to take it for repair?