The Magic Trailer is an entirely new category in utility trailers. It has a conveyor belt in the bottom that can unload virtually any load at the push of a button. It does everything a dump trailer can do, but cheaper and more precisely. It comes in a 2-½ ton and a 4 ton model. 

You can think of it as a hydraulic dump trailer for hobby farmers and small landscaping or construction companies that haven’t made the leap to a bigger and more expensive dump trailer (and the big truck to pull it), or larger established landscaping companies that want some additional capacity and flexibility at a good price. 

Here is what you can expect as a return on your investment.

Immediate big labor savings compared to a conventional landscaping trailer that has to be unloaded by hand. One operator can unload mulch, soil, compost, gravel, leaves, grass clippings, straw or construction debris. No more shoveling. No more dragging brush and tree trimmings out by hand. 

Fewer labor hours per job adds up fast over a season. Faster unloading and more precision means less time at job sites. Completing even one extra job per day can pay for the trailer faster than you might think.

Less labor and machinery are required because the load can be spread evenly over a large area, or even three or four specific spots. A hydraulic dump trailer pretty much puts it on one place and then you have to spread it. A good operator with loads that flow easily like sand and pea gravel can spread things in a thin layer with a dump trailer. But that’s not all loads and all operators. The Magic Trailer makes it easy. It comes with a wireless remote control. As soon as you let off the button, the unloading stops. It’s very precise.

Reduced risk of injury. Everybody raise your hand that wants more workman’s compensation problems. Yeah, nobody wants that. Shoveling is hard work and a common cause of back pain and repetitive stress injuries. Dragging brush and limbs out of a trailer can be challenging to do safely with trip hazards, abrasions, eye injuries, etc. Hydraulic dump trailers generally do a great job…but not always. If a load doesn’t dump completely, either because it’s muddy and sticky, or branches and limbs that are jammed up, nobody wants to crawl up in there and fix the problem. Let the trailer do the work. It completely unloads in two minutes virtually every single time.

Dumping construction debris at a landfill with The Magic Trailer is an easy, fast one-person job instead of slow, annoying risky job for two people.

Employee retention. Shoveling sucks. Nobody’s employees are getting younger. Anything we can do to make the job faster, easier and safer is in everybody’s best interest. I vividly remember getting the first prototype up and running, I literally laughed every time I used it. Prior to that I was shoveling compost, topsoil and mulch by hand, two tons at a time.

Access to tight job sites. Dump trailers work great, if there are no overhead obstructions like power lines or trees that might get damaged. Since The Magic Trailer uses a conveyor belt instead of a tilting bed, those job sites are suddenly just as easy and safe as any other.

More flexibility using the trucks you already own. The Magic Trailer lets half-ton pickups do jobs that normally require ¾-ton trucks and dump trailers. That means lower purchase price and lower fuel costs. For many roles, The Magic Trailer can replace a small dump truck. That’s less insurance, cheaper license plates, and it still works perfectly well as a utility trailer to haul your small equipment and anything else you would do with a utility trailer. It adds lots of functionality, and you don’t give anything up. Some customers have made the comment that it is the “Swiss Army knife” of utility trailers.

Doesn’t require a special driver license. In many states (including Michigan and Indiana), if the gross vehicle weight of the combined truck and trailer exceed a certain number, you have to have a commercial drivers license to drive that vehicle. Note that it doesn’t matter how much weight is actually on the truck/trailer combination, it’s the rating. For any given load, The Magic Trailer will always weigh less than the comparable hydraulic dump trailer. The Magic Trailer (both the 2-½ ton and the 4 ton models) can be pulled by a ¾-ton or even half-ton pickup, you will never cross that threshold where you must have the commercial license.

Maintenance and repair are easy, cheap and rare. The Magic Trailer is durable and dependable—no gas engines, no hydraulics, nothing to check or fill. It is built almost entirely using off-the-shelf components. See the descriptions below:

Battery: It’s powered by an inexpensive deep cycle “marine” battery that you can buy at a big-box store or auto parts store for a little over $100. The battery trickle charges from the vehicle while you’re driving, or you can put it on any standard battery charger at the end of the day. In a pinch, you can jump start your truck from the trailer battery or run a 12-volt compressor to air up a tire. There’s a 12V socket for that.

Belt: The conveyor belt is trampoline fabric made of fiberglass mesh coated in tough polypropylene. It’s the same thing they use to cover the load in dump trucks. You can order a new one from several online tarp vendors for a little over $100. You can replace the entire belt in 20 minutes using a ratchet/socket and a little duct tape. But the material is surprisingly tough and durable. We don’t know the lifespan for sure yet because I have yet to wear one out.

Chain: The chain drive and sprockets and standard #40 industrial chain are widely available and cheap. Grease it once a year and you’re done.

Wood finish: The wooden deck is treated with a mixture of mineral oil (baby oil without the stink), and paraffin wax, sometimes known as Gulf wax or canning wax. You can buy both at Wal-Mart very inexpensively. Melt the wax into the mineral oil using some heat at a ratio of 4 parts mineral oil to one part wax. Do it outside. To apply it, you melt it in an old pot or pan and mop it or brush it onto the deck on a good hot day when the wood is dry. This reduces the friction between the belt and the deck and is also a good and environmentally friendly wood preservative. Or you can buy it inexpensively from your dealer. Once a year is sufficient.