Junk Removal · a straight comparison
A do-it-yourself dump run in Central Florida wins when you own a pickup, the load is light, and you have a free Saturday morning. The county's Haines City site charges a flat $10 to $27 per vehicle. A hauler wins when the pile needs a trailer, someone has to carry a couch down stairs, or the county gate would turn part of your load away.
5.0 · 119 Google reviews · Davenport & Polk County
| Hire Rob's crew | Rent a truck and drive it yourself | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $125 single item; $225 to $700 by trailer size, gate fee included. | Truck rental plus fuel plus the gate: $10 to $27 flat at Haines City, or $46 a ton at Auburndale. |
| Time | An hour or two, and you don't leave the house. | Pick up the truck, load, drive, wait in line, unload, return the truck. Half a day. |
| Lifting | The crew carries it from wherever it sits. | You and whoever you can talk into helping. |
| What the county refuses | The crew knows which site takes what and routes it. | Haines City refuses fridges and freezers; Osceola's Bass Road refuses furniture. |
| Weather | Rain is Rob's problem. | A wet load in an open truck bed is yours. |
| Hazardous waste | Not taken. Paint and chemicals stay out of the trailer. | Not taken at the gate either. Both routes send it to the county's free hazardous waste site. |
You already own a truck or a utility trailer, the pile fits in one trip, and nothing in it is heavy enough to need two people. The Northeast Landfill Customer Convenience Center in Haines City charges Polk residents a flat $10 for a car, SUV or pickup and $27 with a 6-to-16-foot trailer. Bring proof of residency. For yard debris, bagged household junk and broken furniture, that's hard to beat.
The North Central Transfer Station in Auburndale weighs you instead: $46 a ton with a $10 minimum. For a light load the minimum is all you pay.
The math flips when a rental truck enters the picture. Once you're paying for the truck, fuel, and your own afternoon, the gap to a quarter-trailer flat rate gets thin, and the crew is doing the carrying. It flips harder if the pile needs more than one trip, or if it has a refrigerator in it. Haines City won't take fridges or freezers, so a DIY run means a second stop in Auburndale.
It also flips on the stuff people forget. Orange County charges $54.20 a ton with a $9 minimum, and doubles the fee if the load isn't covered. A tarp, straps and a line at the scalehouse are all part of the do-it-yourself price.
Paint, solvents, motor oil, propane, pool chemicals and batteries. The hauler won't load them and the county gate won't take them with regular trash. Polk residents drop them free at the Household Hazardous Waste facility in Winter Haven. Pull them out of the pile first, whichever way the rest is going.
One worked example
Against the criteria above, with the review evidence, verbatim.
Here's how Big Rob's Hauling in Davenport prices against a dump run. A single item starts from $125, a quarter dump trailer is $225, a half is $350, a full is $700, and the county gate fee is already inside the number, along with stairs and heavy items. Rob quotes from a text photo before the truck leaves, and if the load turns out smaller than the photo suggested, you pay the smaller size.
The crew brings the trailer, carries everything out, tarps it and handles the transfer station. Fridges go to a scrap yard where the refrigerant is recovered, so nothing gets turned away at a gate. Near Davenport that's usually the same day you call. The reviews below are from customers whose loads weren't easy to move, and one who needed it gone the day of.
They hauled our furniture out and it was not an easy move. Very difficult obstacles, but the team worked so hard and got it all hauled away with such professionalism. They were very friendly and charged an absolute fair price.
Martha GOODWIN · this month
Big Rob's Hauling really saved the day when he came to pick up all of my trash and unwanted furniture when I was moving out! He was able to come same day and was in and out in no time. Super kind and fairly price. Guaranteed to call him again for any junk removal or moving needs I have!!
Sarah Mickle · last year
Same day service. Fast, professional, friendly. Great value. Excellent service, will be using them again.
Nicholas Wood · this month
Questions
At the Haines City convenience center, a flat $10 for a car or pickup, $18 with a short trailer, $27 with a trailer up to 16 feet, residents only, no cash. At the North Central Transfer Station in Auburndale, $46 a ton with a $10 minimum. Tires and Freon appliances are priced separately.
Not to the Haines City site; refrigerators and freezers are on its refused list. The Auburndale transfer station takes them empty, priced by the ton, with a higher rate if the Freon hasn't been removed.
For one light load with a helper, usually. For anything that needs two trips, has a fridge or a hot tub in it, or has to come down stairs, price the crew first. The gate fee is the small part of a DIY run; the rental and the day are the big part.
Call before noon and it's usually gone today. Or text a photo of the pile and Rob sends back a flat quote.
5.0 · 119 Google reviews · Davenport & Polk County
