Sometimes referred to as a dump truck, a tipper truck, or simply tipper, is a heavy-duty truck chassis that is fitted with a body that is open top. They are used for carrying crushed rock, aggregate, bulk materials of all kinds and even soil from and to construction sites. They are also used to remove construction rubble and debris from demolition sites in order to clear them ready for construction, making them very useful on sites up and down the country.
The body of a tipper truck can be tipped up, hence the name, in order to deposit this material. They have a hinged tailgate. On an aggregate or muckaway tipper this is usually a one piece, however on an asphalt tipper it is more typically two pieces. The use of two-piece tailgates on asphalt tippers is very important as it can allow for better control of the tipping of the asphalt into the paver hopper. It also ensures that the asphalt that remains in the body of the truck remains at an appropriate temperature and does not cool, which would render it unusable. These two-piece tailgates are often opened with an air cylinder. This is something that can be done by the driver of the vehicle from the cab and means that they do not have to set foot outside of the vehicle on a dangerous construction site, thereby adhering to health and safety protocols.
UK tipper trucks
In the UK, the majority of tipper trucks are usually built with either three or four axles. A four-axle tipper will have a total permissible transport weight of around 32 tons and will generally be able to carry about 20 tons of soil or stone. The size of the load should be based on weight rather than amount as it will vary from one type of load to another, for example wet soil will weigh much more than dry soil and therefore smaller loads will need to be transported. The front two axles are used for the steering of the tipper truck and used a different pattern with the tyres to the rear two axels which are the ones used for driving.
Hire or Purchase?
Consideration should always be given to the purchase of tyres for tipper trucks as it is important to ensure that you get the right tyre tread pattern in order to achieve the best performance from them. Whilst some companies do prefer to purchase their own tipper trucks, they will be responsible for the maintenance of them as well, which is why many companies involved in the construction industry prefer to hire this type of vehicle instead. Companies like MHF Truck Hire ensure that their vehicles are fully maintained, including having the appropriate tyres so that their clients can be assured of the condition and roadworthiness of the vehicle that they are hiring.
When it comes to driving, both of the rear axles on a tipper truck are driven in order to afford the vehicle better grip when driving on off-road areas or on construction sites. This is required as these vehicles are often driven up to the part of a construction site where wheel loaders or excavators are working, so that they can be loaded.
There are a number of different makes of tipper truck available on the market with Mercedes and Renault being just two of the more popular makes. For cases where tipper trucks are being used purely off-road then an articulated tipper truck will offer much great performance as it can carry loads of up to 40 tons and all of the axles are powered, offering increased traction.
