Tipper truck or van and trailer? - Forum

Tipper truck or van and trailer? - Forum

Dump Trucks 101: How to Choose the Right One

1. Body Styles

   There are 3 kinds of body styles on the market: traditional rectangle, half-round, and semi-elliptical.

   A dump box that is in the shape of a traditional rectangle will offer the most room on the floor of the bed, which means more spread. This shape is very popular for the strength and agility it offers with a low center of gravity when carrying a heavy load.

   The half-round style can handle impact better than the rectangular version, because the steel is shaped into a semi-circle. As it does not require cross-members for support, it offers a lighter total weight and greater payload capacity. The shape also makes it more difficult for material to stick to the floor, allowing for a cleaner dump cycle. However, the half round has limitations when it comes to hauling equipment or pallets in the bed, because it’s not flat.

   The semi-elliptical style – also called bathtub or tub style – is looked upon as a kind of hybrid between the traditional rectangle and the half-round. For example, this body style has floors like the traditional rectangle body style but has a haul shape like the half-round body style.

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2. Body Metal

   As all metals don’t have the same tensile strength, choosing the right one depends on the nature of the task the dump truck will be used for. There are two main options: steel and aluminum.

   Steel is ideal for carrying materials that are more abrasive (such as asphalt, gravel, and concrete) as it offers more protection than aluminum against potential damage. There are numerous types of steel that are used, and they come in many grades, ranging from A-36 all the way up to AR-450 or AR-500 depending on the application.

   Aluminum is a great choice when carrying non-abrasive materials because of its lighter weight. It offers a greater payload capacity, as well as more protection from corrosion. On the flip side, aluminum is more expensive and its repair costs are greater than steel.

3. Engine

   Power output from dump truck engines typically ranges between 300 and 600 horsepower. A word of caution: do not overestimate your requirements and buy too much more horsepower than you actually need. This will cost you when you put the truck in operation. Consider the weight of the load you intend to carry and match an engine accordingly. You don’t want to be under-powered, but you don’t want to be over-powered either.

4. Transmission

   Manual transmission offers a wide range of gear options in dump trucks. This allows operators to get more maneuverability, as well as match engine speed with the task at hand. An automatic transmission does not offer this advantage, but without multiple gears and clutch, they cause less operator fatigue during long haul jobs. A third option is an integrated automated manual transmission. This is becoming popular with dump truck buyers, because they offer both efficient energy expenditure and a comfortable operating experience at the same time.

5. Axle Requirements

   Gross vehicle weight rating, or GVWR, is the maximum operating weight specified for a dump truck and includes the sum total weight of everything. This means chassis, body, engine, fuel, operator, and the cargo load.

   Federal laws are in place to protect highways and bridges from excessive damage caused by vehicle weight. These limits are based on the number of axles on a truck. The fewer axles a dump truck has, the lower the weight that truck can legally carry on public roads.

   This is precisely the reason why Super Dumps rule the heavy end of the market. A Super Dump has four to seven total axles and is capable of legal payloads ranging from 19-26 tons. Super Dumps carry payloads equal to trailers and transfers, while maintaining the maneuverability and quick turnaround time of a standard tandem dump truck. The unique combination of huge payload and speed is what makes the Super Dump the most productive and profitable dump truck on the road.

   Click this link for more information on local and federal laws regulating weight and axle numbers.

6. Choosing the Right Dealership

   All dealerships are not made the same. But their participation in the purchase experience is extremely important – from evaluating specs and gauging the most suitable equipment to offering valuable customer support and financing options.

   “A lot of people like to stay minimal, but we take pride in building robust trucks that are going to have lasting value in their second life -- when it is time to trade it or sell it,” says Chip Howard, Product Manager at Custom Truck One Source, the first, true single-source provider of specialized trucks in the country. “We have 26 locations all across the U.S., a deep network of service and support staff, and we have a 24-hour call-in center. Ninety percent of our dump truck business is sales and only 10% is rental, but our customer support offers the same level of assistance to both client categories.”

   Custom Truck One Source has the largest inventory of dump trucks in the United States, and carry a huge variety of specs. This includes region-specific options that will work anywhere from California to the Northeast. Our stock doesn’t even run low in the last quarter of the year, when people actually want to invest in equipment rather than taxes.

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