Tipper Truck Buying Guide

Tippers move the soil, sand, gravel, rock and demolition waste that every building site, road job and landscaping business depends on. They work hard, often off sealed roads, so choosing the right body, capacity and chassis matters as much as the price.

Tipper body types

• Rear tipper: the most common, tipping from the back. Suits general earthmoving and bulk materials.
• Side tipper: tips to one side, useful where overhead clearance is limited or for spreading material along a trench or road edge.
• Three-way tipper: tips to the rear and either side, giving flexibility on landscaping and building sites. Common on light and medium tippers.
• Tipping tray: a flat tray with drop sides that tips, ideal for trades, councils and landscapers carrying mixed loads.
• Truck and dog: a tipper towing a tipping trailer, the workhorse of quarry and civil work for high-volume carting.

Body materials

• Steel: durable and resistant to impact from rock and demolition material. Heavier, which reduces payload.
• High-tensile or abrasion-resistant steel: lighter for the same strength and resists wear.
• Aluminium: much lighter for more payload, suited to sand, soil and grain, less suited to heavy rock.

Capacity: tonnes and cubic metres

Capacity is about both weight and volume. A body sized in cubic metres will run out of weight first with dense loads like wet sand or crushed rock, so check that a full body does not push you over the truck's GVM. Typical sizes:

• Light tippers (up to 4.5 t GVM, car licence): small loads for trades and landscaping.
• Medium tippers (two-axle rigid, MR licence): commonly around 5 to 8 cubic metres.
• Heavy tippers (6x4 or 8x4, HR licence): commonly around 10 to 20 cubic metres.
• Truck and dog (HC licence): the highest volumes for quarry and civil carting.

Overloading is a common offence for tippers, and chain of responsibility laws mean everyone in the supply chain shares responsibility for mass compliance. On-board scales can pay for themselves.

Chassis, drive and suspension

Tippers spend time on sites and unsealed roads, so look for strong chassis rails, good ground clearance and suspension suited to the work. 6x4 and 8x4 configurations carry more legally and give better traction on soft ground than 4x2. Steel spring suspension is tough and simple; airbag suspension gives a smoother ride and better road friendliness.

Hydraulics and PTO

The hoist, pump, PTO (power take-off) and hydraulic hoses are the heart of a tipper. On a used tipper, raise the body fully and check for leaks, smooth lifting and lowering, and that the body holds position. Check the tailgate operation, locks and hinges, and look for cracks in the body floor and sub-frame.

Other things to check on a used tipper

• Body floor wear and thickness, especially at the rear.
• Chassis cracking around the hoist mounts and rear pivot.
• Tarp system condition and operation.
• Signs of overloading: sagging springs, cracked spring hangers, heavy tyre wear.
• Service history, PPSR check and registration status.

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