Speedy Top Tip: How to Use a 1T Dumper Truck

How to Use A 1T Dumper Truck - Correctly and Safely

How to use a 1T dumper truck: Moving tons of soil or rubble on site can be a time consuming and tiring process, unless you have one of these, this is a dumper truck and you can hire them from Speedy, the UK’s number one hire company. 

A couple of good things to remember when hiring from Speedy, all our hire equipment is checked, tested, cleaned and serviced before every hire and will all come ready to go. You will also notice a folder attached to your hire product, these are the safety and operating instructions, please make sure you read these before you begin your job.

And for further operation instructions or safety guidance you should always read the operator’s manual which will be supplied with your machine.

Before you use the dumper it’s really important that you wear the correct PPE, gloves a high visibility jacket, safety boots, eye protection and a hard hat are essential, and any PPE you do require can be purchased from Speedy.

Speedy Top Tip! Please Watch our How To Use a 1T Dumper Truck Video below:

Like all pieces of equipment, this dumper is really safe to use, providing it is used correctly. When getting in and out of the dumper, it’s really important that you maintain 3 points of contact with the machine. 

Once you are in the cab there are two really important pieces of equipment that could prevent injury, the first is this ROPs frame and the second is your seatbelt. Both of these things work hand in hand to keep you secure in your seat in the event of a roll over, failure to use one or the other could be catastrophic. You should never operate this machine without securing your seatbelt and having the ROPs frame in position. 

If the dumper does roll over you should not attempt to jump out of your seat. Jumping out of your seat is the main cause of fatal injuries during a roll over. Instead you should remain in your seat with your seatbelt fastened, braced and keeping hold of the steering wheel.

Starting and operating the dumper is really straight forward. Turning the engine on can be done by turning the ignition key here to the on position, then after waiting a few seconds compress the brake pedal and turn the key the rest of the way into the start position. The controller here is the gear selector, this machine only has 3 gear settings, forwards, backwards and neutral. 

This dumper has a hydrostatic transmission, effectively what this means is - compressing the throttle pedal here will result in the dumper moving forwards or backwards depending on what gear you have it in, and taking your foot off the pedal will result in the machine braking.

At the side of the machine there are these two levers that are locked in place by this safety bar. To release them, you simply need to remove the pin and lift the bar. On this dumper, these control the tipper function on the front bucket allowing you to either tip or raise the bucket. This machine is equipped with road lights which can be turned on and off by operating this switch. Left or right indicators can be controlled by this stalk - and the small button here will operate your hazard lights.

And finally, this rocker switch here will activate or deactivate the parking brake.

No matter what time of day it is - when operating this machine on site you should always have your amber light flashing and your hazard lights on. This will help the people around you see the machine is operational and could potentially prevent an accident or incident. 

When loading the machine there are a few really important safety aspects you will need to follow. You should never be on the machine when it is being loaded by an excavator. When you have the machine in position, activate the parking brake, put it in neutral, turn off the engine and stand at a safe distance. 

The materials that are loaded into the skip should never exceed the height of it as this can effect driver visibility and more importantly can affect the stability of the dumper, increasing the chances of a roll over and can make tipping the contents really dangerous. 

When driving the dumper, you should always drive at a speed that is appropriate to the terrain and surroundings. Driving at excessive speed or sharp cornering, especially when carrying a load can be extremely dangerous. If you need to drive up, down or across a slope you should always check the user manual as this will detail the maximum gradient you can operate the dumper on both empty and fully loaded. 

It’s really important that you stay aware and are constantly looking in the direction of travel to ensure your safety and the safety of the people on site.  

And finally, it is really important that you never travel with the bucket in the raised position as this will make the dumper unstable and could result in a roll over. 

When it comes to tipping the contents of the dumper in a safe way, you should always ensure the ground is level and your steering is straight. Then you will need to put the dumper into neutral and begin to raise and tip your load. It’s really important to keep everyone clear when operating this equipment and be aware of any children or pets that may be in the vicinity.

Refuelling the dumper is really easy to do, this dumper runs off diesel and can be filled by simply lifting the engine canopy and revealing the filler cap.

If you have any issues with any of the products you hire from Speedy, just give your local Service Centre call as we're always available to help and remember to always check the safety and operating guidance before you use any hire product.

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Thank you for reading our Speedy Services blog, we hope you found this how to use a 1T dumper truck guide and video useful.

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