Speedy Top Tip: How to Use a Mini Dumper

How to Use A Mini Dumper - Correctly and Safely

How to use a mini dumper: Have you been left with a pile of rubble or dirt? Or maybe you need to move a load of gravel or hardcore from the front of your house to the back? Well, if that’s the case, why not make it as easy as you can and hire one of these. 

This is a mini dumper, 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 safety and operating instructions, please make sure you read these before you begin your job.

Before you use the mini dumper it’s really important that you wear the correct PPE, eye protection, safety boots, gloves and hearing protection are essential, and depending on your project and what materials you are moving, you may also need a dust mask and hard hat. Any PPE you do require can be purchased from Speedy.

Speedy Top Tip! Please Watch our How To Use a Mini Dumper Video below:

This equipment is really easy to use. This is a petrol, walk behind mini dumper and can be fuelled by removing the cap here and filling it up with regular unleaded petrol. If you are refuelling the dumper after it’s been used it’s really important that you let the engine cool down before you refuel. As refuelling when the engine is hot could be really dangerous.

All of the controls on this mini dumper can be found on the handles, so before we start this machine it’s really important that you familiarise yourselves with the controls. On the left, this red lever is a safety switch which will need to be compressed in order to start the engine.  Underneath you will find a black handle, squeezing this will move the dumper either forwards or backwards depending on what gear you have it in. 

Just in front of you there is a lever with 6 settings, this is a gear lever. Pulling the lever towards you will put the machine in reverse, pushing it forwards to the next setting will put it in neutral meaning the mini dumper will not move, above neutral there are 4 forward speed settings, the slowest being at position 1 and the fastest being at position 4.

You should always change your speed settings based on how comfortable you feel using the dumper and the terrain you are travelling on. If you're unsure about anything please refer to the operator’s manual that will be provided with your hire, this will give you more detailed information on terrains and gradients over which you can operate the dumper when both empty and fully loaded. 

On the other handle you will find a throttle, it has four settings. Pulled right back is the off position, if you push it all the way to the top, this will activate the choke which you will only need when starting the dumper.  Between these there are two setting that control the revs of the engine, push towards the tortoise icon will lower the revs and toward the hare icon will increase the revs.

The Skip on this dumper uses a counterbalancing system, meaning that when you are ready to tip the dumper you simply need to squeeze the skip release handle and lift the dumper upwards, this will enable the skip to tilt forwards, emptying the contents. When it has finished emptying, you’ll need to manually return the skip back to its original position. 

There are two grey levers either side of the machine. These are used to activate the four-wheel drive function. Raising both levers will increase the traction to give better motion on challenging terrain. Lowering them will decrease the traction when not needed - for example if the dumper is being used on stable ground such as concrete or paving.

Now we know how the controls work, let’s take it outside and fire it up. 

Starting this mini dumper is really easy, to begin with you will need to ensure that the small fuel lever is positioned to the middle, this will allow fuel to get to the engine. Next you will need to activate the choke and finally, compress the red lever on the handle and give the cord a pull. Don’t worry if it doesn’t start straight away as it might just take a couple of pulls. Once the engine is running you can deactivate the choke by moving the throttle back towards the tortoise icon.

Once it’s started you can crack on with your jobs. Just make sure you keep everyone clear when operating this equipment and ensure children and pets are kept well away from the dumper. 

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

Ready for more DIY tips?

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

For further tips and how-to guides please visit our Skills and Projects page.

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