Pronto Pick #13: Eugene Recommends Tipper Trucks for Cartage and Spoil
Welcome back to Pronto Picks, where the Pronto Hire team shares the gear they rate and why they reckon it's worth having on the job.
This time we caught up with Service Manager, Eugene.
His pick? The tipper truck range. 3 Ton, 5 Ton, 8 Ton and 11 Ton.
Why? Because digging material out is only half the job. You've still got to move it.
"People always think about what digger they need, but the truck can make just as much difference to how smoothly the job runs. If you're constantly stopping because you've got nowhere to put the spoil, you're losing time. Get the right tipper running alongside the job and you can just keep things moving."
1) KEEP THE DIGGER DIGGING
You've hired the excavator. You've got someone operating it. The last thing you want is either of them sitting there waiting because there's nowhere left to put the spoil.
Your first thought might be that hiring less is cheaper. But in the long run, waiting around and getting halfway through a job to realise you don't have the right gear might cost you more than you expected.
The digger stops, efficiency drops and suddenly you're waiting on a solution.
While we recommend a dumper for shifting material around the site, a tipper gives you the ability to take that material away offsite and keep the site clear.
The less time spent waiting around or dealing with growing stockpiles, the more time you can spend actually getting the job done.
"If you've got a digger working, you want to keep it working. It means you can efficiently move your spoil, and a lot of it at once while you keep digging."
2) THEY WORK IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
Most people book a tipper thinking about what's leaving site. That's only half of what it does.
The same truck that takes spoil out can bring metal, gravel, sand, aggregate, topsoil and landscaping material back in. It'll shift green waste, handle general cartage, and do supply runs between sites.
So you're not hiring a truck for one task at one end of the job. You're hiring something that earns its keep all the way through.
"That's probably what I like most about them. You might start the day taking spoil out and then need metal brought back in. Tippers are so versatile, that's what makes them so handy."
3) THERE'S A SIZE FOR THE SITE
Bigger isn't always better.
The truck still needs to get through the gate, down the driveway, around the site, into position and back out again. A truck that can't reach the material isn't much use to you.
That's why we've got options from 3 Ton through to 11 Ton.
- 3 Ton: residential driveways, landscaping, fencing and tight urban sites. This is the one when access is your limiting factor, not volume.
- 5 Ton: the all-rounder. More on board than the 3 Ton but still practical on most sites. Suits builders, landscapers and rural work.
- 8 Ton: when volume starts to matter more than access. Aggregate runs, bigger site clearances and road maintenance.
- 11 Ton: bulk earthmoving and civil work. Fewer trips on high-volume jobs where there's room to move.
Work out your access first, then take the biggest truck that fits it. That's usually the right answer.
"Tell us what you're moving and what the access is like. That's usually enough for us to point you towards the right truck."
4) THE 3 TON CAN BE DRIVEN ON A FULL CLASS 1 LICENCE
4) THE 3 TON CAN BE DRIVEN ON A FULL CLASS 1 LICENCE
Our Fuso Canter 616 City Tipper comes in under the 6,000kg limit, meaning it can be driven on a full Class 1 licence without needing a heavy vehicle licence.
So if you hold a full Class 1 licence, you don't necessarily need to organise someone with a Class 2 just to get the benefits of a proper hydraulic tipper.
For builders, landscapers, fencers and smaller contractors, that makes it a seriously useful truck for shifting things.
"The 3 Ton is a good option because you can drive it on a full Class 1 licence. A lot of people assume they'll need a truck licence and don't realise that's an option."
The 3 Ton is the only truck in our tipper range that sits under the Class 1 threshold. The 5 Ton, 8 Ton and 11 Ton all require the appropriate heavy-vehicle licence. Talk to us if you're unsure and we'll make sure you're looking at the right option.
5) TIP IT, DON'T SHOVEL IT
This is one of the simplest benefits, but it's a good one.
When it's time to unload, the truck does the hard part.
The hydraulic body lifts and tips the material out rather than leaving you manually unloading a truck or trailer full of material.
For gravel, soil, spoil, aggregate and similar bulk material, that can turn an ordinary unloading job into a much quicker one.
"When moving bulk material, you don't only need to think about how you're moving it, but how you're tipping it. That's why the hydraulic tip is so handy, drive, tip and go."
QUICK SPEC SNAPSHOT
QUICK SPEC SNAPSHOT
- Best for tight access, residential driveways, landscaping and fencing work
- Can be driven on a full Class 1 licence (Fuso Canter 616, GVM 5,995kg)
- Optional 2,500 litre motorised water tank available
- Great all-round option for landscaping, building, civil and rural work
- Suitable for soil, gravel, sand, metal and general material movement
- More capacity for higher-volume jobs
- Suited to aggregate, spoil, supply runs and road maintenance
- Bulk option for larger earthmoving and civil projects
- Suited to higher-volume material movement
EUGENE'S VERDICT
If there's material coming out of the ground, don't wait until you've got a mountain of it sitting on site before thinking about how you're going to move it.
Match the truck to the job from the start.
"If you're booking the digger, I'd be thinking about the truck at the same time. It's one of those things that can save you a lot of mucking around later. Tell us what you're doing, what you're moving and what the access is like and we'll help you work out what size you need."
HIRE A TIPPER TRUCK FROM PRONTO HIRE
From a 3 Ton for tighter residential access through to an 11 Ton for bulk material movement, we've got a tipper to match the job.
Need help choosing?
Tell us three things:
- What you're moving
- Roughly how much you've got
- What the site access is like
We'll help you work out the rest.
📧 hire@prontohire.co.nz
📞 0800 PRONTO (77 66 86)
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