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About Flatbed Dump Trucks

Whether you call it a “dumper” or “tip truck,” a flatbed dump truck is handy for hauling heavy and sometimes odd-shaped objects that may not be as efficient to transport by full-size flatbed or dump semitrailer and that may not fit inside an enclosed truck. For example, such trucks are often used to haul boulders and other rocks, construction waste, forestry materials, specialized machinery, and more.

This vocational vehicle usually has a wood or steel bed and several built-in tie-down points to attach ratchet straps, belts, or chains to secure the cargo. Some models are equipped with stake sides that come in handy when the truck carries waste, like bags of grass, tree branches, etc.

Some have beds made of aluminum and can offer excellent payload capacity due to their lighter gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), as well as greater resistance to corrosion over time. The tradeoff is that an aluminum bed is more expensive and often costs more to repair than other options.

Size Matters

A medium-duty dump truck’s GVWR varies between 14,001 and 26,000 pounds (6,350 and 11,793 kilograms), whereas heavy-duty examples usually weigh over 26,000 lbs. Regardless of the truck’s weight class, lightweight bed construction is often a big advantage. Even the biggest, Class 8 dump trucks with the right equipment can carry greater loads while complying with federal and local weight regulations designed to prevent damage to the environment or infrastructure.

How To Choose A Flatbed Dump Truck

When considering the purchase of flatbed dump truck, determining what sort of loads it will carry—and how much those loads will weigh—is a good starting place. This allows you to match the expected workload with your prospective truck’s engine’s power. This often varies between 300 and 600 horsepower (224 and 447 kilowatts); too little power and your truck will be ill-equipped to get the job done, whereas too much will use more fuel than is necessary, raising your operating costs and eroding the return on your investment.

A truck’s transmission is another important factor to weigh before making a purchase. While some drivers would never give up the precise control of a manual transmission, others prefer automatic options as they simplify a driver’s job and can help prevent operator fatigue during extended shifts. Automated manual transmissions are popular with truck buyers because they offer a good combination of driver comfort and the adaptability and efficiency of precise control.

When considering suspension options for your dump truck, you’ll have a variety of choices ranging from mechanical suspensions to air ride, spring, and four-spring offerings. Mechanical suspensions are among the most popular on the market because they require very little maintenance and serve as a good cushion between the load and the truck’s frame.

Air ride suspensions are more expensive but add less weight to the truck while providing greater flexibility in ride height. They also deliver a smoother ride when the truck is unloaded than other options. Spring suspensions are generally the most cost-effective and stable solution but result in a stiffer ride. Some operators favor 4-spring suspensions as they provide good balance between price and handling.

Find A New Or Used Flatbed Dump Truck

MachineryTrader.com includes listings for a wide selection of flatbed dump trucks capable of taking on a wide variety of jobs. Explore for-sale listings for trucks from top brands, such as Chevrolet, Ford, Freightliner, and International, and browse their most popular models, including Ford’s F-750, International’s DuraStar 4300, and the Freightliner Business Class M2 106, and invest in the future.