Buying a dumper - things to consider?

[MarkyP]

I bought an old Takeuchi TB125 digger a while ago as I have a plot of several acres which was neglected for decades is in places very over grown and is in need of lots of work to get clear and under control plus loads of landscaping to do, drives and old hard standings to dig out - all sorts. The digger has been brilliant and I've done jobs that I wouldnt have dreamed of tackling before. But, as a few friends warned me, the issue quickly arises where you have great piles of spoil to shift over distances or deliveries of top soil or aggregates to move about. "you'll need a dumper" they said.

 

So I'm seriously considering buying a used dumper. I learned a lot about the used plant market when buying the digger and already have seen some rust bomb 30 year old dumpers which have been re-sprayed signal yellow and put up for sale on ebay for £3k! 

 

Any tips or suggestions on what to consider? Is 4wd sensible (large sloping plot)? I am not considering the old manual tip machines, has to be hydraulic. Size is another consideration - 3t would probably be most the most versatile but I need to consider storage, those 3t machines aren't small, so wondering if a 2t would be a good compromise. I guess a machine with a roll bar would be sensible, but wonder if I could retrofit as many older machines dont have them? Any other suggested things to consider? Also budget - there are a lot of machines from £1k to £4k, with some looking like complete sheds, others sounding like they've been on a farm under cover and looking half reasonable on original paint. I guess ideally I'd like to spend less than £3k. 

[scottishjohn]

having bought one  benford dsr3000 swivel tip  -which was probably not the cheapest --but first class condition and also air cooled engine --no freeze problems

things to check --does the hand brake and indeed the brakes work  --expensive to fix as they are inside the axle units  and not working on most old s/h ones  and on flat sites they never bother to fix them 

 

4wd -wouldn,t consider any thing else

swivel tip is very handy but depending on site not essential 

i needed swivel tip to make up sides of my road iwth rock 

do you need one to fill a skip --thats a different thing again .

 

I see you have several acres --did you get a felling license ?

 you can only remove trees less than 4" in diameter without one 

measured at 1.3m for gorund 

and the fine is £1500

and then they can  make you replant -

there is also a thinning licnese which allows up to 40% removal of trees without replanting 

worth a talk with forestry man to see if you need one maybe 

the bottom line is they do ont want to loose any forest cover at all -and a few acres will not be classed as a garden 

you can remove up to 5 cum of wood per 4months without a license and iwhtout replanting requirement

 

Edited July 28, 2020 by scottishjohn

[joe90]

I bought a 60 year old manual dumper and regret it, if the load is not bone dry it will not tip, load sticks to the bucket, get a 4w drive like @scottishjohn says, you will get most of your money back, I wish in had done this ?

[dpmiller]

got a TB125 myself and paired it with a 2.5t Thwaites 4x4, air cooled Lister twin. Anything smaller looked pointless and a bit "tippy" to me...

[Pocster]

Thought that title was you wanting to buy the mother in law 

[scottishjohn]

even the wife can drive it --if pushed

first problem with it last week --a puncture hardly a surprise when you see where i been with it

Edited July 28, 2020 by scottishjohn

[MarkyP]

thanks for replies, I'm thinking that perhaps a 3t is the way forward. Seem to be fewer 2 or 2.5t machines around in any case. Looks like you can source retrofit roll bars which I think would be useful as we are on a slope. 

 

@scottishjohnthe site isnt wooded, the larger section is former unimproved pasture on a very well drained, south facing chalk slope which has really prevented trees taking hold - the soil is thin and very dry in the summer. I've been clearing sections thick with scrub and bramble and restoring, it must have been hay meadow as without any effort to re-seed and just an annual cut it is already proving to be quite a remarkable flower meadow so the soil much have had a decent seed bank. Already several uncommon species of flower including some orchids, the aspect and soil means grass stuggles to take over so it's perfect conditions for chalk meadow. We do have quite a few areas around the house with some sycamores that will be coming out, but that's all well in the domestic curtilege so no worries there.

[MarkyP]

I found a very tidy 3t Barford SX3000 last week, picked it up yesterday. Very pleased, it's in really good shape and has been well looked after by previous one owner. I was getting a bit fed up with looking at rust buckets and battered old machines so nice to find a good one at a sensible price. I'll add a pic later. 

[MarkyP]

And here it is. Runs really well and can't find a fault with it at all. Glad I went for a 3t, it's a handy size.