Bulk haulage by tipper trailer

What a tipper trailer is

A tipper is a tractor unit with a trailer whose body tilts to unload. At the front it has a telescopic hydraulic ram that pushes the body upwards; the body pivots at the rear and, as it rises, the goods slide out by gravity through the rear tailgate. In a few minutes the trailer is empty.

At Transcosur the tipper works alongside the walking floor in our bulk work. They are the two trailers we built the fleet on from the start, because bulk is where the company began, and each has its own territory.

How a tipper trailer is built

There are several kinds of tipper, but they all share the essentials:

• Open-top body, in steel or aluminium, loaded by shovel, hopper or conveyor.
• Rear tailgate that opens when tipping. Some also have a hatch for a more controlled grain discharge.
• Cover, a sheet or roll-over cover, so the load travels protected from rain and no product is lost on the way.
• Hydraulic ram operated from the tractor unit.

When the body has a rounded floor it is usually called a half-pipe tipper (a bañera in Spain). The grain version is designed for cereals, and the scrap version, more heavily reinforced, is used for scrap and has its own page.

Advantages of the tipper

Very fast unloading. With a free-flowing product the trailer empties in one go, with no waiting for a moving floor to cycle.

Few parts in contact with the load. The body is smooth and easy to clean, which counts when alternating different products or when the product is organic.

Direct discharge into a pit or hopper. Many grain intake points are designed for the lorry to reverse up and tip straight in.

Its limits, and when we send a walking floor

The tipper needs two things at destination: clear headroom and firm, level ground. With the body raised the lorry gains a lot of height, so it cannot unload inside a low-roofed building or under a power line. And as the body goes up, so does the centre of gravity: on soft or sloping ground there is a risk of overturning, one of the typical accidents with this kind of unloading.

Nor does it suit light, fibrous products such as wood chip, or ones that compact, because they do not slide out on their own and can stick to the body.

Feature	Tipper	Walking floor
How it unloads	The body rises and the load slides out by gravity	The floor moves and pushes the load backwards
Headroom needed	A lot, with the body raised	The trailer’s own height
Unloading ground	Firm and level	Copes with buildings, loading bays and uneven ground
Speed	Very fast with free-flowing product	Steadier, but constant
Products	Dense and free-flowing, such as grain	Light, bulky or not free-flowing

When the unloading site or the product does not suit a tipper trailer, the alternative is the walking floor trailer, which unloads without raising the body.

Which services we use it for

• Bulk haulage of free-flowing agricultural and industrial products.
• Organic grain, with a clean body and no residue from previous loads.

What we need to know to send you a tipper

• Product and approximate quantity in tonnes.
• How it is loaded: shovel, hopper, conveyor or silo.
• Where it is unloaded: pit, hopper, open yard or building, and whether there is clear headroom and firm ground.
• Dates, and whether it is a one-off or a regular journey.

With that we can confirm whether a tipper is the right trailer or a walking floor would suit you better, and send you a price.