im currnently driving an 8 wheeler tipper but might be doing some hookloader work next week any advice or tips are they any harder than just normal tipper 
there not hard mate they can be a bit top heavy when loaded so carefull on the bends as for loading them once you have the hook on the bin when your lifting take your handbrake off so the truck pulls under the bin as your loading it ,just streer so you keep the runners lined up once the bins on the truck then put your hand brake back on and it the bins heavy use the rear stablisers as well good luck
There OK mate, you will sort it.
there easy mate after a few goes you will be throwing them about, if its a heavy 1 you can drop hydrolic rams onto the suspension stop it bottoming out, just remember to lift them 
wot about the controls for em are they like tipper just clutch in then pto on then operate hydrolics 
Everything is easy once you know how to do it !
The bloke that showed me first time couldn’t teach a fish to swim, I was very much left to work it out myself.
The standard control box should be: From left to right (1) Arms in/out. (2) Stabilisers down/up (3) Clamps in/out
(4) Slide back/forward (5) Tip/load.
I don’t know why but most drivers seem to enjoy spending their breaks rubbing the labels off the control box & stabbing the LED’s with a pen, it’s rare to find a box with all it’s labels & LED’s working.
Getting the bin off:
- Arms out. Most are fitted with hydraulic sheets & the arms have to move away from the body before anything else works.
- Clamps released.
- Slide the bin back. To drop the bin it has to move a few feet backwards on the body.
- Tip.
Depending on what surface you’re on you will either let the bin roll along the ground or let it touch the ground then release your handbrake to let the truck roll forwards. This can be scary the first few times untill you get the hang of it. Ask if you can try this out a few times in the yard before embarrassing yourself on site as both the bin & truck slowly roll forwards whilst your busy watching where it lands.
Getting the bin on:
- Having just dropped a bin the hook should be in the right(ish) height position, try to approach the bin straight on, the drivers side mirror gives the best view. Don’t be afraid to bang the bin, they’re tuff & built for it. Once the hooks engaged lift the bin a few inches & for the first few times jump out & check that it’s got it. At this stage you should know if you need the stabilisers, I lift 8ton without them but it’s good practice to always use them.
If you can’t approach straight on don’t worry. Lift the bin a few inches & jump out to check whether lifting it anymore is going to bash the rear lights as the corner of the bin hits them, this is possible even at quite narrow angles & is a very common way for newbies to get new rear lights fitted. Use a combination of dragging the bin forwards & lifting it with the handbrake off to get your truck in the right position, all that matters is for the bins runners to hit the trucks rollers at the right time. Get that bit wrong & you might be needing a crane to lift the bin off the truck for a 2nd attempt.
You will eventually come across the mother of all difficult bins. Seemingly impossible to lift without damaging the yard, bin & truck. This was placed there by a particularly nasty & sadistic child with no father who was probably grinning while he dismissed all other ways to site it for no reason other than to feed his inferiority complex by having the power to screw up someone else’s day. He wonders why his cab always smells of sour milk.
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Load it on. It’s best practice to do this with the handbrake off & let the truck roll under the bin, keep an eye on the bins runners as they approach the lorrys rollers. Once the runners are in the rollers relax & take a breath, let the machine do the work.
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Once the bins landed on the lorry slide it forwards.
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Clamp it. On the basis that most drivers have already bashed the LED & ripped out the siren it’s good practice to jump out & check it’s clamped. It’s very important.
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While you’re out of the cab checking it’s clamped then you may as well sheet it, some can operate the sheet from within the cab, personally I think this is wrong. The sheet should have an elastic rope to hook onto the bin, use it so you don’t have to worry about any of the load jumping/flying off.
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Arms in. On the basis that the previous Neanderthals have disabled all the failsafes then check that the arms are in before travelling. They ruin the view from the mirrors.
Before travelling have a good look at the bins doors to check they’re secure & the locking mechanism isn’t bashed (they get bashed quite a lot). Now’s the best time to arrange the welding/cutting gear & BIG hammers to meet you at the tip.
Tipping the bin:
- Arms out & unsheet it.
- Release the doors. There are 3 main types of door (1) Top hinge, should have a camlock & a locking pin. Don’t release the camlock before pulling out the locking pin. (2) Side hinge, as the top hinge but remember to leave enough clearance to swing the door open. You must secure the door to the side of the bin. (3) Double doors, as above.
- Clamps off & slide the bin back a little (6"-12"), this is optional but good practice if the load is in danger of smashing the rear lights as it tips.
- If you needed stabilisers when lifting you’ll certainly need them when tipping.
- Clamps on. This bit’s important, check it.
- Tip. Once the load has slid off you can release the handbrake & it should roll the truck forward to leave a nice little pile of compact load, if you have to drive the truck forward be carefull not to spread the load 1/2 mile down the tip.
- Lower the bin & don’t forget to slide it forwards again. Close the doors & check they’re locked secure.
- Check it’s clamped. This bit is important.
Easy peasy. If you aren’t able to do it in your sleep after 10 bins then you shouldn’t be driving a truck in the first place.
On my last hooklift contract there were 15 Volvo’s all supposedly exactly the same. Ha Ha Ha, there were slight variations on the control box of all of them. If it’s your first time you need to pick up & drop a bin a few times before you leave the yard, get someone to show you the peculiarities of the individual control box. It can be very disorientating if it’s constantly throwing the PTO off or you can’t silence the ■■■■sirens.
cheers for the info
All good advice but also take it easier on the bends compared to your tipper especally with the bigger bins as the centre of gravity is quite a bit higher than a tipper and its not uncommon to have bins loaded top heavy.
Of all the driving jobs ive done i found hookloaders one of the most enjoyable.
i had fun with my Rollonoff
in the day
approach low bridge on Goss Moss
shout on cb to following truck to hang back as bin too high 
push bin off drag under bridge pull bin back on thank all and sundry for patience
go to Llanhydrock house have breakfast cos my mate was catering there 
carry on to yard (Bedworth)
happy days
its good to be paid to go the the land of the pixies
hitch:
i had fun with my Rollonoff
in the day
approach low bridge on Goss Moss
shout on cb to following truck to hang back as bin too high
push bin off drag under bridge pull bin back on thank all and sundry for patience
go to Llanhydrock house have breakfast cos my mate was catering there
carry on to yard (Bedworth)
happy days
its good to be paid to go the the land of the pixies
id of loved to see that wud of made my day leaving 2 roller imprints in the process
hitch:
shout on cb to following truck to hang back as bin too high
push bin off drag under bridge pull bin back on thank all and sundry for patience
This kind of ‘out of the box’, laterall thinking will get you nowhere.
They told me to take a 15mls detour to avoid a low bridge close to our depot on certain routes. When I offerred the obvious (to me) solution of dropping the bin & dragging it under only 1 other driver put his single finger to his lips & went Shushhh.
There was a mighty fine cafe’ just the other side of that bridge that at least 2 drivers used to enjoy 15mins at.