I am going to be doing some driving with a tipper company who have various makes of tippers, was just wondering who everyone thought was the best make of tipper trucks?
So far I have only driven Scania tippers.
Volvo without any shadow of doubt. However a lot depends on who’s made the body and what sort of job the firm have done of fitting it. Assuming you mean rigid of course.
Horses for courses really.Going by 8wheelers. For payload, Daf or Scania P cab.
Multipurpose and muckshifting I’d say Volvo FMX, then Merc Axor.
MAN are still good off-road but are let down by the naff interior and awful auto 'box.
Hinos are cheap and slated by most drivers (most who’ve never driven them), but there are plenty still about.
For nights out, Daf and Volvo do very comfortable bunks. The basic MAN one is on a par with the fold down parcel shelf in a Hino.
Ideally, Foden Alpha if you can get one secondhand. Powerful, lightweight and spares available from Daf dealers.
If you like to cover a tipper in truck branded tat, choose Scania. Loads of Scanias around here have their cabs covered in fairy lights, griffin graphics etc.
Nobody bothers with Hino though.
I find it’s the ones you least expect it to be. Old dears and the like?
DrivingMissDaisy:
I find it’s the ones you least expect it to be. Old dears and the like?
Agree. Fodens, ERF ECs, Merc SKs and even Sed Atkis could get about on a tip better than most current manufacturers.
Volvo fmx best 8 wheeler out there.
kr79:
Volvo fmx best 8 wheeler out there.
Agree, but they’re not the lightest chassis. Then again the FM is good as a tipper anyway. Are the construction spec Mercs available yet? Haven’t seen any.
kr79:
Volvo fmx best 8 wheeler out there.
Couldn’t put it better myself
I would have said Volvo, but a firm I know of has had a lot of problems with 4/5 year old FMs mostly electrical faults, warning lights come up etc,09 reg,6 week back order wait for an engine wireing loom, EGR faults,variable geometry turbos require replacement and so on also 2 maybe 3 have had problems with I shift g/box,so maybe its back to Emperor Hirohito’s revenge the Hino!
I don’t recall tippers having such silly faults when I started tipper driving in 2001. If a warning light came on you knew there was a problem. I’m constantly getting stop messages about engine malfunctions, yet I ignore it as there’s nothing wrong.
splitshift:
so maybe its back to Emperor Hirohito’s revenge the Hino!
Sheehan Plant in Oxford still have their 06 reg 8wheelers and they look in good condition and certainly not pampered Truckfest wagons. I’d actually like to try one, can’t be much different than a MAN.
If they were still making them, Foden would still be up there with the best. Volvo,Scania and Mercedes seem to be popular. Quite a few Renaults getting around now.
DrivingMissDaisy:
I find it’s the ones you least expect it to be. Old dears and the like?
I can see what you did there 
Muckaway:
I don’t recall tippers having such silly faults when I started tipper driving in 2001. If a warning light came on you knew there was a problem. I’m constantly getting stop messages about engine malfunctions, yet I ignore it as there’s nothing wrong.
Across the board now to much electrical stuff now
Euro 6,things can only get worse 
splitshift:
Euro 6,things can only get worse
When Smiths bought their first Daf CFs on Euro 5, they were plagued with sensor faults and the positioning of the adblue tanks meant you couldn’t get as far on a tip as the Alphas.
Dave the Renegade:
If they were still making them, Foden would still be up there with the best. Volvo,Scania and Mercedes seem to be popular. Quite a few Renaults getting around now.
If they wet that amazing they’d still be making them. Foden yes to make a decent enough lorry but sadly Britain struck again and ballsed it all up. The alpha was a DAF in a funny hat and DAF ain’t much cop really.
Nostalgia is a wonderful thing it blurs the truth to suit whatever rubbish one is looking back on.
I’ve never driven a Foden but common sense tells us that if they were sky wonderful they’d still be made.
They stopped Fodens because Cat and ■■■■■■■ wouldn’t invest in Euro 4. Off road, Foden Alpha would beat a CF hands-down. When Smiths had their first CFs me and a mate would test them neck and neck on the tip, the Foden would be ploughing on whilst the Daf spluttered and dug in. The older fibreglass cabbed ones were well out of date when production finished in 2000 but if you could cope with a crash 'box and the occasional draughty cab door they were brilliant. Give me any Foden variant be it 3000/4000 or either Daf cabbed version over the MAN auto I’ve got now anyday.
I’m not a wearer of rose tinted glasses, but someone who’d rather have a decent tool for the job instead of a fancy badge and current registration plate.
Agree the foden was probaly the best all round tipper out there especaly when they got the daf cab. Was only the loss of engine supplier that done for them.
I think paccar thought all the buyers would buy a daf but it didnt quite work like that.
Scania seems the most popular make riund our way now.