Called many different names by operators across the UK, the Grab Lorry or Grab Loader – or ‘Tipper Grab’ is a tipper with a front mounted crane which has been fitted with a grab bucket. These trucks are often seen at roadworks when there are holes to be dug. These grab lorries are responsible for the tidying up after the excavators have finished their work. Once the tipper body has been loaded by the grab bucket, the truck can drop the load using the tipping body at a suitable location. These trucks are usually 6×4 rigids although there are plenty of 8×4 grab loaders for sale at Truckpages.
The most common used grabloader on the Truckpages website are DAF tipper grabs – unsurprising since DAF are UK market leaders across nearly all truck weight ranges. Other popular choice of chassis for a grabloader are MAN, Volvo and Scania.
Look for cranes by Palfinger – especially their Epsilon series or HMF – check that the crane is first life and wasn’t installed second hand.
Make sure there is a current LOLER inspection on the crane and that all elements are fully operational. As it is a grabloader, it will be relatively easy to test the operation of the crane locally. Does it rotate as it should? What condition is the bucket in? Is there more than one bucket/grab available?
As with buying any tipper make sure that the hydraulics are operational and there are no leaks in the tipping mechanism or in and around the crane.
Does the tipping body have an easy sheet system? If so what is the condition of the sheeting and the mechanical system? Is there on-board weighing? Does it work properly? Is the truck fitted with rear and side view cameras?
All of these extras make the job easier, but they will also add to the price of a used grabloader. As with buying any truck always shop around for the right truck with the right equipment – it is much more important getting the right tool for the job, rather than trying to save a couple of pounds at the time of purchase!
Here is a video from Kel-Berg showing a new grabloader with a Palfinger Epsilon M125 crane and grab bucket and under-body tipping ram
When Should I Buy a Grabloader Truck?
To explain to the uninitiated, a ‘grab loader’ is a tipper truck fitted with a front mounted crane and grab attachment. They go under a couple of other names, tipper grabs, grab lorry but these are all the same basic trucks.
The primary function of a grab loader is to clear large quantities of loose materials away quicky and efficiently.
Using words to paint a picture, let’s say we’ve dug a large hole at the side of the road – not an uncommon occurrence! And we need to clear the debris away, what options do we have.
The first is to have a skip alongside and keep loading it as we go. This would need a small excavator or some strong people with a plank or wood and a wheel barrow. You also have a skip in the way and have to wait for it to be collected and replaced.
Larger than a skip, a hook loader truck leaves its body behind to be loaded. The same problem arises as far as loading the body is concerned – you will need a larger excavator with a longer reach, or a really long plank of wood!
A grabloader is a tipper truck (with a slightly smaller body to accommodate the crane) so, why not just use a normal tipper truck? If you have dug a hole, surely you have an excavator on site to load it? This may be the case, but it only takes a relatively small, 1 tonne excavator or backhoe loader to dig a sizeable hole, but it will not have the reach to load a tipper properly – and remember, time is money and this will take forever!
Taking a larger excavator to site or a wheel loader may not be possible and would also cost an arm and a leg.
If the majority of your business is bulk tipping where the trucks are loaded on site using large wheel loaders or from overhead gantries you will need to maximise the payload. Adding a heavy crane to the truck and reducing the size of the tipping body will penalise you.
So, it may sound obvious but, if you need a tipper, buy a tipper, if yu have a regular need for roadside rubble and waste clearance either rent in or buy a grabloader!
A different type of crane truck adorns this week’s front cover. You could almost be transported to the golden gate bridge in San Francisco when looking at the Avonmouth setting for the Scania P320 XT 6×4 grabloader. It’s a 2019 Euro 6 model with a Thompson tipping body and Palfinger Epsilon M125L crane and grab....
Northern Ireland-based EJC Contracts has taken delivery of three new DAF CF450 8×4 32-tonne tipper grabs from MV Commercial, each equipped with Thompsons bodies and Palfinger Epsilon cranes. The new trucks follow an identical order MV Commercial supplied into the business last year and join a mixed commercial fleet of around 150 vehicles, which includes...
Volvo FE Electric directly replaces a similarly sized diesel vehicle in the Hounslow fleet, unlocking an immediate sustainability benefit. The truck will be deployed on various highway and street service works, operating up to seven days a week and completing more than 30,000km annually in the urban London Borough. The London Borough of Hounslow has...
A treat for you on this week’s front cover. An ex-council Euro 6 2014 DAF LF250 with what appears to be a snow plough front attachment but instead of a gritting body, comes with a demountable hotbox, directly from the council and is available now from CB Commercials. Browse this week’s magazine for plenty of...
If you are thinking about buying a grab loader then the truck on this week’s front cover could be the perfect Christmas present for you. MV Commercial are selling a 2023 DAF CF450 grab loader ready to go to work. It is fitted with a Thompson body, easy sheet and Palfinger Epsilon M125L crane with...
