Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Tipper Trailer: Angle, Tailgate Locks, Battery Protection and More

Tipper trailers are an invaluable tool in a range of applications and industries, and for hauling all types of material, including soil, rubble, garden waste and building supplies.

However, with a variety of different tipper trailers on the market in Adelaide, it’s important that you choose a tipper trailer that has the features, capacity and protection that you need.

At Basic Trailers, we design and manufacture tough and durable tipper trailers built for Australian conditions. In this blog, we use our unrivalled experience as trailer builders to look at the common mistakes people often make when buying a tipper trailer, and what you should look for to ensure you get the right trailer to meet your needs.

Tipping angle

The tipping angle is critical in a tipper trailer. This is because if the angle is too shallow, the load won’t discharge fully, especially when working with compacted materials like clay or wet soil. An insufficient tipping angle can mean that you are still required to manually shovel out the remnants of the load. Therefore, it makes sene to look for a trailer with a tipping angle of at least 45 degrees.

At Basic Trailers, we manufacture tipper trailers that are designed to facilitate the complete discharging of the load without the need for manual intervention, saving you time and effort and enhancing operational efficiency.

Tailgate locking mechanisms

One of the most common mistakes that we see with tipper trailers is locking mechanisms that are not up to the job. This represents a potential hazard both when you’re towing and when tipping.

Our tipper trailers are designed and built with strong, secure yet easy to operate tailgate latches that are built for continuous, regular use. They’re designed not only to keep your load safe in transit, but also to make the unloading process as efficient as possible.

Battery protection

The hydraulic lift system in a tipper trailer is powered by a battery housed in a toolbox situated on the drawbar. As this is a key feature that keeps a tipper functioning fully, it’s important to keep the battery as safe as possible and prevent it form being exposed to hazards such as dust, water, extreme temperatures and vibration on rough road surfaces.

At Basic Trailers, the batteries on our hydraulic tipper trailers come in a fully enclosed, weather-resistant toolbox to ensure longer, safer operating life so that your trailer is able to deliver in even the most demanding work conditions.

Build quality

Given the nature of the work they are required to perform, tipper trailers need to be strong and durable, and able to withstand Australian conditions.

However, some tipper trailers for sale in Adelaide are made overseas, or shipped into the country in pieces and simply bolted together here. This can mean that there are poor welds and other examples of substandard workmanship, leading to excessive wear and tear and operating failure when you need it most.

At Basic Trailers, we are committed to using 100% Australian steel in the manufacture of our tipper trailers, with all the fabrication and welding work done by our own experienced in-house team at our Pooraka workshop. We are proud to champion Australian trades and workmanship, and to produce tipper trailers that can be relied on to perform in Australian conditions.

The right ATM

One of the most common mistakes that it’s easy to make if you’re not very experienced at working with trailers is to buy a trailer with insufficient Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM) to do the work you need it to do.

We design and build tipper trailers in a range of sizes — from 8x6 up to 14x6 — and our largest tri-axle trailers can be upgraded to a 4,500kg ATM. This means that no matter the size of the load, we have a tipper trailer that is built to carry what you need.

Get in touch to find out more about choosing the right tipper trailer

If you want to find out more about avoiding common mistakes when buying a tipping trailer, talk to our friendly, experienced team at Basic Trailers.

All of our tipper trailers are backed by our unique Superior 12 Month Warranty and we are proud of our outstanding customer service and after-sales support.

Call Basic Trailers on 1300 770 770 or email sales@basictrailers.com.au and we’ll be happy to answer your questions and help you avoid the most common mistakes people make when they buy a tipper trailer in Adelaide.