How to Select a Self Dumping Hopper

Posted by rauramh on November 1st, 2014

When it comes time to select the perfect self-dumping hopper for your material handling space, you can't neglect the benefits of good old fashioned research. Knowing the type of hopper to buy and why can make all the difference in the efficiency with which you bring to the job at hand. You can make selections based on purpose of use or to achieve a solution to a problem in your industry. You can even choose one for quality purposes when it comes to handling and transportation of parts. Here we discuss the best ways to select a self-dumping hopper.

What's the Purpose?

First off, consider what the purpose is for your self-dumping hopper. This is when you get down to the basics of researching exactly what you need. If necessary, get out the scale and measuring tape. What is your industry? Do you transport goods like parts or do you transport waste materials? Do you operate indoors or out? How heavy are the materials you're hauling? What are the space restrictions you have to work with? Whether you're transporting wood, plastic, paper or metal, you'll need to match the durability. For instance, if you have extremely heavy materials, you'll need a heavy-duty hopper designed for large loads, preferably made of steel construction. The same is true for the opposite situation: go for a light-weight hopper for lighter materials.

Consider Your Space

When selecting a self dumping hopper, you also have to consider the space with which you have to work as well as existing forklift trucks or machines. For instance, the model, size and lifting capacity of the forklift you already own will have to come into play if your hopper will work in conjunction with this equipment. Other questions to ask yourself include: what's the turning radius of your forklift? What other attachments and accessories do you need, such as casters and lids? What are the current employee lift limits?

How Self-Dumping Hoppers Differ

Not all self dumping hoppers are created equal. There are some designed for low profile access meant for lighter duty, while others are meant to take on 10,000-pound loads at once for the ultimate in load capacity. Your business may benefit from a lightweight, low-noise; easy-to-handle model for close quarters while another business may need all the load capacity they can muster for the biggest jobs. Most manufacturers of self dumping hoppers are quite forthcoming on their websites as to the types of products they offer, all listed by the capacity. You can typically select from 2,000 pound capacities all the way up to 10,000-pound capacities. It all starts with your requirements and what you need for your business, so be sure to do your research.

About the Author:

This article is written by Mike Genter, who is associated with Roura Material Handling. Roura Material Handling produces a large variety of self dumping hoppers including durable hoppers, rugged hoppers, ultimate hoppers, behemoth hoppers as well as custom and specialty dumping hoppers for both commercial and industrial use.