In the hypothetical canon of heavy construction equipment, the dumptruck is one of the most commonly used, commonly seen and important vehicles in the fleet, to the point that many construction companies would consider buying rather than renting.
There are countless types, shapes and sizes of dumptruck, from smaller front-loaded designs intended to move materials around a construction site to vast mining haul trucks intended to carry vast amounts of rock, metal or coal across open pit mines.
The first dumptruck, however, had rather less lofty or targeted ambitions. Instead, it was a way to mechanise one of the most important ways to keep cities safe and free of disease.
Chiswick-based steam engineering firm Thornycroft did not invent the dust cart or the bin lorry, but they were the first to create a dedicated machine for the process.
The Steam Dust-Cart, made in 1897, was a modification of John Thornycroft’s original steam-powered wagon, an early industrial vehicle with a steam engine, rear-wheel steering and front-wheel drive.
To fit the tipper mechanism and ensure the wagon was still drivable, Thornycroft reversed this system to account for the inconsistent weight on the back wheels that could affect the control of the truck when it had a lighter load.
It was an almost-immediate success, and Thornycroft quickly became the biggest employer in Basingstoke, aided by the success of the dumptruck and Thornycroft’s existing reputation in the world of fast steam-powered boats.
The dumptruck, despite its capabilities, was not ideally suited to waste disposal; the open lorry part was too high for rubbish collectors to comfortably dump waste into it as they needed to lift the bin to shoulder height each time.
As well as this, as waste disposal changed from primarily carrying away ashes and dust, an open-top carriage was increasingly prone to emanating foul smells.
By that point, however, the dumptruck had found countless new purposes and had become a critical part of building sites.
https://www.mining-technology.com/features/trialli...
