New heavyweight

Terex's New 10 Tonne capacity site dumper, the PT 10000, is now commercially available. A prototype of the front tipping machine was exhibited at the SED exhibition in Corby, UK, earlier in the year, and it is thought to be the highest capacity site dumper currently available on the market.

Nine and 10 tonne capacity machines are something of a niche within the site dumper segment. “It is predominantly a UK product. However, Northern Spain takes a lot of 9 tonne models, so we'll see how the 10 tonner goes, said Terex Compact marketing manager Adrian Hyde.

Having said that, such relatively large machines are sold in reasonable numbers. Mr Hyde puts the UK market for 9 and 10 tonne dumpers at 1000 units per year, and Terex's existing 9 tonne PT 9000 accounts for 14% of total dumper production - about 3300 units this year - at the company's Coventry, UK factory.

Site dumpers in the UK, and indeed most of Northern- and Mid- Europe, tend to be bought by rental companies. However, Terex believes its 10 tonne machine could be of interest to contractors and owner- operators. “There is a strong rental bias, although around this size you do get some owner operators. These 10 tonners are perfectly matched to 13 tonne excavators, said Mr Hyde.

Vital Statistics

Terex is at pains to describe the PT10000 as a “true 10 tonne dumper, thanks to its 5,05 m³heaped capacity skip. Skip size is one of the limiting factors for site dumpers, because there is a danger that the larger the payload gets, the more obscured the driver's forward visibility. Terex has looked to address this issue by raising the driver's seating area by 100 mm (or about +4%), compared to the PT9000.

Other notable differences from the PT9000 include a strengthened front chassis, axles and driveline, while the support structures around the skip pivot pin have also been improved. Another interesting feature is that the skip tip hydraulic cylinders are cushioned to prevent jerks at either end of their travel.

“These 10 tonners are perfectly matched to 13 tonne excavators

The PT10000 is 2,55 m wide, making it legal to be driven on-highway. The total length is 4,42 m, and the dumper's unladen weight is 5,3 tonnes. Power comes from a 4,5 litre Cummins diesel, producing 74,5 kW. There are four forward and reverse speeds and the machine's maximum speed is 28 km/h, and it has a turning circle of 12 m - claimed by Terex to be 1 m less than its competitors' 10 tonners.

With the same engine power as the PT 9000 and very similar dimensions, it remains to be seen whether the PT10000 will be seen as complementary to existing 9 tonne models, or whether this larger class will replace them. After all, this is more or less what happened to 8 tonne dumpers when the first 9 tonners were launched.

For its part, Terex sees a future for 9 tonne dumpers. “The rental market seems to see the 9 and 10 tonne models as different beasts, with different rates being achievable, said Mr Hyde.