You’re ready to streamline the waste removal processes at your manufacturing facility.
Maybe you’ve looked around at the varied world of dumpsters and trash bins.
You’re wondering exactly WHAT features you might need in a quality dump hopper.
Wherever you are in the journey to making your employees more efficient, productive, and happier, we’ve put together seven tips to make your dump hopper or dumpster purchase as effective and cost-effective as possible.
What Are Self-Dumping Hoppers?
Self-dumping hoppers are an upgrade over trash bins or small dumpsters that collect waste for businesses, often used in manufacturing facilities, woodshops, and even among roofing professionals or contractors.
Dump hoppers can usually can be lifted by forklifts, and they “dump” into a larger outdoor dumpster with the pull of a lever.
By replacing trash cans and numerous trips to a central dumpster, they save businesses time, effort, and money on wasted labor.
Here are seven tips to selecting the right dump hopper manufacturer (whether that’s us or someone else!) from Creekside Manufacturing’s owner Justin Oberholtzer.
1. Compare The Weight Capacity And Empty Weight Of Your Hopper Options
Make sure to compare not just capacity of your hopper options, by volume, but also by weight.
One two-cubic-yard dumpster may not hold as much weight as the next one.
If you’re considering a two-yard dumpster rated for 4000 pounds at one manufacturer, ensure that all of the two-cubic-yard dumpsters you’re considering can hold the same amount of weight – or more.
Additionally, consider the empty weight of your hopper.
While not all dump hopper manufacturers publish this information (though you can ask!), heavier empty weight can be a good indicator of build quality.
2. Get A Good Warranty and Guarantee
Ask your dump hopper manufacturer what kind of ongoing support they provide if issues arise.
Many dump hopper manufacturers just want to sell you a hopper… and then never hear from you again.
Things can go wrong, and a reputable manufacturer should stand by their dump hopper and provide ongoing support if or when necessary. Do they provide spare parts? What’s covered and for how long? Is there a written guarantee or warranty?
These are all good questions to ask before you pull the trigger on your dump hopper purchase.
3. Find Out Where Their Metal Comes From And Where They Manufacture
Foreign-sourced metal is cheap and abundant, but the best steel comes from North America. Overseas metals tend to be softer as a result of poor/cheap metallurgy techniques.
Find out where they manufacture their dump hoppers, too.
While you can find cheaper builds from overseas, most Made In America manufacturers (like us!) take great pride in their work, and it shows with ongoing build quality and lower maintenance.
In the last few years, we’ve had an influx of new customers frustrated by their experience with a prior manufacturer’s dump hopper that simply didn’t hold up.
4. Consider Whether The Dump Hopper Salesperson is Knowledgeable and Helpful
Is your sales person clearly helpful and knows the dump hopper or equipment they sell?
Many industrial equipment suppliers represent dozens of products, and they likely haven’t even seen their dump hopper in action! If your sales person is just reading from a spec sheet, it may not be the right fit.
Ideally, you want to work with someone who clearly knows the product, has seen it in action, and understands the many facets of a dump hopper that make it “do its thing.”
At Creekside Manufacturing, we strive to answer any question and we want you to be as informed as possible – there is no “dumb” question.
5. Does Your Hopper Go Through Inspection and Testing?
A good dump hopper seller should go through an inspection and testing process or formal procedure for every hopper.
At Creekside Manufacturing, every weld, cut, and seam is inspected by hand, and every dump hopper is made to last. We test each unit before it leaves the shop, and our team stands fully behind every unit that goes out the door.
6. Be Able to Articulate Your Needs and Know How Much Trash You Move
When you buy a dump hopper, it’s helpful to have a sense for the volume of waste you’re moving now, so that you can get a dump hopper that will accommodate your current processes and have room for growth.
Have your team keep track of how much waste they’re moving on a daily or weekly basis. Track this over the course of a few weeks to better understand how a dump hopper might improve efficiency and how much space you need.
Make sure you know where you’ll put your dump hopper – underneath or beside a table, stacked two high for storage, etc.
Do you need casters for rolling it around the facility?
Will you be taking it outdoors? How high will it be when it’s dumped?
These are all good questions to think through in advance, and a good hopper sales person will be able to help you find the right size and add-ons based on this information.
7. Consider Customizations For Your Dump Hopper
You don’t have to go with standard options and sizes!
Can your self-dumping dumpster manufacturer accommodate customizations? For example, Creekside Manufacturing makes low-profile hoppers that slide under tables; we also make stackable units; and we can customize them to just about any size you want!
If you need something outside of the “industry standard” sizes, we can help.
We make dump hoppers in stainless steel or aluminum, too. Stainless steel is perfect for facilities with moisture: butcher shops are a perfect example. We’ve also built stainless steel dump hoppers for chemical manufacturers and fertilizer companies.
Aluminum can make sense for dump hoppers that need to be as lightweight as possible, at as much as 35% of the weight of traditional steel.
At Creekside Manufacturing, we strive for custom options at affordable prices.
Get a Reliable Dump Hopper And Save Time At Your Facility
Dump hoppers make waste management easier and faster, saving your team and your business money and increasing profitability.
Imagine if your talented craftspeople spent more time making products and less time wheeling waste out the door.
Imagine if they could slide waste material right off the end of their workbench and into a dump hopper that could be whisked away once a day to your outdoor dumpster.
A dump hopper from Creekside Manufacturing is the perfect solution. Customizable and with killer customer service, we’d love to hear about your business and your needs. Call to learn more and customize your dump hopper with one of our knowledgeable technicians today.
