Site dumpers: present the inspection history and known defects

A daily check sheet may record a problem. A workshop invoice may record a repair. Unless the two can be connected, the buyer cannot tell whether that problem was resolved.

HSE's site-dumper guidance for Great Britain distinguishes daily visual checks from regular inspection and servicing. It also calls for defects to be reported and safety-critical faults to take the dumper out of service until repaired. A retained check sheet is therefore one part of the history, not a current condition certificate.

Use this checklist when organising the file for a competent plant assessor:

• Identity: do inspection sheets and invoices use the same serial number or traceable fleet number?
• Configuration: do the records cover this dumper and its installed equipment?
• Reported defect: what was actually observed, on what date and by whom?
• Work completed: which job sheet or invoice describes the response?
• Closure: is there evidence that the identified defect was resolved?
• Open item: what remains outstanding, and what restriction or specialist advice applies?
• Latest review: what has changed since the most recent assessment?

Do not edit an old defect entry until it reads like a clean history. Keep the original and add the later repair evidence. If no closure record exists, say so.

Photograph the dumper as offered. Include the identification plate, skip and discharge arrangement, operator area, accessible tyres or tracks, and visible damage. Arrange inspection through someone competent; do not move or operate the machine merely to complete a photograph list.

If refurbishment work has been done, name it. Repainting the skip is different from repairing it, and either is different from a mechanical overhaul. A catalogue phrase such as “recently refurbished” needs a stated scope and supporting dates.

The ex-hire plant guide shows how to make a longer maintenance history readable without hiding its gaps. It is particularly useful when several depots have held the same dumper.

A buyer may reasonably want to know whether a warning, leak or braking concern remains unresolved. Report the recorded observation and the assessor's conclusion, where available. Do not turn a seller's guess into a fault diagnosis. The non-running plant guide provides a clear way to describe a machine awaiting investigation.

Use a dated photograph of the displayed reading. If the counter was replaced, the screen reading alone cannot describe the full operating history. State the replacement evidence and direct buyers to the supporting record.

Nor does a low reading cancel a defect. A lightly used dumper can still need work. The plant hours guide covers readings, replacements and gaps without implying a remaining-life guarantee.

Once the file is organised, ask UK Auction Group about the sale route and the information their catalogue will need. Provide the open-defect schedule at the same time as the photographs. Resolving that scope early helps everyone discuss the same machine and avoids an attractive headline that the detailed records cannot support.

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