Dumping Hoppers
HERMEQ dumping hoppers collect debris, rubble and production waste on construction sites and in plants, then carry it to a dumpster or container and empty it without anyone tipping the load by hand. Loading and emptying are quick, and sizes run from small hoppers that sit beside a machine to large crane-lifted boat hoppers. The forklift self-dumping hoppers and heavy-duty dumping hoppers, also known as roll-forward hoppers, are built to OSHA requirements. The telehandler dumping hopper locks onto the forks automatically, so the operator stays in the cab from pickup to dump. Across the range, hoppers are handled by forklifts, telehandlers and cranes.
Forklift, crane and low-profile self-dumping hoppers
The machine that will lift the hopper narrows the choice first, then the material and the container it is emptied into.
Forklift self-dumping hoppers
A roll-forward forklift dumping hopper is the standard choice wherever a forklift is on hand, in yards, plants and on jobsites, for mixed debris, scrap and bulky waste emptied over the wall of a dumpster. The forklift self-dumping hoppers stack and nest when empty, which saves floor space in storage and deck space on the truck. For heavier daily use, the heavy-duty dumping hoppers are built from thick-gauge steel in more sizes and colors, and can be ordered with lifting lugs for crane handling or with an automatic dumping mechanism.
Low-profile and mini hoppers
Where a standard hopper is too tall for the space, the low-profile dumping hopper sits beneath conveyors, chutes and the end of production lines, and dumps either automatically or by hand. The mini dumping hopper for metal chips stands beside a lathe, saw or press to catch chips and offcuts at the source, and is the size to choose when waste volumes are small and floor space is tight.
Bottom-dump and drop-bottom hoppers
These hoppers open through the base, so the load drops straight down into the container below. The automatic bottom-dump hopper opens when its base meets the rim of a larger bin and relocks when it is set back on the ground, which lets one forklift operator empty it from the seat. The drop-bottom hopper releases dense rubble and scrap through a bottom flap, can be lifted by forklift or crane, and stacks when empty.
Telehandler dumping hoppers
On sites where a telehandler does the lifting, a hopper made for its forks reaches over high dumpster walls and travels across rough ground between the work area and the dumpster. Like other telehandler attachments, the telehandler dumping hopper picks up on the machine's forks, and a gas strut auto-lock holds it there in place of chains or hydraulic hoses. The telehandler hopper on casters adds braked casters, so it can be repositioned when it is off the forks, which suits cleanup that moves in stages across a large site. The strut is also sold on its own as a replacement gas strut for auto-lock hoppers.
Crane-lifted boat and circular hoppers
When waste has to come down from upper floors, scaffold lifts or rooftops, or out of areas no forklift can reach, the hopper goes on the crane hook. The crane-lifted boat dumpster has a low loading lip for filling at floor level and discharges automatically, with no manual reset between lifts. The self-dumping boat hopper tips during the lift through its locking bail arm, with no hydraulics or manual release. The circular crane hopper has a compact round base for tight landing spots on scaffolds and roofs. For overhead cranes in plants and yards, the crane-lift dumping hopper is a conventional hopper with certified lifting lugs.
Rotating hopper bins
The rotating hopper bin empties by being turned over on the forks, so it is handled by a forklift fitted with a rotator, one of the forklift attachments that turn a load through a full rotation. Choose it for heavy waste in construction, recycling, demolition and manufacturing yards where the fleet already runs a rotator.
Double-door hoppers for sorting waste
The double-door dumping hopper has two compartments, so two waste streams, such as metal and general waste, are collected side by side and sorted in a single forklift lift. It is the choice for warehouses and plants that separate materials at the point of collection.
Wheeled rubble carts
The wheeled rubble cart is filled at the work face during interior strip-out and demolition, where no forklift can enter. Once full, it is lifted by crane on its welded hooks and emptied into a larger hopper or dumpster.
Self-dumping or bottom-dump hopper
Choose a roll-forward hopper when the load goes over the wall of an open dumpster or onto a stockpile, and a bottom-dump hopper when it drops into a fixed bin or container. The roll-forward type clears loose, bulky and tangled waste such as packaging, lumber offcuts and mixed debris. The forklift self-dumping hopper is the everyday example of this type.
A bottom-dump hopper lets its load fall straight down through the base, so dense rubble and scrap land inside the container with less spillage around the rim. The automatic bottom-dump hopper is the example built for repeated emptying into yard bins by a single forklift operator.
Dumping hoppers for debris, production and recycling
Construction and demolition debris
On building and demolition sites, a debris hopper stands where the waste is produced and goes to the dumpster only when full, which keeps walkways, stair towers and work areas clear between collections. Fresh concrete for a pour is a separate job, handled with concrete buckets.
High-rise and crane-only areas
On high-rise work, scaffold lifts and rooftops, the crane is the only route down for waste, so what matters is a hopper that empties without anyone standing under the suspended load and that fits the landing zone on the floor or scaffold. The boat hoppers in the range discharge on the hook, and their high-visibility finish keeps them easy for the crane operator and signal person to follow through the lift.
Machining and production lines
In machine shops, fabrication and automotive plants, the hopper stays at the machine or under the line for the whole shift, so its height and footprint matter more than its volume. An industrial dumping hopper of the low-profile or mini type collects chips and offcuts there until a forklift takes it to the bin.
Recycling and waste segregation
Recycling plants and sites that separate waste at source need one container per stream and quick emptying at the collection bay. Where two streams come from the same work area, the double-door hopper takes both, and where full hoppers go into fixed yard bins, the bottom-dump types suit. Several hoppers in the range come in blue, red, yellow and green, which lets a site give each waste stream its own color.
Dump hopper sizes, capacities and forklift fit
Capacity in gallons and cubic yards
Hopper sizes in the range are listed in gallons, while haulers and most buyers work in cubic yards. About 202 gal make one cubic yard, so a 198 gal hopper holds roughly 1 yd, a hopper of 396 to 462 gal holds roughly 2 yd, and the largest crane-lifted boat hoppers reach about 5 yd. Size the hopper to the waste produced between two collections and to the floor space where it will stand.
Rated load and dense materials
Volume and rated load are separate limits, and dense waste reaches the weight limit first. Broken concrete, rubble, earth and metal scrap hit a hopper's rated load well before it is full, while packaging and lumber fill it long before they approach that load. Rated loads across the range reach more than 17,000 lb on the largest crane-lifted boat dumpster, so for dense material choose by rated load first and treat the volume as a ceiling the load may never reach.
Matching the hopper to the forklift, telehandler or crane
For forklift hoppers, check that the fork pockets fit the length and spacing of the forks. The machine's rated capacity at the height and reach where the hopper is emptied has to cover the full load, and on a telehandler that capacity falls as the boom extends.
Lids, mesh and containment
Light or loose waste such as packaging and insulation can blow out of an open hopper on exposed sites and in transit. A self-dumping hopper with a fitted lid keeps contents in and weather out, and a self-dumping hopper with a mesh extension raises the sides for bulky, light or irregular loads. Lids and mesh are also available as upgrades on the heavy-duty hoppers.
Popular Categories
Forklift Attachments
View Products >
Lifting Attachments
View Products >
Telehandler Attachments
View Products >
Frequently Asked Questions
A dumping hopper, or dump hopper, is a steel container that a forklift, telehandler or crane picks up, carries to a larger container and empties without anyone shoveling or tipping it by hand. A dumpster or roll-off container is the large receptacle that a waste hauler collects. On most sites, hoppers gather waste where it is produced and empty into the dumpster.
A roll-forward self-dumping hopper sits on a curved base held in place by a latch. When the latch is released over the container, the weight of the load pitches the body forward and the contents pour out. Once empty, the hopper's center of gravity moves back behind the pivot, so it rolls upright and the latch engages again. Release is by hand or automatic, depending on the model.
Yes. A roll-forward hopper empties because its own load pitches it forward once the latch is released, so the mast does not need to tilt it, and the forks only have to raise it above the container. Bottom-dump hoppers also empty without tilt, since the load falls through the base.
Empty weights across the range run from about 143 lb for the wheeled rubble cart to about 1,900 lb for the largest crane-lifted boat dumpster. That weight counts against the forklift, telehandler or crane capacity together with the load, so add the empty weight to the rated load when checking the machine.
The low-profile dumping hopper has fully welded seams for fluid loads, which suits wet chips and process waste collected under conveyors and production lines. Washout water and slurry from concrete work belong in a concrete washout container.