Ten off road trucks that are off the charts

There’s a lot to like about the Doosan DA40 articulated dump truck, and most of that can be appreciated from the driver’s seat.

"The DA40 has been updated a little since this truck hit the hire fleet. Driveline ratios have been revised, resulting in taller gearing aimed at saving fuel," reviewer Matt Wood says.

"The truck you see here is doing 1821rpm at 50km/h. The updated truck drops that down to 1572rpm. Also, the new DA40s also get a gradient meter on the digital display to help drivers keep an eye on stability when tipping."

• See it here: Review: Doosan DA40 articulated dump truck

If you’re looking for a 360-degree slewing/tipping, all-terrain, rubber tracked tipper then the Morooka 1500 is well worth a look.

"These Morookas are different, but you can take my word for it, they are an excellent machine capable of working in any conditions," reviewer Ron Horner says.

"Now if you have never seen one of these all terrain, rubber tracked powerhouse dirt and mud movers in operation, you have something to catch up on."

• See it here: Review: Morooka 1500 tipper

Danish company Hydrema focus almost exclusively on manufacturing articulated off-road dump trucks and their expertise shows in models like the popular 922D.

Powered by a 198kW 6-cylinder Cummins diesel, the 922D is fitted with a six-speed forward, three reverse ZF transmission that can be operated in either automatic or manual modes, giving the operator greater control.

The truck’s dumper body is manufactured from Hardox steel and features a steep 72 degree tipping angle for fast discharge of material.

Reviewer Tim Dittmer reckons the 922D is amazingly smooth to ride in, even when fully loaded.

• See it here: Review: Hydrema 922D off road dump truck

The Cat 740 articulated dump truck is extremely popular and represents the modern style of six-wheel all-terrain articulated haulers.

The 740 has been engineered to haul just about anything, anywhere. Sitting on six 29.5R25 tyres and powered by a turbocharged 346kW Cat ACERT donk, the Cat 740 can move a lot of material at speed for an economical price.

The big Cat weighs in at 33 tonnes and has a loading capacity of 38 tonnes. With a width of 3.43 metres, the 740 can be hauled as a wide load rather than the more costly escorted wide load.

• See it here: Review: Cat 740 articulated dump truck

Another modern articulated six-wheeler, the Hitachi AH400 (also known as the Bell B40 in Australia) a 40-tonne hauler built for the most inhospitable conditions.

The AH400 has a number of modern tech advances aimed at making the operators life easier like automatic tailgates and an automated transmission that can select optimum shift points based on the load and driving conditions.

The AH400 is also fitted with on-board weighing systems to keep track of the payload while loading and an automated park brake that will engage on downhill inclines even if the operator fails to hit the brakes.

• See it here: Review: Hitachi AH400 articulated dump truck

A smaller sibling of the AH400/B40 is the Bell B30E. The B30E features a lot of the same technology and automation seen in its bigger brother such as on-board weighing systems and speed limiters.

Apart from the automated brake also seen on the AH400/B40, the B30E has an automated exhaust brake, engine valve brake as well as hydraulic retarder in the transmission.

The B30E weighs in at just under 20 tonnes and has a rated payload capacity of 28 tonnes. The truck is powered by a 240kW Mercedes Benz OM926 with a six-speed Allison 3500PR ORS electronic transmission.

• See it here: Review: Bell B30E articulated dump truck

Now we can already hear you saying – ‘that’s not an off-road dump truck.’ Well no, not in the traditional sense. But the Cormidi Tracked Dumper earns a spot on this list because it fills a niche others can't. It can handle the endless number of jobs that are too small for a full-size truck but far too big to do by hand.

For starters, the Cormidi 80 has tracks, greatly expanding the types of terrain it can be operated in even more than heavy off-road tyres. It can carry a load of up to 800kg and itself weighs around 500kg.

The machine has an overall width of just 800mm and is ideal for getting through small gaps. The dumper is operated from a stand-on platform and if the operator dismounts, the platform can be folded up to make the machine 400mm shorter.

• See it here: Review: Cormidi 80 tracked dumper

The Mercedes Benz Unimog series has largely been used as a military vehicle in Australia. In recent years Mercedes Benz Australia has been trying to expand the Unimog’s market to include civilian users in niche areas – such as being used on construction or mining sites.

The U430 is at the smaller end of the Unimog range, but don’t let that fool you. The ‘Mog is still powered by a 223kW 7.7-litre Euro 6 OM936 engine capable of pushing out 1200Nm of torque.

A key feature of the Unimog series is the truck’s portal axles. The axles and diffs actually sit higher than the wheel centre and drive the wheels via a hub reduction drive. This gives the Unimog U430 excellent ground clearance.

• See it here: Review: Mercedes Benz Unimog U430 truck

Hydrema has ended up with two off-road dumpers on this list, and as stated earlier the company’s virtually singular focus on haul trucks has resulted in some truly quality machines. The 912DS is no different.

Sitting on four wheels instead of six, the 912DS is a bit smaller than the 922D seen previously on this list, but the smaller footprint means it fill an important gap in the market for mid-sized sites.

Although smaller, the 912DS weighs in at around 7.5 tonnes and has a 10 tonne load capacity meaning it is still able to handle construction or quarry work.

• See it here: Review: Hydrema 912ES compact dump truck

We’ve saved our favourite until last. If you’re looking to move material quickly on really sticky, unstable ground then the fully tracked Morooka MST-3000VD is what you’re looking for.

Looking more like something designed for the military, the Morooka MST-3000VD is built for the most extreme worksite conditions. The Morooka combinines an excavator-style cabin with full rubber tracks and a dumping body to create a formidable hauler.

The 17-tonne dumper is able to carry a payload of 15 tonnes and is powered by a 242kW Cat C9 diesel. The machine has a ground pressure of just 45.1kPa when fully laden thanks to the design of its 900mm-wide tracks sitting on a 5m x 2.5m frame, distributing weight more evenly.

• See it here: Review: Morooka MST-3000VD site dumper