It may take some time and research to determine which dumper is appropriate for your manufacturing process.

Do a quick search on Google for "meat dumpers," and you'll find several options and configurations to choose from, all of which claim to be the best dumper you can buy.

How Do You Choose the Suitable Dumper For Your Needs?

We've laid out a process below to help you choose the best dumper.

Know What You'll Need

Make a list of your needs and any size or space restrictions before searching online for dumpers. The search will be simplified as you can quickly rule out solutions that won't work for your manufacturing process.

Size and Place

Start with the size and space limitations:

Ceiling height. You have to ensure that the dumper's fully extended height will fit.

Discharge height. What is the height of the equipment you are dumping into?

Combo dimensions. How big is the combo or pallet you are dumping from?

Options and features

Now that you have this data, you may think about some of the customizations and add-ons you want to make:

Cylinder style. Do you want steel or carbon cylinders?

Powerpack. Will you need a battery pack, or will you wire it directly?

Controls. Do you need controls, or will you be able to control the dumper from an existing panel?

Insert plates. Will you need more mounting?

Some manufacturers let you add or remove these features to meet your facility's needs. Finding the greatest dumper and getting an accurate price will be much easier if you clearly know what you need.

Safety

Lastly, think about the safety options that meet your safety requirements.

Safety bar. A single bar that keeps people out of the dump area.

A safety cage. 

A fence completely surrounds the dumper, so the whole thing is safe.

A safety gate. A gate that keeps people away from the loading area.

Your company's guidelines will help you decide what level of safety is needed.

Lesser Styles

You may now match your requirements with the market's most common varieties of dumpers. Use this to swiftly whittle down Google's vast list of dumpers and find the right one for your facility.

Pivot Dumper: 

The pivot dumper is the most versatile and common type found in food processing plants across the country. Employees put product containers on a pivot dumper, and then the carriage pivots around a bar to dump product onto other machines.

Typical Discharge Heights: 

A pivot dumper can typically dump up to 60 inches. But we broke that rule by making a 72-inch pivot dumper for one of our clients.

Best Use: Dumping heavy products onto conveyors and other equipment to keep employees from getting hurt.

Lift & Pivot Dumper: 

To accommodate greater discharge heights, a modified version of the pivot dumper, called a lift and pivot dumper, has been developed. Employees use a dumper to dispose of empty product containers. The carriage rises nearly entirely before turning around a bar and discharging its contents onto different machinery.

Typical Discharge Heights: 

A lift and pivot dumper have discharge heights starting at 60 inches and going up.

Best for dumping heavy goods onto conveyors and other equipment over 5 feet tall.

Two-Stage Dumper: 

The pallet is held back during the dumping cycle on the Two-Stage Dumper, allowing operators to easily remove it from the container and start fresh. Essentially, it's a two-stage pivot dumper that operates as expected.

Standard Height of a Discharge:

The standard discharge height for a two-stage dumper is 74 inches.

Best Use: Dumping a product container that has a pallet.

Barrel Dumper: 

The barrel dumper works much like a pivot dumper, but it's made to handle products stored in round barrels instead of vats (including liquid products). Employees put barrels of product into the dumper. The carriage lifts up most of the way and then turns around a bar to dump the product onto other equipment.

Typical Discharge Heights: A barrel dumper usually has a discharge height of up to 60 inches.

Best Use: Dumping liquids and other barrelled products.

Side Pivot Dumper:

 A side pivot dumper works like a pivot dumper, but it has been changed to be used in tight spots inside a facility. Employees load products into the side of the dumper carriage, not the front, like a standard pivot dumper. The carriage is raised nearly completely to unload products onto other machinery before pivoting around a bar.

Typical Discharge Heights: A side-pivot dumper usually has a discharge height of up to 72 inches.

Best Use: Dumping product in a small space.

Column Dumper: 

The column dumper works much like the lift and pivot dumper, but it can be used in small spaces. Employees put product containers on the dumping arms, and the container lifts to a certain height and drops.

Typical Discharge Heights: A column dumper usually has a discharge height of 50 inches or higher.

Best Use: Dumping product when there isn't much space on the floor, and the discharge height is high.

Get Help

Every manufacturer has a different style and set of options for their dumpers.

When In Doubt, Ask!

Send M&M Equipment your dumper specifications, and they will locate you the perfect machine. Of course, if they're anything like us, they can build you the ideal dumper.