Yesterday I passed a mechanic under the raised back of a large tipper truck that was full of soil. I did not notice a prop of any sort. Are these designed into the mechanism? Not a work issue for me, just for my own knowledge.

Morning, Although modern rams are designed not to fail, there is a chance of this due to pneuamtic failure, fluid leaks, electrical failure etc. etc. Some tipper bodies do come with a built in prop however if you are repairing / servicing someone elses truck how can you ensure that these are o.k.? Especially with tippers who work in rough terrain like on quarries etc. Our procedure is to empty the load first if possible and then secure the body with 2 tipper props. These are available from one of the UK's biggest tipper body manufacturers (other suppliers are available) and hence are specifically designed for the job. If the body cannot be emptied then you need to ensure the load is less than the SWL of the prop (s) See link: http://www.thompsonsuk.c...ducts/bodyprop/index.htm We treat these as a Loler item and hence, due to the safety critical nature, these are tested every 6 months. Having spoke to the other main truck dealers this seems to be industry standard practice. HSE guidance (INDG434) is to always use a body prop where there is not one fitted and these specific props are photgraphed in the guidance document, so you can't go far wrong going for these. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg434.pdf Don't forget tilted cabs which should also be propped if they can't be opened and locked fully. This causes more fatalities and major injuries in the Motor Vehicle Repair industry. Best Regards Ian