Tipping trailers are one of the largest and most actively traded trailer categories in the UK. Aggregate hauliers, muck-away contractors, grain and agricultural hauliers, and waste operators all run them, and there are always buyers for a sound trailer with a current test.
The spread of values is wide though — an older steel aggregate trailer might be £4,000 while a recent alloy bulk trailer with weighing and sheeting can be close to £40,000. This guide covers where yours sits and what pushes it up or down.
The Main Types
Bulk / bathtub tipper — the curved “bathtub” alloy body, typically 60–75 cubic yards. Built light to maximise payload, used for grain, woodchip, waste and light bulk materials. The biggest category in the UK market.
Aggregate / half-pipe tipper — shorter, heavier, stronger. Around 30–45 cubic yards. Built for sand, stone, MOT type 1 and muck-away where the material is dense and abrasive. Steel or steel-lined.
Plank-side / rib-sided — flat-sided body with external ribs or planks. Common on grain and general bulk work.
Sloper / step-frame — the body slopes down toward the front to lower the centre of gravity when tipping. Popular on high-capacity grain trailers.
Insulated / tar spec — insulated body for hot asphalt. Specialist, and holds value well because of the limited supply.
Walking floor — moving-floor trailer that discharges without tipping. Technically a separate category but often traded alongside tippers.
Body and Trailer Manufacturers
Wilcox (UK — Stamford) — one of the two dominant names in UK tipping trailers, known particularly for lightweight alloy bulk bodies. Widely traded, strong resale. Used Wilcox tipping trailers currently range from around £3,750 to £39,000 depending on age and spec.
Fruehauf / Crane Fruehauf (UK — Grantham) — the other dominant name, and consistently the most listed brand in the UK used market. All UK-built in Grantham, covering everything from the bathtub aluminium bulk tipper to the half-pipe aggregate tipper.
Weightlifter (UK) — long-established British builder with a loyal following, particularly for grain and agricultural spec. Rib-sided and plankside alloy trailers are the common configurations.
Dennison (Ireland) — widely represented in the UK, particularly on aggregate spec aluminium trailers.
Montracon (UK — Doncaster) — build tipping trailer chassis as well as complete trailers; Wilcox bodies are sometimes mounted on Montracon chassis.
Stas (Belgium) — increasingly specified on new UK trailers. Steel Hardox aggregate bodies and high-capacity plank-sided bulk trailers.
Benalu (France) — lightweight alloy specialists, popular where payload is the priority.
Meiller (Germany) — premium German build, less common in the UK but well regarded.
Newton Trailers, NC Trailers, SDC and Marston are also present in the UK used market.
What Buyers Look At
Body material. Aluminium for bulk and grain, steel or Hardox for aggregate and muck-away. An alloy trailer that’s been on stone all its life will be worn and dented in a way a grain-only trailer won’t. Buyers can tell.
“Only ever been on grain.” Worth putting in the advert if true. Grain-only trailers are meaningfully more valuable because the body hasn’t been battered by aggregate, and they’re eligible for food-grade work.
TASCC / trade assurance. A trailer registered under the Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops can carry grain for assured buyers. It opens up the agricultural market and adds real value.
Sheeting system. Almost every trailer has one, and buyers check it works. Electric roll-over easy sheet with remote is the standard expectation; manual pull-over is dated. Dawbarn is the common brand.
On-board weighing. VPG, PM and Fruehauf’s own systems are common. A working weigher is worth £1,500–£3,000 on resale because operators increasingly need it to avoid overload prosecutions.
Axles and brakes. SAF and BPW disc-braked axles are preferred. ROR and Granning drum axles are older spec and worth less. Disc brakes over drums is a genuine value difference.
Front lift axle. Reduces tyre wear and fuel when running empty. Expected on newer trailers.
Tipping gear. Edbro and Hyva are the two brands you’ll see. Front-end ram is standard on bulk trailers. Check for leaks — a weeping ram is an immediate deduction.
Tailgate. Air-operated tailgate is worth more than manual. Two-piece and grain-door options add versatility.
Liner. A Quicksilver or similar plastic liner protects the body and speeds discharge of sticky material. Adds value and suggests the trailer’s been looked after.
MOT. A trailer with a fresh 12-month test is worth notably more than one that’s run out, because the buyer avoids both the cost and the risk of what it might fail on.
What Is My Tipper Trailer Worth in 2026?
| Trailer | Year | Approx. Value (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Alloy bulk tipper, drum axles, manual sheet | 2000–2008 | £3,500–£7,000 |
| Alloy bulk tipper, 42–60 yard, weigher | 2009–2013 | £6,000–£12,000 |
| Fruehauf / Wilcox alloy bulk, 67–70 yard, disc axles, easy sheet, weigher | 2014–2017 | £11,000–£19,000 |
| Fruehauf / Wilcox alloy bulk, 70–74 yard, full spec | 2018–2021 | £18,000–£30,000 |
| Grain-only TASCC trailer, sloper, full spec | 2016–2020 | £12,000–£22,000 |
| Aggregate half-pipe, steel or Hardox | 2015–2019 | £10,000–£20,000 |
| Stas / Colson high-capacity alloy bulk | 2022–2024 | £30,000–£45,000 |
| Insulated tar-spec tipping trailer | 2016–2020 | £14,000–£26,000 |
| Walking floor, full tar spec, tri-axle | 2015–2019 | £16,000–£30,000 |
Indicative. Axle type, sheeting, weigher, liner, body condition and test status all move these figures.
The Things That Kill Value
Cracked or patched body. Alloy cracks around the headboard and along the top rail are common on high-hours bulk trailers. Weld repairs are visible and buyers price them in heavily.
Worn floor. On aggregate trailers, floor thickness is the critical measurement. A trailer that’s been on stone for fifteen years may have a floor that’s close to done, and replacing it is rarely economic.
Seized tipping gear. A ram that won’t lift the body, or a body that won’t come down straight, turns a saleable trailer into a project.
Failed sheeting system. Fixable but off-putting. Buyers assume other neglect.
No test and no history. A trailer with no MOT and no paperwork is worth what someone will gamble on it, which isn’t much.
Sell Your Tipping Trailer with Truck Trading
We buy tipping trailers across the UK — bulk, aggregate, grain, tar spec and walking floor, all makes and ages.
- Free quote within 24 hours — from buyers who know the difference between grain spec and muck-away spec
- Same-day payment — bank transfer on collection
- Free UK-wide collection — we come to your yard
- No fees or commission — the quote is what you receive
- All conditions — no test, worn floor, failed ram, damaged body
Get your free tipper trailer quote →
📞 0161 432 1477 | 07540 694069
📍 Stockport, Greater Manchester — collecting UK-wide
What Paperwork Do You Need?
- Trailer registration / plating certificate (VTG)
- Current MOT / annual test certificate
- Service and repair history if held
- TASCC certification if grain registered
- Finance settlement letter — if on HP or lease
Related Guides
- Sell My Tipper Truck — Complete UK Guide
- Sell My Curtainsider Trailer UK
- Sell My Low Loader Trailer UK
- Sell My Refrigerated Trailer UK
Truck Trading — the safe way to sell your truck. Free valuations, same-day payment, free UK-wide collection.
📞 0161 432 1477 | trucktrading.co.uk | Stockport, Greater Manchester
