Grab Hire FAQs

Grab lorries are vehicles that are used to clear away large amounts of waste from difficult to reach areas, using their attached hydraulic arm.

Grabs are used for the collection and transportation of large amounts of waste, primarily from commercial sites and construction projects. The hydraulic arm means that tricky areas can be reached easily, with less manpower required to shift heavy loads.

Grab lorries, on average, are around 3 metres wide. In order to allow a grab lorry to successfully enter your site, ensure that all access points have sufficient clearance either side.

Grab lorries can carry a variety of materials, including:

• Soil
• Muck
• Green waste: flower cuttings, grass, hedge trimmings
• General rubbish
• Aggregates, concrete and topsoil

How long the vehicle takes to load depends on how the waste is situated - if it is neatly set out in one place, it will take around 15-20 minutes to load the vehicle.

Grab lorries weigh around 16 tonnes when they’re empty, and the maximum authorised mass of these lorries is 32 tonnes, so they can carry 16 tonnes of waste. In terms of volume, this is between 12 and 15 cubic metres, depending on the type of material.

Grab lorries can reach up to 8 metres with a double extension attached.

As long as the driver can position the lorry alongside the fence or wall, and they can see the material from the control platform, then a grab lorry can load over a wall.

The place you choose for your waste is crucial to the efficiency of its removal. Ensure that you place it out in the open, away from low hanging tree branches and cables, positioned in a place that allows the driver to pull up directly alongside the waste.