Two listings on the same platform can look identical and be completely different trucks to own. This one is the Aumark S light dumper as a complete vehicle — chassis, cab, tipper body, hydraulics and lifting gear supplied together for the Saint Martin market — while its sibling is the bare chassis-cab. The difference is not just price; it is how soon the truck earns, who carries the body-build risk, and how it ships. If you are weighing a mini dump truck for urban delivery, construction material transport or market hauling, the decision is whether you want a truck that arrives working or one you finish yourself. The full Aumark S dump truck specification is worth keeping open alongside this.

The body is the reason to buy this version

The cargo box measures 3,500×2,050×400 mm, built from Q235 steel with a 4 mm floor and 3 mm sides. A 4 mm floor takes the impact of a loader bucket and of rubble dropped from height; 3 mm sides suit sand, gravel and demolition waste but will dent if you regularly tip heavy rock. Tell the dealer what you intend to carry, because the sheet names more than one body supplier and you want to know which one is on your unit.

Lifting is T-type with a Shandong Hande cylinder. On a 7.5-tonne truck this is a sensible, serviceable arrangement: a single ram under the body, few pivot points, and a cylinder from a supplier whose parts are widely distributed. Fewer moving parts is exactly what you want in a truck that tips twenty times a day. Ask the dealer to confirm the maximum tip angle and whether the tailgate is top-hinged or bottom-hinged, because neither appears on the sheet and both change how cleanly sticky material leaves the box.

"A 3,500 mm box on a 3,360 mm wheelbase is a short, agile dumper. Treat it as a volume truck for light material and a weight truck for heavy material — never both at once."

What the chassis underneath gives you

Gross vehicle weight is 7.5 t, kerb weight 2.9 t, chassis payload 4.6 t. Because this is the complete truck, the body, ram and subframe are already accounted for inside those figures, which removes the guesswork that follows a chassis purchase. The wheelbase is 3,360 mm and the chassis measures 5,960×2,136×2,280 mm, so the truck stays compact enough for market lanes and tight site access. The frame is 214×65×5 mm — worth knowing if you ever plan to mount a crane or a different body later.

Axle ratings are 2.85 T front and 6.0 T rear, giving margin over the 7.5 t gross for the rear-biased load a tipping body puts down. Check where the load sits: a dumper loaded badly shifts weight forward and, worse, unloads the rear as the body rises. Confirm with your operator that material is loaded centrally, and ask the dealer what the manual says about tipping on a side slope — most tipper stability problems are slope problems.

Engine and gearbox: 156 hp, 550 N·m, ZF six-speed

Power comes from the Foton Cummins F3.8EVIE156: 3,760 ml, 115 kW (156 PS), 550 N·m, rated Euro VI. For a 7.5-tonner that is healthy, and torque is what matters when you pull away loaded on a site ramp. The sheet gives peak torque but not the engine speed at which it arrives, so ask the dealer to confirm the torque curve and governed maximum rpm — those decide your pull-away gear, cruising revs and cab noise.

The gearbox is the ZF ZF6S558 six-speed manual, driving through a 4.778 final drive. Six ratios are enough for this class and keep shifting simple in town; the numerically high final drive favours getting moving over cruising fast, which is the correct bias for a truck that never travels far loaded. ZF is a brand most workshops already know, so shift quality is predictable and parts knowledge is not locked to a single dealer network — worth real money on an island where a stranded truck stops earning.

Brakes, tyres and suspension on a tipping chassis

Braking is air brakes with front and rear drums under ABS (4S4M). Drums are the right answer for a working truck: cheap to reline, tolerant of dust and water, serviceable anywhere. They do fade on long descents, and a loaded dumper coming off a site is exactly that case — use engine braking and the right gear downhill rather than riding the service brake. The sheet lists no retarder, so ask whether one can be specified instead of assuming it is fitted.

Tyres are tubeless metric 215/75R17.5-14, six wheels plus a spare, and suspension is leaf spring front and rear (3 front, 8+6 rear). That pack is specified to carry load rather than to cosset the driver, so expect a firm ride empty and a settled one loaded. Confirm the tyre ply rating before delivery, because site work punishes a spec chosen for pavement. The 120 L tank suits island and city work.

"Most tipper accidents are slope accidents. Level ground, central load, and the 6.0 T rear axle stays inside its rating."

Cab, comfort and driver acceptance

The cab is single row, seating three, in left-hand drive. Three seats are useful when a driver and two labourers travel to a site together instead of taking a second vehicle, but there is no bunk, so this is a single-shift, home-every-night truck. Standard equipment includes integrated cooling and heating, manual air conditioning, MP3 with Bluetooth, central locking, power windows and remote control. Air conditioning is not a luxury in this climate; it is the difference between keeping a driver and recruiting another. The sheet says nothing about seat or steering adjustment — sit in one before signing.

What it costs, and how that compares with the chassis

This complete truck is listed at $26,843 with an FOB price of $19,100. Against the chassis-cab version you are paying for the body, the hydraulics and the fact that someone else has already solved the fitment. That premium buys a truck that works on arrival, engineered as one unit, with no local build risk or delay. What it costs you is shipping volume — freight is quoted separately from the truck price.

If your market has cheap, capable bodybuilders and you are not in a hurry, the chassis route can be cheaper landed. If your work is booked out and waiting, or local fabrication is expensive or slow, the complete truck usually wins on total cost of ownership even when it loses on invoice price. Get both landed figures in writing before deciding — that comparison is the whole exercise.

Shipping, compliance and what to confirm

Because it ships complete, the shipping method depends on final overall height, and island routings often involve transhipment, which affects cost and transit time. Send the dealer your discharge port and ask for the method, transit estimate and landed cost before committing. The truck is Euro VI, the cleanest configuration offered on the Aumark S. That protects you against tightening import rules, but it may be more than your market needs today; lower-emission configurations may cost less, so check with your broker first. The recorded country of sale is Saint Martin and this build is left-hand drive — importing elsewhere, confirm LHD is registrable and that 7.5 t GVW and these axle loads fall inside your licensing class.

Questions buyers ask before signing

How much does the 3,500 mm dump body actually carry?

The box is 3,500×2,050×400 mm, roughly 2.9 m³ struck. Sand and gravel run around 1.4–1.6 t per cubic metre, so a level load lands near 4.3 t — close to the 4.6 t rating, which means heavy material hits the weight limit before it hits the volume limit. Light, bulky waste fills the box long before that. Match the body to what you haul most days.

Is the T-type lift reliable for daily dumping?

T-type lifting with a Shandong Hande cylinder is a simple, serviceable arrangement on a 7.5 t truck, and the Q235 body with its 4 mm floor and 3 mm sides is built for sand, gravel and demolition waste. Keep loads inside the 4.6 t rating and the 214×65×5 frame will not be stressed. Very sticky wet material may need a higher tip angle, so tell the dealer your material if that is a regular job.

How is the complete dump truck shipped to Saint Martin?

It ships as a complete vehicle with the body already fitted, so the method depends on final overall height. Freight, insurance and destination charges are quoted separately from the truck price, and island routings often involve transhipment, which affects cost and transit time. Send your discharge port and get the method, transit estimate and landed cost confirmed before you commit.

What should I confirm that the sheet does not state?

The engine speed at which peak torque arrives and the governed maximum rpm; the maximum tip angle and tailgate hinge arrangement; which body supplier is building your unit; the warranty terms and service intervals for the F3.8 and the ZF gearbox; and whether an engine or exhaust brake can be specified.

Our read: this is the right choice if you want a working truck on day one and would rather not manage a local body build. The Q235 body, T-type lift and Hande cylinder are honest, serviceable choices, and the Foton Cummins and ZF driveline is the reassuring part. The discipline it demands is about loading: stay inside 4.6 t, keep material central, tip on level ground. Do that and a 7.5-tonne dumper will out-earn a bigger truck running half empty.

Before you order, get landed costs for both this complete truck and the chassis-cab version in writing, confirm the shipping method for your discharge port, and check which emission tier your market requires. You can review the complete Aumark S dump truck specification and request both quotations from there.