CAT Construction Large Steel Dump Truck Review

Reviewed by Deborah Banasko

If lockdown has taught me anything, it’s the value of having a garden for the children to play in. I no longer feel the pressure to plan park and day trips every weekend as we have learned to love what we have at home a little bit more.
Last years garden toys are looking very well loved so a brand sparkly new one added to our collection is a dream review for us. My children are aged 9, 6 and 3 and love to play outside.

The CAT Construction Large Steel Dump Truck (82415) arrived in a huge sturdy box, and although there wasn’t any packing inside the box I doubt that any amount of bashing would damage this toy, my goodness it’s sturdy.
The construction of this toy is plastic and steel, with a height of 31cm and a whopping 50cm length; this is not a toy for a very small child! It has the striking black and yellow colours which would should appeal to most construction loving children, especially if they have spotted the life sized CAT diggers and trucks around.

The wheels are huge and rugged looking, and it is surprisingly easy and light to push along considering the weight. The dump bed can hold a lot of sand; my kids could get 4 or 5 bucket loads in there but this is dependant upon bucket size and how much you wish to pile it up. With this extra weight it can take a bit of effort from a child to push it along which is all part of the fun… cue exertion noises and “come on guys we can shift this!” from the kids (and their Dad)!
The dump bed is articulated and made of metal with a thick plastic edging, which is almost like a handle to assist you when lifting the bucket to dump the load, in one smooth motion. The choice of metal material is perfect for outdoor use with rocks, mud and sand. Whilst I’m sure that the paintwork will become scratched along the way, it is reassuring that the metal bucket and moving parts should remain intact and withstand some heavy duty play.

The remainder of the truck is plastic as metal would be too heavy, and it seems to be coping well with high speed pushes downhill and lots of ramming into walls so far. Everything about this toy screams quality and solid workmanship.

There is so much game play too, from basic construction games to rescuing toys from dramatic rock slides and natural disasters. I am actually curious if this could become a snowy weather favourite too.

There’s no reason why this couldn’t work as an indoor toy as we did have some fun getting it involved in a Duplo house build once it had been given a post garden wash, so it is more versatile than you would initially imagine.

This is a large toy which could become pretty heavy when filled, and coupled with the metal edges I would personally not want to give this to a child until they were around the age of 3, as advised by the manufacturer. My son is almost 3 and pretty sensible and he loved it.

I have lost count of how many garden toys I have bought over the years, and of how many have been thrown away after a year because they got left in the rain or broken due to repeated use. Whilst part of me feels pained to spend this much on a garden toy, if you asked me whether it is worth it I am inclined to say “probably”, especially when it is on offer, as you are going to get many years of good play out of it as it boasts a lifetime guarantee. For us, a sand pit is a must with this truck but if you have a nice muddy spot and a few stones this could work equally well. I see no reason not to take this along to the beach if you have room in the car.

This garden toy built to survive the demands of budding construction workers in sand, mud and stone; in all weathers. A sensible investment with it’s amazing lifetime guarantee and a strong 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Rating: 4.5/5

RRP: £49.99 (currently reduced to £41.06)

This product can be purchased from Amazon here.