Andover Trailers has supplied Wimborne, Dorset-based Robert Froud Bulk Haulage with a new plant body for its 2008 rigid 26-tonner, as well as a fifth triaxle step-frame.
The plant body, which carries small plant and tarmacking equipment, includes seven pairs of lashing points and 3.7m hydraulic ramps with knife-edged toes to create the necessary shallow entry angle for safe and efficient loading and unloading.
Its new triaxle step-frame, which mainly transports forestry equipment and excavators, has 3.3m flip toe ramps, SAF axles with rear-lift capability, 19.5-inch wheels with disc brakes and extra LED reversing lights for improved safety.
Both will cover about 50,000km a year and be on the road five days a week. Robert Froud, MD, said: “We wanted to fit the Scania with an Andover plant body when we bought the truck, but the dealer persuaded us that the competitor product would be just as good.
“Initially it was up to the job, but over time it became impractically expensive to maintain. The truck itself is still in great shape, so we handed it over to Andover Trailers and now we’ve got a body that we know will go the distance.
“Andover’s build quality is fantastic, they’ve given us precisely what we need, while making the ramps shorter than before. This has reduced weight and drag, whilst the build quality gives us every confidence that we could pretty much drive a tank up onto the body and the ramps would be fine.”
