All were specified as fleet upgrades, offering a 10 tonnes payload, and designed for versatility – with capacity to carry a wide range of small to mid-sized plant hire equipment, including diggers, tele-handlers and rollers.
HE Services selected the 5,000mm DAF LF wheelbase, mounted with 6,900mm Charlton PlantLite bodies.
Each has a galvanised steel subframe, heavy duty meshed headboard with remote control electronic winch, and a hardwood floor, complete with recessed lashing points as well as cut-outs for normal and red diesel fuel tanks.
The rear ramps, which are 2,500mm long by 1,000mm wide, have been fabricated in steel and hardwood with raise/lower operation by an electro-hydraulic power pack with radio remote control.
In terms of safety, the PlantLite bodies have been engineered to accommodate hydraulically-operated stability legs with extra wide feet, a dual-height fall arrest webbing system and a retractable rear step.
Managing director Peter Durey also points to their dual-high storage toolboxes along with rope hooks, lashing points and work lamps.
“By being able to carry almost every item in our plant hire inventory, these new trucks will give our depots a significantly higher level of operating versatility,” states Durey.
“As to the trucks themselves, a big benefit has been the ability for us to sit down with Charlton and jointly produce a bodywork specification that precisely suits our needs,” he adds.