Light bodies earn tipper operator extra pounds02 August 2020

Surrey quarry owner and tipper operator J&J Franks has put into service three new tippers fitted with Thompsons’ lightest steel tipper body, the Loadmaster X-Lite. Fully fuelled, each of these new eight-wheelers weighs 12,740kg, thereby providing a payload capacity of 19,260kg.

They were specified by Franks’ commercial director Paul Lewis, who notes that “a typical standard-spec steel bodied eight wheeler will give a payload of 18,500kgs, whereas with these new trucks we are getting 19,260kgs - that’s three quarters of a tonne more, on each and every trip. Over a five-year life, this gives us a minimum of £10,000 extra revenue from each truck.”

Crucial to Franks’ requirements are that its tippers have to be equally adept in moving either the company’s sand and gravel products or working on muckaway jobs for third parties.

Thompsons manufactures X-Lite bodies from Hardox 500tuf sheet steel. This material retains all the long-proven strength of standard Hardox 450, but is 20% thinner. This means that on a Loadmaster X-Lite an otherwise standard 5mm thick floor reduces to 4mm, with side panels coming down to 3.2mm thick, and the headboard at just 3mm.

Completing the J&J Franks bodywork specification is a front to back electric sheeting system, air operated tailgate, toolbox and Edbro front end tipping gear.

Author
William Dalrymple

Related Companies
Thompsons Group

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