Stronger yet lighter than previous models, the latest FE169 tipping cylinder is powered by a Hyva wet kit with its PTO fitted to the gearbox of one of Ian Rogers’ V8-engined Scania tag axle tractor units.
“Hyva and Wilcox is a combination that has served us exceptionally well,” says Graeme Rogers, son of the firm’s founder.
“Over the years, each product has delivered everything that we have asked of it. And there have been steady improvements too, especially in safety-related areas such as stability and speed of tipping.”
While a fast tipping cycle is advantageous in many applications, Ian Rogers’ trailers often take over an hour to tip their loads. A key part of the company’s operations is delivering malt to the local Speyside distilleries, with the 29-tonne load exiting the trailer through a grain sock in the rear tailgate.
In this situation, with the body raised for an extended period of time, safety is crucial. “We could run cheaper or lower-spec trucks, but we’d also have to accept a proportionate level of extra operating risk,” says Rogers.
“Frankly, that’s somewhere where we don’t want to go, because everything we are about comes down to achieving consistency of performance, reliability and delivering a genuine 100% level of customer service.”