In this particular case, Tayside Contracts wanted to add further units into its 24 - strong general purpose tipper fleet, specifying them to transport hot asphalt for everyday road repair work through to gritting and snowplough duties in the winter.
Built on DAF LF chassis with high power 320hp engines, these new trucks all feature bespoke bodies built by Cuthbertsons of Biggar. To maximise vehicle versatility, they have been constructed with 6mm heavy duty Hardox steel floors and extra crossmembers so that the bodies are strong enough to accommodate wheeled roll on / roll off demountable salt spreader units when required in the winter. Similarly, the forward area under the truck cabs have been fitted with mounting plates to carry full width snowploughs.
The sides of the new bodies have been built in aluminium with small access panels to facilitate tying down the salt spreader and are finished off with fully detachable tailgates complete with two tar hatches.
Harsh provided the hydraulics, which are centred around the underfloor ‘pot ram’ CU tipping gear which is said to offer the benefits of strength with light weight and minimal size, making it easy to fit between the chassis siderails.
Completing each body specification is a Harsh ‘Flip n’Go’ sheeting system that is specified with a PVC sheet for heat retention. When retracted to the front bulkhead, the rolled up sheet sits inside a full width metal box to protect it from incidental damage.