Competitive pricing swayed Aberdeenshire demolition and construction firm Les Taylor Contracts when the firm selected its latest pair of 8x4 tippers.
Both are Mercedes-Benz Axor 3243Ks, supplied to by Aberdeen dealer John R Weir Truck & Van. Both are powered by 315kW (430hp) straight-six engines driving through nine-speed manual gearboxes, and are fitted with steel tipping bodies by Boweld of Holywell, Flintshire.
They join a fleet of 20 tippers at the Mintlaw-based contractor. "We considered several types of vehicle but the Axors were the most competitively priced," recalls Taylor.
"We wouldn't have bought them, though, if we weren't also confident that they would be up to scratch in terms of performance and reliability," he adds, commenting that the Mercedes-Benz chassis and drivetrain is "extremely tough and well-built too".
Taylor also explains that steel bodies were specified "because, for our application, strength and durability are much more important than the extra few kilograms of payload we would gain by specifying aluminium tippers".
