For the chassis, owner John Hayes chose a 450bhp Scania with a Streamline R cab. “The cab might look big and heavy, but the extra size is really just fresh air,” says Hayes. “The weight increase for it is minimal. Then, the 450hp engine needs SCR exhaust treatment only, again saving a bit of weight as well as technical complexity.”
He also selected a manual gearbox – better, he says, for tipper work and lighter than an automatic.
“And while the aluminium wheels look very attractive, 12 of them also save a lot of weight,” he adds. “So even with its full-spec steel Loadmaster, this tipper’s unladen weight is barely over 13,200kgs ready to go. As a truck to live in and work with, it’s unbeatable.”
The latest addition is the fourth in his fleet and the previous three – all acquired secondhand – also feature Thompsons bodies.
“One truck I bought in Scotland and it needed a new body,” he recalls. “Initially it went to a bodybuilder in northern England, but after weeks of nothing happening I phoned Thompsons in Croydon and they got things rolling right away. Smaller operators really need service like that.
“For our business, Thompsons does the whole package. The Loadmaster the only body I would buy – not just for its performance, but also for Thompsons’ complete service and support as well.”
