“After a particularly bad bodybuilder experience elsewhere, Thompsons was recommended to us as being the steel body to have, and now we’ve been absolutely won over by them,” says Ian Miller, managing director.
“We’re particularly impressed with the clean, uncluttered Loadmaster design and the superb build quality that goes with it.” The back-up and support from Thompsons, he adds, is another major benefit.
Site work, earth removal and delivery of stone and aggregates is core to the operation. New tipper specifications focus on versatility and durability, as well as potential productivity improvements.
In this regard, Thompsons’ AutoLift hydraulic tailgate is paying dividends, as Miller explains: “Not only does the hydraulic tailgate give us an added safety factor by the driver not having to leave the cab, but it also speeds up the operation quite considerably, too. If we save five minutes on every tip and do eight tips a day, then I’ve effectively won back the driver’s statutory break time – highly significant in terms of day-to-day vehicle productivity.”
Payload is still important, he says, “but in recent years we’ve learned that higher specifications really do deliver higher performance, not just from tipper chassis but equally with tipper bodies, too.”
Miller’s tipper fleet is split between DAFs and Mercedes Arocs, with both chassis types now working with Loadmaster bodies. Built in Hardox, payload is typically around 18,500kg and, for handling bulky or awkward loads, the latest Loadmaster also features short six-inch infill ‘greedy board’ extensions.
“The ability of the Loadmasters to continuously handle both heavy duty quarry work and our site clearance operations with high payload capacity and complete reliability is what makes these Thompsons bodies absolutely ideal for our operation,” says Miller.
“They are making a huge contribution to our business.”
