The new arrival is the sixth Andover build Southern Plant has taken delivery of in total. Mounted to a 32-tonne 8x2 Scania chassis, the new rigid replaces an older Andover plant body and joins a second 32-tonne Scania and a similar 26-tonne model currently in operation.
Vince Rose, commercial director of Southern Plant says: “Not one of the plant bodies we’ve had delivered into the fleet over the past 20 years has missed a beat in service, no matter what we ask of them.”
As with all Andover builds, the body is engineered specifically to the individual truck chassis. The new rigid includes a double-crank beavertail that is connected to a pair of 2.8m long hydraulically-powered toe ramps. The ramps feature Andover’s pioneering fold-forward design, which helps to reduce drag.
The new truck also boasts Andover Trailers’ low-profile deck, achieved by designing the cross members to transect the body runners, rather than simply sitting on top.
Southern Plant specified an electric winch, rated to six tonnes, to aid loading and unloading, alongside a full working at height system. The deck includes eight lashing points as standard, with the company opting for an additional four pairs of five-tonne D-rings to increase load flexibility and security.
Operating out of the company’s Henley-on-Thames base, the new truck will be on the road five days a week, delivering excavators, telehandlers, dumpers and a range of other plant to sites across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
Established in 1988, Southern Plant provides equipment to the construction, civil engineering and building trades and is currently looking to expand its operations with plans for a new depot in Northamptonshire.