Smalley Plant Hire won’t go anywhere other than Andover 13 September 2013

Preston-based Smalley Plant Hire has taken delivery of its first Andover Trailers plant body, which has been mounted to a 26-tonne DAF CF85 6x2 rigid.

The truck will be used to transport excavators and dumper trucks to customers around the North West, and owner Mark Smalley is so impressed that he has already vowed only ever to order commercial vehicle bodywork from Andover Trailers.

The bespoke-built LPPB26 body features 3.7m long x 1m wide power toe ramps. These have a hydraulic sideways function to close the ramps together, which has been designed to give Smalley Plant Hire the flexibility to load narrow machines.

The new vehicle also incorporates safety features, including: hydraulic steady legs, which ensure a stable platform for loading and unloading; six pairs of lashing points in the floor; and five pairs of working at height post sockets to enable the company to erect a safety system, when required.

"It's our first bit of kit from Andover Trailers but we certainly won't be going anywhere else again," confirms Smalley.

"As we are transporting excavators and dumpers – and a whole range of other heavy plant – we needed a body that would be up to the job and not let us down," he continues.

"The team [at Andover] are absolutely fantastic and the body does exactly what we need it to," he adds.

As with most of Andover Trailers' rigids, the body has a deck height up to five inches lower than a regular plant body, enabling Smalley Plant Hire to benefit from low ramp and beavertail approach angles.

The body also includes an electric Superwinch with radio and remote control. It has groucer bars fitted to the outer edge of the beavertail and main section of the ramp to help tracked machines maintain traction during loading and unloading. And it has a heavy-duty plastic tool box.

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
Andover Trailers Ltd
DAF Trucks Ltd

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