The Iver-based firm, which began trading in June 2011, is marketing itself as a specialist haulage company and in under a month has picked up work at both the Download and Glastonbury Festivals, as well as making deliveries to a movie set outside London.

At the centre of Tomato Plant’s operation is a striking new 8×4 Volvo FM 500 Globetrotter mounted with a bespoke-built plant body with hydraulic beavertail from Andover Trailers. In addition to a Fassi crane, the Volvo has been fitted with a VBG ball-and-jaw coupling to enable it to operate with an Andover Trailers tri-axle centre balance drawbar trailer, which will help to maximise the scope for carrying different payloads.

Keith Williams of Tomato Plant visited Andover Trailers when he was still in the early stages of forming the company, having seen at close hand the quality of an Andover Trailers vehicle at a local service station.

Williams says: “We couldn’t have achieved what we have already without a quality flagship vehicle, and the Andover team has really delivered the goods. They impressed with their service from the initial design stages to handing over the vehicle, and we absolutely intend to do business with them again as we continue to grow.”

The plant body, which measures 7.9m by 2.5m, is fitted with a remote-control winch, hardwood floor, fuel-saving fold-forward ramps – a design first pioneered in the industry by Andover – and five pairs of lashing points to secure any combination of loads. It also features telescopic steady legs to provide a steady platform during loading and unloading.

It will operate with a 6m x 2.5m tri-axle centre balance drawbar trailer – also with rear beavertail. Andover has shaped the front of the drawbar to allow ramps leading onto the plant body to lock into place, enabling easy through- loading without having to detach the trailer. It also features Granning axles and air suspension, together with powerful EBS brakes.

Finished in bright red paint to set off the company’s trademark tomato livery on the prime mover, the combination has been described by the customer as a “guaranteed head-turner”.

The 8×4 Volvo is plated to operate at up to 32 tonnes, with a maximum payload potential of 14 tonnes. The tri-axle drawbar is plated at 24 tonnes, allowing for its own maximum payload of 19 tonnes. Together, this combination affords Tomato Plant maximum load carrying flexibility, with a combined gross train weight of up to 44 tonnes and a total payload potential of nearly 20 tonnes, split between the truck and drawbar.

Some of the first loads transported to-date include film props, cars and fire engines, as well as general plant such as dumpers, diggers, concrete mixers and portable cabins.

The 8.9 m-long LPBB 32 plant bodies have been mounted to identical Volvo FM410 P8 8×2 rear-steer chassis cabs, which join a fleet totalling 18 commercial vehicles, 12 of which already feature bodywork manufactured by Andover Trailers. Only two were ordered originally, but they performed so well that a further three were specified to supplement the fleet.

The striking turquoise trucks feature a single-crank beavertail and 3.7 m-long x 1 m-wide powertoe hydraulic ramp, with a remote-control Superwinch and hydraulic steady legs for safe loading. They have drawbar couplings to tow a trailer of up to 3.5 tonnes, and each carries a red diesel tank with pump, hose and filler for refuelling items of plant on-site, as well as a tool box mounted on the chassis.

Items of plant are held securely in place using five pairs of lashing points located on the deck of each plant body.

The vehicles will be used to perform up to eight deliveries a day, five days a week, covering up to 80,000 km a year. They will transport equipment including excavators, dumpers, tracked dumpers, telehandlers, rollers and vibrating rollers to customers all over the UK.

John Fitzpatrick, Finance Director of One Call Plant Hire, says: “We are so delighted with the first two plant bodies Andover designed for us that we have ordered three more. The team at Andover has an exceptional understanding of the plant hire industry, and their bespoke design is perfectly suited to transporting the machinery we stock.”

He added: “The amount of care that goes into the design and construction of these bodies means we can rely on them to remain with the fleet for at least ten years.”

One Call Hire stocks a comprehensive array of machinery for hire to the construction and civil engineering sectors. In addition to the items of plant being transported on the new vehicles, One Call Hire supplies compressors and breakers, fuel bowsers, water bowsers and washer bowsers. The company has eight depots between Birmingham and Southampton.

Sales Director Ivan Collins says the new SFLT 44 model offers operators access to a high quality and competitively priced UK-built trailer, ideal for a multitude of light plant movements. The first of these new trailers has already been delivered to Warton Freight Services.

Collins explains: “We’ve achieved the eight per cent saving by offering this addition to our range in one standard 13.6m length, with one swing clearance and a smaller range of options, which in turn simplifies the build process. It’s been designed around an all-new two member chassis which uses cross members passing through the inner frame to deliver utmost strength. We anticipate strong interest from general C&U operators.”

The standard specification includes a toolbox for stowing straps and chains, swing-out galvanized side extensions and oxinite hydraulic cylinders for maximum protection. It is offered with Knorr-Bremse spring brakes on all three Granning axles, a lifting rear axle and manual steady legs. Operators can also opt for either single section 2.5m long hydraulic ramps or 3.2m power toe ramps.

Added cost options include a choice between Gigant and SAF axles, or a self- steering axle in place of the lifting rear axle. Fleets can also specify wide-load marker boards and a hydraulic sideways function for the ramps.

The first fleet in the UK to take delivery of the SFLT 44 is Warton Freight Services, which is using the step frame to target a new sector of the market. Having previously focused on general haulage for the construction industry, the Andover trailer is being used to extend the company’s range of services to include transportation of sky-high hoists and access machines, which can weigh up to 16 tonnes.

Barking-based Warton Freight Services’ Transport Manager, Dave Woodham, says: “We wanted to expand our customer base – but there was no way we were getting anything this big and heavy on one of our flatbeds.

“We’d heard on the grapevine that Andover was pretty good – and clearly there’s no smoke without fire. This new step frame trailer is spot on and is proving to be a true workhorse in the fleet.”

Operating at least five days a week, the step frame is performing up to seven deliveries and seven collections a day all over the UK.

G Farwell transports machinery such as 35-tonne Caterpillar D8 bulldozers. The measurements and weight of plant like this necessitates extreme care in transportation – and only a tailor-made trailer really fits the bill for the job.

Company Chairman George Farwell, aged 78, has no hesitation in going back to Andover this year, following the success of his 1987 purchase.

“The Andover team already had an impressive wealth of knowledge and experience last time round,” says Farwell, “and we were pleased to find that hasn’t changed.

“Their products are incredibly reliable and their prices are realistic. When a product is as good as our last one was you look forward to its sequel being even better. We’re delighted that Andover can be the company to take us on to the next generation in trailer technology.”

Industry innovations since the company’s previous purchase include vastly improved safety measures.  Transporting the D8s, which requires special police permission, is no job for the faint-hearted, explains General Manager Steve Stacey – who has to notify the police in advance with a proposed route map and date and time of transportation.

“It couldn’t be more important to use a high-quality trailer for this kind of job,” says Steve.  “That’s why it’s so essential to work with a bespoke manufacturer you trust.”

The new tri-axle step frame with beavertail has a reinforced hardwood floor to support the heavyweight machinery and features a 300mm fixed stop bar at the front of the trailer for maximum security when loaded.  All cables and pipes have been positioned away from the chassis to prevent road dirt being held against it; and special attention has been paid to shot-blasting and painting in Epoxy Primer, to ensure it lasts even longer than its 23-year-old predecessor.

The 12-metre-long by 2.5-metre-wide trailer has Granning axles, Granning air suspension with raise/lower control and a Knorr-Bremse electronic braking system and is fitted with Andover hydraulic fold forward ramps to save fuel consumption. These ramps also facilitate transportation of 40 yd containers, graders and awkward-shaped plant and machinery; while the trailer’s step frame design increases manoeuvrability on narrow country lanes and farm tracks.

G Farwell operates its own groundwork business as well as hiring out plant for construction , demolition and road maintenance industries to customers across Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire.  Recent projects it has been involved in include the groundworks for family leisure centre Paultons Park on the edge of the New Forest.

The trailers will be used to deliver an array of Linde materials handling equipment, including high mast forklift trucks, which can be challenging to transport. Such machines require trailers that have been designed specially – which is what originally sent Linde Andover’s way in 1999.

Its return to the same manufacturer this year to replace its latest batch of trailers is testament to its prowess as well as its competitive prices, says Rental and Transport Manager Audrey Gordon.

“We did look at other manufacturers,” says Gordon, “but the quality of Andover’s trailers brought us back.

“Another thing that marks Andover out is its service,” she adds. “We worked face- to-face with the Sales Director, who always made himself very available, and whose knowledge is second to none.”

The trailers Andover has designed for Linde this time around – with TSE sliding roofs and curtainsided bodies – are specially tailored for use with forklift trucks.

They come fitted with swing-out pillars; hydraulically lifting floors; a full height and full width hydraulic skinned ramp operated by radio control for safety; and a 16,000 lb Superwinch with remote control. The floors are reinforced for the imposed wheel loads of the forklift trucks – which can weigh up to 16 tonnes – and 14 pairs of lashing points are fixed along the length of the trailers to hold machinery in place. The trailers are constructed with double beavertails to allow for machines with very low ground clearance.

They will be in operation five days a week, performing five to six drops a day, and covering an average of 100,000 km a year. The roads they cover will range from motorways to narrow farm tracks, including busy central London streets en route to customers in areas as crowded as Covent Garden.

Linde, which is over 125 years old, delivers materials handling equipment all over the UK. Its customers include DHL, Hall Hunter and Harrods. The new Andover trailers will be split between depots in Camberley and Bridgend, each of which has a fleet of 500 short-term hire machines and 200 long-term.

T H White, which delivers machinery all over the UK, needed a trailer strong and wide enough to transport some of the larger machinery it delivers, such as combine harvesters – but compact enough to go down narrow tracks.

Agricultural Sales Administrator Mike Packham says: “We were having some real problems with our last trailer. It was too big and clumsy to get around on some of our customers’ farms, so we decided to go for a bespoke design.”

Although nearly 20 years have passed since T H White last had an Andover trailer on fleet, Packham says the decision to go back was quick and easy.

“As a business that believes in value and quality, Andover was an obvious choice for us,” he says. “We looked around to see what other people in the agricultural machinery industry had, and everyone who used Andover Trailers seemed to have come away with a product that scored high in both of those areas, so we followed suit.”

The bespoke SFCL40 tri-axle step frame that solves T H White’s tight squeezes comes fitted with the very latest in trailer technology, making transporting specialist machinery safer and speedier than a conventional step frame, and bringing a new modern vibe to the fleet.

The trailer has a short fixed deck behind the neck, from which both sides of the trailer extend hydraulically on fabricated arms from a width of 2.53 m to 3.6 m. The specification also includes wheel wells on the deck to accommodate a combine’s front tyres, with covers to allow the trailer to be used with conventional loads. To ensure safe loading, the power toe / hydraulic fold forward ramps are mounted on platforms so they can be extended to the same width as the deck.

It also features toolboxes under the fixed platforms, a lifting rear axle, and has a BH 550 hydraulic winch with radio and remote control.

The trailer joins a fleet of two articulated trucks, 170 service vans and 28 trailers. It will cover an average of 50,000 miles a year, performing as many as five drops a day, up to six days a week. T H White has customers all over the UK, predominantly in the south.

[private]The order comprises two high-specification centre-balance drawbar trailers with beavertails (model CBDBCL 25), designed specifically to carry smaller cold milling machines weighing up to 17 tonnes. This pair is joined by three lighter tri-axle drawbars (model CBDBCLLT 25), custom-built by Andover Trailers to transport Wirtgen’s new, heavier generation of planer. Two of these trailers will operate with W100Fs, and one with the even larger W120F.

These heavy Wirtgen planers are difficult to transport on a traditional drawbar trailer due to their increased weight (1.6 and 1.0 tonnes respectively) with the W120F coming in at 20 tonnes, but Andover Trailers has developed pioneering designs using a careful blend of different steels to combine an ultra-low unladen weight with a model offering utmost strength.

The five trailers purchased by NRP will operate nationally, travelling between destinations ranging from Devon to Edinburgh, and are tough enough to handle long journeys functioning at their maximum gross trailer weight.

Jamie Town, Operations Director for NRP, commented: “We’ve worked with Andover Trailers many times before, and the company has always provided us with a quality product that is robust, reliable and doesn’t let us down.

“Andover Trailers gets involved from the outset, working closely with the equipment manufacturer to ensure the trailer is perfect for the intended application. All we ever need to do is tell the Andover team what machine we want to carry and they tell us exactly what we need.”

The two centre-balance drawbar trailers are 7.4m long and feature SAF axles, with an optional lifting front axle with auto lower control. The specification also includes hydraulic steady legs coupled to the operation of the 1.2m wide hydraulic power toe ramps, together with Andover’s custom slide-out safety lights.

The three tri-axle drawbars are 10.1m long and use regular SAF axles, with manual swing-down steady legs and 1m wide off-side and 600mm near-side hydraulic power ramps, designed to keep weight to a minimum.

All five of the trailers are fitted with SAF air suspension with raise/lower control, 2 line EEC / EBS braking system with auto slack adjusters and feature an adjustable conveyor support. Like the rest of the fleet, they operate in conjunction with a mix of MAN and Scania tippers.[/private]

The trailer was purpose-built to carry an array of equipment to European races, including two generator sets, an access machine and a Manitou telehandler – all of which are used to construct and build the team’s corporate hospitality units.

Ivan Collins, Sales Director at Andover Trailers, says: “We’re very proud of the finished product.  The customer provided us with the spec sheets for the various machines and generators they wanted to carry, and we let our design team do the rest.”

The result is a striking tri-axle mega cube flat trailer featuring a curtainside body, swing-out rear pillars for loading the telehandler and a TSE sliding roof system, for which Andover Trailers became the sole UK distributor in 2009. The trailer is also equipped with a new design of head board to meet the latest regulations on load restraint.

The trailer has been constructed with a completely flat bed and beavertail, together with SAF disc brake axles and mounted on 445/45 R 19.5 single tyres. Its specification also includes a Bevola toolbox to carry the batteries and power pack, together with a Ramsey winch which is fitted forward of the headboard.  The hardwood floor has also been laminated to provide a finer finish, and three rows of load locks mounted to each side of the trailer allow maximum load carrying flexibility.

The two new trailers are specially designed to hold a 9-metre-long, 17-tonne generator set on the main deck, while a 3,000-litre fuel tank and cable drum carrier are securely mounted on the neck. The hydraulic-powered carrier holds a total of 200 metres of cable to allow maximum flexibility when positioning the trailer on site

This specialist application required the design of a custom-built trailer, which Andover Trailers’ bespoke service has made possible with the two Andover-based companies working closely together on the specification.

A company spokesman for Scorpion Power Systems, says: “Andover Trailers has been known to us as a local company for some time. This has been the first opportunity to work with them on one of our major projects. It has proved to be a total success. The trailers were perfect for the application.

The trailers are 12 metres long, finished in flint-grey paint and feature a square neck and square end, to suit the load they are carrying. Both are fitted with Granning axles and air suspension with a raise / lower control valve, together with a Knorr-Bremse EBS braking system which integrates ABS and ASR traction control into one electronic system.

They also both come equipped with an on-board Knorr-Bremse Trailer Information Module (TIM). This is an easy-to-use trailer-mountable or hand-held device that is able to provide valuable information for the operator/driver on axle group load, odometer and trip distance, voltage, air pressures, wheel sensor information and EBS diagnostics without the need of a PC. Having this unit on board means easy diagnosis of most in-service issues by the operator without the need to contact a specialist enginee

Independent legs are also fitted at the front and rear of the trailer to ensure a level platform for operating the generator.

Scorpion Power Systems is part of shentongroup (correct), a family-owned partnership of four companies based in Andover. Established in 1987 as a supplier of diesel generators, it has now grown to specialise in integrated diesel and gas generator-based standby power systems, UPS (uninterrupted power systems) and CHP (combined heat and power) solutions.

With a maximum payload of 18 tonnes, the bespoke body is the third to be supplied by Andover Trailers and will be used to deliver a range of small, large and heavy plant.  The vehicle is fitted with a red diesel tank for re-filling the equipment, together with a Metool hose reel auto trigger.

Covering 100,000 miles a year, the vehicle is expected to remain on the fleet for five years with Skelton Group delivering to customers across the South of England.

The 9.6 metre long plant body is equipped with power toe ramps, together with a double crank beavertail and hydraulic steady legs.  To make loading and unloading easier, ramp controls are fitted to both sides of the body, while hinged chain stays are fitted to the headboard.  Eight sets of lashing points are strategically positioned along the frame, ensuring optimum load security.

To assist the driver onsite, the body has been supplied by the Hampshire-based manufacturer with a chassis-mounted tool box and hi-power work lights on the headboard.  For additional safety LED strobe lights are fitted on the ramps.

A hardwood floor with Expamet over the timber on the beavertail and an 8,000lb Superwinch with a wireless remote control system complete the comprehensive specification.  The Daf chassis has the latest rear ‘lift and steer’ axle to improve fuel efficiency and aid site manoeuvrability.

Tim Skelton, Managing Director of Skelton Group, comments: “The new vehicle allows us to move a 15 tonne excavator complete with buckets, breaker and fuel bowser within the legal carrying capacity of the truck.  The rear steer axle enables us to access sites that would otherwise prove difficult with a traditional low loader.

“The plant body is rugged enough to cope with the off-road environment of construction sites, while the close attention to detail the Andover team has put into the versatile design allows easy and quick operation.”

Supplied through Goldhofer’s UK partner, Andover Trailers, the Goldhofer tri-axle wafer deck low loader and five-axle extendable low loader trailers will be pulled by either 6X4 Scania or Mercedes-Benz tractor units, covering up to 60,000 miles a year.

Michael Edwards, PHH Managing Director says: “The majority of our work sees us transporting high and voluminous loads, where every millimetre of loading height counts. For these operations Goldhofer offers the most varied loading decks and the new units join our existing fleet of wafer deck, semi low loader and low loader heavy haulage trailers as additions.”

The Type STZ-VH 3 tri-axle low loader incorporates a 30 tonne detachable hydraulic gooseneck for front loading of the deck. The extending wafer deck, which is 220mm deep has a capacity of 45 tonnes and has a load length of 8,500mm, which can be extended by a further 6,000mm, allowing it to transport machinery up to 14,500mm long. The deck has finger joints at the rear and the trailer was supplied with an extra set of 6m extension beams giving a total deck length of 20.5m. The three axle bogie incorporates an excavator arm recess

measuring 240mm deep by 490mm wide. The hydraulic suspension gives two deck heights, 390mm with a stroke of +110 /- 150mm or 300mm with a stroke of +200mm / – 60mm.

Also joining the fleet is a Type STN-L 5, five-axle extendable step frame, which has been built to transport a maximum payload of up to 69,300 kg. The trailer is fitted with three fixed axles and two self tracking SAE axles with the front axle lifting all on air suspension with raise/lower control. The trailer has a deck length of 9.3m extending by another 6.7m giving a total deck length of 16m.

Edwards adds: “We opted for Goldhofer because of its exceptional manoeuvrability, reliability and low running costs. Goldhofer products also have good second-hand value, which is important as we like to replace our trailers after six years operation. The support from Andover Trailers in the UK is also first class.”

The STZ-VH 3 has auxiliary steering featuring Goldhofer’s EasyCONTROL radio control system, for use when the vehicle is negotiating urban areas or locations with restricted access, with a range of 50 metres for operation by an individual following the trailer. The tri-axle wafer deck low loader has a gross weight of 63,750 kg and a maximum payload capacity of 43,540 kg at 62km/h, mounted on 235/75R17.5 wheels and tyres. Both units have already played a key role in the delivery of loads weighing over 35 tonnes from Germany to Aberdeen.

Construction teams faced the challenge of the extreme weight of the bridge section and the tight available space, making it impossible to use cranes to position the 95m long steel roadway, so looked to Goldhofer for the solution.

The Goldhofer PST-ES/E Series modules with a total of 19 axle lines were used to transport the Tenpaku motorway junction at a height of 30 metres via existing feeder roads, so that it could be installed on-site – forming a vital element in the completion of the motorway connection.

A Central Nippon Expressway Company spokesman, commented: “We would not have been able to realise this project without the Goldhofer vehicles – our new self- driven modules genuinely stole the show.”

Each Goldhofer module was equipped with a 60 tonne lift table, which supported the bridge at a height of 30 metres while the bridge section was then moved by two manoeuvrable lift table combinations, with the bridge protruding over the road sections positioned underneath it. The third unit then picked up the bridge on the other side of the street.

With only a few metres for vehicles to manoeuvre, the Central Nippon Expressway Company were able to make full use of the auxiliary steering featuring Goldhofer’s easyCONTROL remote control system, for use when the vehicle was negotiating urban areas or locations with restricted access.

Ivan Collins, Sales Director of Andover Trailers, Goldhofer’s sole distributor in the UK and Ireland, explains: “The Higashi-Meihan-Highway is one of the most prestigious projects for Goldhofer in Japan, requiring a balance of precision and power to handle the weight of the gigantic steel section. The PST-ES/E self-driven modules have the highest axle load of any Goldhofer module and were perfect for this application.”

With a combined weight of 655 tonnes, including the bridge section, 60 tonne lift tables and 50 tonne weight of the mounting platforms, the Goldhofer modules made light work of the project – requiring only an hour to position the final bridge section.

“The biggest problem was the limited space in which equipment could be positioned, but thanks to the hydraulic rotary drive and numerous steering modes operated by remote control, each axle could be individually positioned millimetres at a time, giving the team an extremely flexible and precise steering system,” adds Collins.

The project forms part of the Higashi-Meihan-Highway, connecting Nagoya and Osaka, South West of Tokyo, and is one of the most important road links in Japan. Construction of the elevated express toll road, part of National Route 302, is due for completion in 2010 and will provide a six-lane transport system for 2.5 million people.

The FKCL 36 trailers will be used to transport engineering machinery including lathes, automated CNC milling machines, heavy gauge metal presses and tools from its base in Poole to customers around the UK and Europe.

The 13.6m-long trailers supplied by Andover Trailers to AET Transport will operate in conjunction with MAN 6×4 tractor units, covering 60,000 miles a year for the next seven years.

The AET Transport specification includes the fitment of a curtain sided body with swing out rear pillars and a specialist TSE sliding roof system, sourced from Germany. The TSE roof is an all steel system which was specifically chosen by Andover Trailers for its sheer strength and durability, which allows it to withstand buffeting when travelling with the roof open.

Andrew Trotter, AET Transport Managing Director, says: “All of our equipment is fairly unusual and off-specification to enable us to move a range of heavy and odd-sized loads – along with our own high mast materials handling equipment.Andover Trailers was the only manufacturer which could design and build the trailer we required to our budget and timeframe.

“We have had a long relationship with Andover, going back more than 20 years and have found that the seven trailers we have purchased are reliable and last a long time.”

The FKWB36 design incorporates a low profile neck, double crank beavertail and additional cross members designed for concentrated loads, giving a payload of 25 tonnes. An SAF air suspension and axle package with raise and lower control, together with a single section full height hydraulic ramp and remote control, offers a shallow angle of approach for high mast materials handling equipment.

Additional features include a hardwood floor with expamet coverings over the ramps and two-speed push-pull leg gear, a 24-volt power pack, LED interior lights and 12 lashing points for additional load security.

The step frame design also includes an on-board Knorr-Bremse Trailer Information Module (TIM) as standard. The TIM is an easy-to-use trailer mountable or hand- held reading device that is able to provide valuable information for the operator / driver on axle group load, odometer and trip distance, voltage, air pressures and wheel sensor information as well as EBS diagnostics without the need of a PC.

“Andover has always offered us flexible build schedules and we work closely with the drawing office to adjust the specification, ensuring the finished unit is exactly what we need. Drivers report the retractable roof is easy to use and well-built,” concludes Trotter.

The CBDBCL24 has been constructed to a bespoke design including 3.7m long power toe ramps and a single front-mounted ramp to allow access to a tipper body. It also includes an EEC EBS braking system, BPW axles and air suspension with a raise / lower control.

At 7.4m long, the drawbar is designed to carry a range of construction and quarry equipment as well as 20ft ISO containers. Hydraulic steady legs are included to provide stability during the loading and unloading process, with a 24-volt power pack to run the hydraulics. The specification also includes a pair of high quality Bevola toolboxes built into the frame of the trailer and a hardwood floor.

Steve Allan, from GMR Henderson, says: “The drawbar was purchased following a meeting with Andover Trailers at Scot Plant 2008. After speaking with a number of manufacturers, Andover Trailers was the only company in the market that could supply us with a drawbar in the timeframe and budget allowed and we are pleased to say that it is performing well.

“The drawbar has been designed and built to a high specification and the quality of workmanship is superb. It is a unique design that meets our exact requirements and enables us to carry a wider range of equipment, from 14-tonne excavators to telehandlers – giving the business greater operational flexibility and improved productivity.”

“We have also been impressed with the attention to detail when responding to minor changes to the design and are reassured by Andover’s reputation and expect to see many years reliable service from the trailer,” he concludes.

The drawbar is the first to be supplied by Andover Trailers to the Wick-based company and will be used in conjunction with a Scania R430 6×2 rigid tipper.

Established in 1989, GMR Henderson specialises in construction, renovation and civil engineering contracts across Caithness and Sutherland in Scotland.

Lifterz will use the vehicles to deliver a wider variety of access platforms from the company’s Ossett depot to customers across the North of England, whilst also offering additional heavy plant equipment services to customers.

Ben James, Lifterz Operations Director commented: “The decision to place the order with Andover Trailers was made after they were recommended to us by one of our logistics providers – APS Movements. We outsource some deliveries with them which were made using vehicles fitted with Andover’s bodies, but we’ve reviewed our transport operation and believe it’s more cost-effective to bring much of this in-house.

“Working closely with Andover’s design team, we have been able to create a vehicle that allows us to move larger access platforms or multiple plant orders, giving us the option of being able to meet demands in any region,” he adds.

The bespoke-built 9.2 metre long plant body includes 1 metre wide (access-specification) power toe ramps, with hinged centre door to allow booms to protrude between the ramps if required, together with a fixed boom support on the headboard to carry the booms over the cabs.

The comprehensive specification also includes hydraulic steady legs to stabilise the vehicle during the loading and unloading process. Additional features include a remote-control 8,000lb Superwinch, hardwood floor with Expamet over the timber on the beavertail and steel underlay in the outer bays of the body for additional strength.

Loads are secured by nine pairs of lashing points strategically positioned in the floor, while additional storage has been supplied with a chassis-mounted tool box. The 32 tonner is expected to cover up to 50,000 miles a year and will remain on the fleet for four years.