Recently in Tipper trucks Category

Tim Cotton returns to BLB with this bonneted French bruiser (or should that be le bruiser?) and to say: "Continuing the theme of trucks spotted whilst on holidays - here are three Renault tippers seen on two seperate trips to France. The bonneted one was in Nimes back in 2006 and the other two were by a beach on the South coast in 2007.It was the bonneted one which prompted this email, as I thought it was a little different Tim." Well it is different Tim, and a great lead in to a pie (sorry quiche) quiz thus: Who can tell me anything about the cab on this truck...and what would it have been badged at before it had a Renault diamond on the front? Now click through here for a sure-fire way to get a decent spot on the beach....

It seems the word on the value of fitting smaller 'trainer wheels' to a 6x2 tractor is spreading far and wide. Which probably explains why Cheshire-based NWF Agriculture has had them fitted on its latest Volvo FH three-axle artic. And why go for the smaller mid-lift pusher axle? Well for a start packaging of chassis components is much easier (especially on a tipper or tanker with hydraulic or blower kit). Then there's the fact that you get maximum flexibility by still be able to run at 44-tonnes whilst still avoiding drive axle overloads. But the real bonus is the fact that you get a decent reduction in tare weight too....and that goes straight to your bottom line. Indeed, Carl Jones, NWF's traffic manager tells Biglorryblog: "We specified the Esteppe push axle as it allows us to gain a 350 kgs weight save giving us a maximum possible payload." However, there's more good news as you can see if you click through here...

Smart looking rig too---and they haven't tried to hide the smaller wheels with a side valance either---I always think that defeats the object of the whole weight-saving exercise don't you?

As promosied here are few more pictures from this week's Tipper Light event held at the Smiths of Bletchington quarry just of J10 of the M40. One of our test trucks--this Volvo FL little four-wheel 18-tonner--is actually on the Smiths fleet. And what an immaculate state it's in too! I'm told the driver really cherishes it and the inside is astonishing for a tipper.

It even sports a Mack hood ornament--fully encapsulating the 'Global' roots of the truck which has a Volvo engine and frame, Renault-derived cab and a  Mack bonnet badge!

And here it is to show you how clean it is...and with CM associate editor Colin Barnett just writing up his notes on it. And take my word for it after some rain the quarry gets really claggy...the limestone dust becomes a paste that even a jet wash struggles to get off. The FE, however, looks it just came out of the box--but it's an '08 with already over 70,000 clicks on the clock.

What's the Smiths' driver's secret? Lots of TLC and the odd pack of 'Flash Dash' wipes--you need them with all that dust floating around too...now click through to see more..

Spotted on the body of the new Renault Premium Lander 8x4 tipper being tested for CM's 8 January issue, this shovel is never going to wear out, largely on account of you would have to remove the sheeting system to remove it from its brackets! 

Martin 'Keeper of the Flame' Phippard has been in touch with Biglorryblog to say: "Hi Brian, please find the first of several rather nice bonneted 8x4 tippers or dump trucks from La Belle Province of Quebec in Eastern Canada. I though that they are just that little bit unusual." I agree MP!

Martin continues: "These pictures were all taken by Robert Lafreniere and appeared recently on Hank's Truck Pictures (a CANADIAN site!) Needless to say, I do have the necesary permission to pass to you for BLB provided of course that you credit the source as usual" My pleasure Martin, and thanks to Robert. Martin says: "I will ID the trucks as we go along. The first (attached) is an IH/Navistar with a neat little tandem axle 'pony' trailer followed by a Ford L8000 8x4. regards,Martin."

Next, says Martin "Is a neat little Sterling, successor to the true Ford. Unfortunately we won't be seeing many more of these." And in case you don't get it go back to recent BLB posts on Sterling.

Now a rather tired old International S-Line that Marton reckons "...must be about 20-years old I suspect!"

"I like this chunky Kenworth T-800 8x4 powered by a CAT diesel." says Martin. And so does BLB...

Sturdy old Mack DMM 6866EX still hard at work.

And just for good measure a Peterbilt although I don't have the model number. How about BLB readers? Now click through here vfor a couple more of these bonneted behemoths!

And for 'Mr Grumpy' this is what you call a BIG bin! Yes the mighty Roadmaster Tipulator and I have Rod Simmonds and 'Insider Ian' to thank for it too. What a whoppa! What Ian didn't tell me was it's cubic capacity although he assures me it's the biggest trailer down-under (or at least in New Zealand). So what is the cubic yardage eh?

It's certainly an impressive bit of kit...now click through here for one more shot of it including a view of the Kenworth K100E tri-drive that pulls it....

Looking just about ready for any off-road challenge, say hello to Hydraulic Discharge Equipment (HDE)'s Renault Kerax 'Load King' steel muckaway tipper. The 8x4 Kerax 410.32 is fitted with HDE's 15m³ tipper, which features a top swung high lift tailgate and HDE's unique pressed square shaped steel and insulated body.The Load King was previewed at the Tip-Ex show earlier in the year and is a joint initiative between the Carlisle-based Renault Trucks distributor, Border Trucks, and HDE. Where there's muckaway there's brass says Biglorryblog...

File this under 'The Camera Never Lies'...or Call that a lorry-mounted grab...? no mate THIS is a lorry mounted grab...Or else it's the arm of an excavator that's otherwise obscured by this rather splendid Hino 700 Series tipper that's recently entered service  with Higgins plant hire....you pays yer money and you takes yer pic.

Biglorryblog has Ellen Paulusma, the group marketing director at the Hyva group BV for sending me these pictures. I saw the one above in a recent Hyva brochure and asked for it especially. It shows a Big Pete tractor with a US tipping trailer on the back (complete with Hyva ram naturally). But what struck me about the picture was the way the tipper semi-sub frame /chassis splits half way down the body which then has a short frame for the bogie.

"Nothing special in that Biglorryblog!" I hear you shout and indeed you'd be right as it's a typical yankee tipping trailer configuration (they also have that style down under). But with the exception of a few weird tankers and tippers in the 60s I saw in CM it's a design we've never taken to in the UK. How come I wonder? Answers BLB army! Martin P, as a much-travelled man can you shed some light on our love of full-length chassis on tipping trailers? equally what are the US-style tippers like to use---i.e. speed of tipping, stability etc. 

Meanwhile, click through here for another bit of Hyva.

Have you noticed that press releases on Mercedes tippers are a bit like buses? You wait for weeks then they suddenly come along all at once. Nevertheless Biglorryblog is delighted to announce the arrival of the two Axor eight-leggers (its first Mercs) that have gone into service with construction and civil engineering contractor PT McWilliams www.ptmcwilliams.com. The company, which is based in Seskinore, near Omagh, has added the Thompson heavy-duty steel-bodied Axor 3236K 8x4 tippers to its 40-strong fleet.

Patrick McWilliams, (that's your man above)who founded the company with a single truck in 1972, tells me: "Mercedes-Benz have been knocking on our door for a while now and I decided it was time to give them a chance. I've talked to other operators and the Axor seems to offer exactly what we look for in a truck. Our work is predominantly muck-shifting, which is a much tougher job than delivering aggregates. "So we need strength and reliability above all, allied to good off-road performance. The vehicle must be strong enough to stand up to the punishment - that's much more important than a few extra kilogrammes of payload."

Now click through here for more teutonically tip-tastic  reportage...

Thus does travel broaden the mind....yesterday Biglorryblog took a day-trip to Holland to meet the good folk from Hyva. It's funny how you can pigeon-hole a company based on what you THINK hey do---only to find out that they do much more than you thought. Witness the Hyva Group. Yes we all know they make tipping gear (they're the world's number one ram manufacturer) but what I didn't know was ther global reach of their business nor that their product portfolio included cranes, brick grabs, moving floors systems, body-covering kits,,skip loaders and hook loaders, assorted hydraulic stuf and so on. They're also responsibloe for this magnificent beast pictured above (or at least the body). And for a Global Pie Quiz....what's the truck and can you tell me anything about the body too?

Meanwhile, just to show how global a company Hyva is..it's even had a street named after it in China. Now that is cool....

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Have you ever noticed what goes around comes around? Take Mid-Glamorgan based Alan Price & Sons for example. In 1994 they were the first operator in the UK to take delivery of the original Iveco EuroTrakker. Now they've added the very latest Trakker 8x4--that's it above---to the company's 20-string fleet. The AT340T41K eight-legger (wasn't it so much easier when all trucks just had names?) sports the high roof Active Time sleeper cab and was supplied by local Iveco dealer Dragon Truck & Van. It will be used primarily in the waste sector, operating operate away from the company's base five days a week, with the driver sleeping overnight in the cab and expected to cover up to 130,000 km a year. Not a bad day's work I'd say....

Ray Price, a director of Alan Price & Sons, explains to Biglorryblog: "I saw the Trakker on Iveco's stand at SED 2007 and was immediately impressed, particularly with the build quality and comfort levels inside the cab. "Our drivers treat their cabs like a home away from home during the week, which means it's essential to supply them with a vehicle with a comfy sleeping area and plenty of personal storage space.  With the new Trakker, Iveco has really delivered a complete package, with the luxury of a double bunk arrangement and masses of internal storage, coupled with generous external lockers which are ideal for wet gear and bulky outdoor jackets."

Now click through here for more...

Now here's a nice shot of a tipper---and very much in-line with Biglorryblog's 'How to take a good truck photograph' rules...for example, note the interesting foreground---by putting the loader bucket into the top left hand corner you start to frame the picture. Now look at the bloke standing next to the truck. Your eye is immediately drawn into him and you start to get interested in who he his and what he might be doing. (Always good to have anyone wearing a hi-viz vest---gets them noticed and keeps the 'Elfin safety' bods off your back too!)

Add to that some loose material in the front right corner (again framing)and some interesting bit of mechnical gubbins in the background and you're done...so all-in-all not a bad snap to show off what's basically a rather 'normal' tipper body. And it's a shot you could use for all kinds of things---like sector reports, H&S features, or even a news picture related to tippers/construction etc. Infact for a hell of a lot which shows the mark of a good PR photo, i.e. that it's more than just a one-trick pony to illustrate some new fleet order.

Meanwhile, click through here to find out the real reason why BLB was sent it.

Why am I blogging on this smart Actros? Simply because Biglorryblog likes the picture, the composition, the lighting. It's a cracker. The story? Leading demolition, civil and structural engineering specialist, McGee recently fulfilled the £25-million contract to pull down the famous old Wembley stadium and prepare the ground for the magnificent new arena that has replaced it.

McGee operates a high-profile fleet of more than 50 trucks---the majority of them 32-tonne 8x4 tippers. Swedish and more recently French brands have traditionally held sway but the firm's latest order is for nine Mercedes Actros. And click through here for more on the Actros and a shot of one in off-road action!

As you read this Biglorryblog is sitting in his hotel room in Harrogate getting some early morning blogging done before covering the Tip-Ex Show. In a hour's time the Boy Swallow and me and Tom Cunningham will hit the halls. It's a real trip down memory lane for yours truly. I haven't beeen in Harrogate for years and felt quite emotional driving through Leeds last night looking for the A61. As if by radar (and the odd road sign) I breezed through and found myself thinking of TipCon Shows from days gone by---and TipCon veterans that sadly are no longer with us. Like Seddon Atkinson's chain-smoking PR maestro Frank Whalley. Boy do I miss Frank, the originator of Spagthorpe Motor Company! Likewise it's not the same without John Nancollis. I remember standing with John in a crowded room (hired by CM for TipCon) in the St George hotel in 1997 on the general election night as the Tory Big Beasts were mowed down one-by-one. First Patton, then Mellor, then Portillo ---and a brave new (Labour) world started...I wonder what John would think of it all now?

Anyway enough nostalgia already! I'll blog on Tip-Ex before the end of the Bank Holiday break (as long as I can sneak away from Mrs BLB who I suspect has other plans for me!). Just be patient if I'm off the air for a short while. I've got work to do! ("Call that work? You've got to be joking!" Yeh, yeh, yeh whatever!)