Release date:  30 October 2007

ANDOVER TRAILERS WINS DOUBLE ORDER FROM MALTAWARD

Civil engineering contractor Maltaward has taken delivery of a new 32 tonne Volvo 8x4 rigid fitted with an Andover Trailers plant body.  The delivery has been combined with the supply of a centre balance drawbar machinery trailer, enabling the company to maximise the amount of plant and equipment it can transport in a single vehicle journey.

The Volvo FM benefits from a sleeper cab, rear air-suspension and a Hiab crane mounted behind the cab, together with Andover’s LPPB32 plant body offering a deck height five inches lower than a normal plant body and producing lower ramp and beavertail approach angles. 

Built to Maltaward’s bespoke specification, the body includes 2.5m long and 1.1m wide fold-forward ramps, which help to reduce drag by improving the aerodynamics of the vehicle, thereby reducing fuel consumption, and also enabling the vehicle to double-up as a flat bed body.

The CBDBCL24 centre balance drawbar trailer features a flat bed and is approximately 6m long and 2.5m wide, with a specification which includes Granning axles and air-suspension.

A spokesman for Maltaward, explains: “The work we are doing has been changing over the years, and we now travel further and have the requirement to transport more equipment.  This new Volvo and Andover combination fits the bill perfectly, with the body and trailer combining a lightweight design with the strength needed for a demanding civil engineering operation.”

Release date:  28 September 2007

MASON BROTHERS STEALS A DEAL WITH ANDOVER TRAILERS

Pembrokeshire-based Mason Brothers Plant Sales & Service has taken delivery of its first trailer from Andover Trailers, having purchased one of the company’s show exhibits at SED 2007.

Alun Mason, a partner in the company, was offered the opportunity to trial the SFCL67 four axle step frame to ensure it was capable of transporting its largest Metso Minerals 42-tonne crusher.  Having proved its suitability, the trailer entered full time service in the fleet, operating with the company’s new Volvo FH13 tractor unit.

Worth over £50,000, the trailer features a low profile neck and a 33ft lower deck, with slide-out extension to the deck, bridge and beavertail.  It is built with two fixed and two self-steering Gigant axles, air-suspension with raise & lower control and EBS brakes.  The specification also includes 1m wide hydraulic power toe ramps with hydraulic sideways, Andover’s new hydraulic steady legs and an adjustable stop bar on the top deck.
 
Commenting on the delivery, Mr Mason says: “This new trailer takes on a dual role and will be used to transport crushers between our quarries in West Wales, and also to transport construction equipment in our role as a franchised Doosan dealer.”

“It had originally been built for a customer which later changed their order, so when we saw the step frame for sale, we jumped at the opportunity to purchase a UK-built trailer and beat the minimum four month lead time being quoted by other manufacturers.  What’s more, Andover agreed to let us trial the trailer with our largest crusher before signing on the dotted line,” he adds.

Release date:  4 September 2007

A-PLANT PLACES FIRST ANDOVER TRAILERS ORDER

Warrington-based A-Plant, part of FTSE-250 company Ashtead Group plc, has placed its first order with Andover Trailers which has seen the company take delivery of four new semi-sloping step frames with beavertails.

The new SFSL40 trailers are being used to transport a cross-section of different powered access equipment, ranging from the largest 135ft diesel-powered stick booms (weighing 21 tonnes) through to smaller scissor-lifts and cherry pickers.

The step frames join a fleet of 25 plant trailers which are used to deliver equipment to customers nationwide, with two of the new step frames operating with brand new Iveco Stralis Active Space 6x2 tractor units – the first Euro 5 models and the first Iveco’s to join its fleet.  Supplied by local Iveco distributor Walton Summit Truck Centre, they join over 900 light commercial vehicles and 400 trucks operated by A-Plant.

Shaun Winstanley, Head of Transport at A-Plant, says: “Andover Trailers has a strong reputation in this market and the ability to build these trailers to our exact specification was a major draw.  The nature of our operation means that these trailers will be on the road six days a week covering in excess of 40,000 miles a year.”

“This delivery is also coupled with the first Euro 5 tractor units to join our fleet, and is a clear illustration of our commitment to taking steps which help to lessen our environmental impact,” he adds.

Each 13.2m long semi-sloping step frame benefits from a low profile neck and is constructed with a special slope on the bed giving an angle of no greater than nine degrees onto the top deck. The trailer is fitted with BPW bogies including a lifting self-steering rear axle with BPW air-suspension incorporating a raise/lower control.  The specification also includes 1m wide hydraulic power toe ramps with power-in facility and a 15,000 lb winch with both radio and remote-control.

For maximum safety in operation, each tractor and trailer combination has been fitted with a Brigade Electronics 850M reversing camera, with a 5” screen mounted on the dashboard and fitted by Leyland Auto.  Each trailer also features halogen reversing lights, LED side lights, eight sets of landing lights set in the floor to mark the outside of the trailer and Andover Trailers’ unique slide-out rear safety lights.  These rear light clusters, available as an option on all Andover Trailers products, allow the lights to be positioned either side of the trailer prior to lowering the ramps, allowing the hazard and tail lights to be clearly seen by oncoming vehicles at night throughout the loading or unloading process.

Release date:  21st August 2007

LONG SERVICE WINS REPEAT ORDER FOR ANDOVER TRAILERS

Heavy earthmoving specialists Kelston Sparkes Group has taken delivery of a new four axle extending step frame from Andover Trailers, designed primarily for transporting its fleet of screeners and impact crushers nationwide.

The SFCLEX 67 has been built to Kelston Sparkes’ exact specification, which includes a low profile neck, uprated heavy-duty frame, swing-out extensions to the bed and slide-out extensions to the bridge and beavertail.  Its standard length of 14.5m can also be extended to 17.5m (king pin to rear), affording maximum flexibility to carry even the largest items of plant, with a maximum payload of up to 53 tonnes.

The specification also includes remote control 1m wide hydraulic power toe ramps with hydraulic sideways, linked to a set of hydraulic steady legs for maximum stability during the loading and unloading process.

Alan Sparkes, Managing Director of Kelston Sparkes Group, explains: “We purchased a step frame from Andover Trailers 10 years ago and that trailer is still operating on the fleet today, so we had little hesitation in ordering another.

Operating in conjunction with a 6x4 Volvo tractor unit plated at 150 tonnes, the new step frame trailer has been painted bright yellow and features two self-steering and two fixed BPW axles, the rear of which can be lifted and includes an auto lowering feature.  The specification also includes BPW air suspension with raise/lower control, with the trailer expected to be in operation six days a week, covering up to 30,000 miles a year.

Release date:  16 August 2007

GOLDHOFER TACKLES HEAVY-DUTY TURBINE MOVE IN NEW ZEALAND

Road transport specialist Tranzcarr has completed a demanding heavy haulage movement in New Zealand which saw it transport a turbine weighing 377 tonnes between Auckland and Huntley, over a distance of 100 km.

The route across New Zealand’s North Island took a total of five nights and had to be planned months in advance, due to the turbine measuring 10m in length and 5.8m in height and being required to negotiate a total of 14 arch bridges.

Ivan Collins, Sales Director of Andover Trailers, Goldhofer’s sole distributor in the UK and Ireland, explains: “The vertical clearance for the load was 6.8m and this caused real problems, because the bridges were already very low and needed to be reinforced to cope with the weight of the load.  This served to further reduce the clearance, and meant the load passed through with just centimetres to spare.”

Dave Carr, owner of Tranzcarr, added: “Our existing heavy haulage vehicle would have needed a load distribution frame for such a heavy load, and this would have pushed us beyond the permitted vertical clearance.  We therefore invested in the new Goldhofer THP/UT heavy-duty combination, which allowed us to benefit from unrivalled strength combined with a loading height below 800mm.”

The trailers used were a Goldhofer heavy duty combination system consisting of two THP/UT 16 axle trailers, coupled side by side. This generation of heavy haulage trailer features a very high-strength vehicle frame which is able to equally distribute the 377 tonne payload across the 32 axles.

Release date:  2 August 2007

ANTONOV 124 TRANSPORTER TAKES OFF WITH ANDOVER TRAILERS

Andover Trailers has supplied a specialist plant trailer to the US-based Development Resource Corporation, for transporting containers and construction machinery in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The three axle centre spine extending plant trailer with beavertail was delivered to a NATO base in Germany, before being loaded onto an Antonov 124, the world’s largest cargo transport plane bound for Kabul.

The SFCLEX56 trailer can transport a payload of up to 44 tonnes and was flown to Kabul with a brand new Hamm roller and Case excavator, which it will transport locally as part of a larger collection of construction equipment at Kabul International Airport. It will also operate with a mixture of single 40ft ISO containers, or a combination of two 20ft containers, with twistlocks built into the deck to enable the containers to be firmly secured.

Diego J. Suarez, CEO of Development Resource Corporation, explains: “We awarded the contract to Andover Trailers based on its ability to design a bespoke product and have it ready for transportation to Kabul within a relatively short time frame. We were aware of Andover Trailers’ first-class expertise in this particular design and its quality manufacturing capabilities.

“Andover’s team of engineers were able to advise on the best specification for the trailer, suggesting the extending design rather than opting for a much larger fixed length product, and the use of the air/hydraulic power pack for the hydraulics,” he says.

Commenting on the delivery, Ivan Collins, Sales Director at Andover Trailers adds: “In the last few years we’ve built trailers for customers in Siberia, Nigeria, the Bahamas and the Middle East, but this is the first of our products to be operating in Afghanistan.

Release date:  17 July 2007

ANDOVER LIGHTENS THE LOAD FOR JOVIC PLANT

Andover Trailers is taking the weight for plant hire specialist Jovic Plant, with a pair of unique, ultra lightweight plant bodies fitted to its two Mitsubishi Canter 4x2s – the first vehicles of this type to join its fleet.

The Basildon-based company worked closely with Andover on the unit’s specification, with each 5.8m body manufactured using high tensile steel and a special lightweight, but hard wearing, Obeche timber to give extra strength in a light body, combined with a payload of 3.5 tonnes.

Unusually for this size of vehicle, the LPPB8 plant body is also equipped with hydraulic ramps, an electric 8,000 lb Superwinch, an electro-hydraulic power pack and three pairs of 5 tonne lashings in the floor.  It also features a drawbar coupling fitted by Andover Trailers for operation with a small plant trailer.

Peter Goudie, Director of Jovic Plant, explains: “These are the first Canters to join our fleet and replace a 7.5 tonne Mercedes and DAF – they each offer an additional half tonne payload in comparison with the trucks they replace.  We selected the Andover Trailers bodies for these vehicles based on their ability to combine a lightweight solution with the strength, quality and high residual values which we have become accustomed to.” 

The vehicles will be used to transport mini diggers and dumpers to construction sites across East Anglia, East London, Hertfordshire and Kent, and join a fleet totalling 14 commercial vehicles, which already includes three larger rigids with Andover plant bodies.  They will be joined later this year by a new DAF eight-wheeler, which has just been ordered with a 32-tonne plant body.

Each of the new Canters is expected to remain on the fleet for seven years, covering up to 70,000 km a year.  They will operate from the company’s two depots in Basildon and Chelmsford, and will be on the road six days a week.

Release date:  6 June 2007

NEW WEIGHBRIDGE TEST TRAILER FOR LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service has taken delivery of a new weighbridge test trailer from Andover Trailers to operate in conjunction with a Volvo FH12 6x2 tractor unit, replacing an older eight wheel rigid and drawbar combination.

The Andover Trailers SFCL34 tandem axle step frame with beavertail will be used to transport thirty four 500 kg block weights, totalling 17 tonnes, which are used to calibrate over 200 weighbridges and 100 large weighing machines located across Lancashire.

The trailer carries its own dedicated forklift truck, which is used to unload the weights at each weighbridge site.  In operation up to six days a week, it is also available to hire to private organisations, complete with a driver, with private work currently accounting for approximately 30 to 40 per cent of the vehicle’s operations.

“The sheer number of weighbridges and test centres across Lancashire mean our test units lead a very active life, and we expect the new step frame to remain on the fleet for at least 10 years,” adds Mr Acomb.

Measuring 9.25m in length, it features a low profile neck and double crank beavertail, together with full width power toe ramps.  The specification also includes Gigant axles, with lifting rear axle, and remote-control air-suspension with raise/lower control.

The trailer also benefits from location bars mounted on the deck to enable accurate positioning of the test weights, together with extra crossmembers in the floor and two pairs of lashing points, to provide lashing for the forklift truck.

For added safety, Lancashire County Council has also specified Xenon flashing beacons and slide-out rear safety lights, which enable the rear lights to be clearly visible, even when the loading ramps are lowered.

For information on how to hire test equipment from Lancashire County Council please contact Commercial Support at the Trading Standards Service, 58-60 Guildhall Street, Preston, Lancashire PR1 3NU. Tel. 01772 533923; Fax. 01772 532853 or email calibration@ts.lancscc.gov.uk. Further information at www.weightsandmeasures.co.uk.

Release date:  16 May 2007

NEW LIGHTWEIGHT DRAWBAR TRAILER SOLVES A WEIGHTY ISSUE

Andover Trailers has designed a new lightweight centre balance drawbar machinery trailer to overcome the increased weight of the latest generation of Wirtgen tracked road planers.

When Wirtgen introduced the new W100FK model, Evesham-based Jet Plant Ltd asked Andover Trailers to redesign its drawbar trailer to accommodate the 19.6 tonne machine, which is more than one tonne heavier than its predecessor.

This meant that in order to legally transport the W100FK behind a 6x4 Scania tipper, Andover had to construct its new trailer with an unladen weight below five tonnes.

Sean Witheford, Director of Jet Plant, explains: “We talked to a number of trailer manufacturers but Andover Trailers was the only one capable of building a drawbar trailer specifically to suit our requirements.  Other drawbar machinery trailers on the market would simply have been too heavy to transport the new machine, pushing the vehicle over the permissible gross trailer weight.”

Ivan Collins, Sales Director of Andover Trailers, adds: “There is a fine line between designing a lightweight trailer and designing one capable of transporting a road planer weighing more than 19 tonnes.  This new trailer draws upon all of our experience in trailer design, utilising a careful blend of different steels to combine a low unladen weight with utmost strength.”

Release date:  4 May 2007

MAYNARD TRANSPORT SWITCH FROM TWO TO ONE

Bristol-based heavy haulage specialist Maynard Transport has replaced its existing step frame and extending deck low loader trailers with a new four axle extending step frame from Andover Trailers.

Designed for transporting crushers weighing up to 53 tonnes, the new SFCLEX 67 has been built to Maynard’s bespoke specification, which includes an extended low profile neck, additional crossmembers built into the ramps and beavertail, together with rails in the floor for road / rail machines. 

The specification also includes remote control 1m wide hydraulic power toe ramps with hydraulic sideways, linked to a set of hydraulic steady legs for maximum stability during the loading and unloading process.

The new plant trailer will be used to transport construction machinery nationwide, operating in conjunction with a Volvo FH16 6x2 tractor unit.  Its extending frame affords Maynard Transport maximum flexibility by allowing the standard 13.5m length to be opened out to a maximum of 16m. Its heavy-duty construction also allows the load to be spread over just 30 per cent of the bed, making it ideal for transporting short tracked long machines like screeners.

“I’ve been dealing with the same team at Andover Trailers for the last 25 years and I wouldn’t buy anything else,” says Chris Roper, Managing Director of Maynard Transport.  “In this line of business strength is everything, and the Andover product really lives up to the rigorous demands of heavy haulage.

“Another benefit of opting for an Andover Trailers step frame is that residual prices are always strong at trade-in after three to four years,” he adds.

The new step frame trailer features two self-steering and two fixed BPW axles, the rear of which can be lifted and includes an auto lowering feature.  The specification also includes BPW air suspension with raise/lower control and slide-out extensions for the main deck, bridge and beavertail.  It has been finished in blue paintwork and will be in operation up to six days a week.

Andover Trailers classify this product as a bespoke plant trailer that extends, and not as an extending trailer which can be used for carrying plant – a major difference when constructing trailers for transporting heavy duty plant and machinery.

Release date:  7 March 2007

ANDOVER TRAILERS GOES RACING WITH MAR-TRAIN

Specialist heavy haulage trailer manufacturer Andover Trailers has renewed its sponsorship deal with Mar-Train Racing, the motorsport team run by Mar-Train Heavy Haulage.

Based in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Mar-Train Racing is fielding two Suzuki racing bikes which will compete in a series of events throughout 2007, including select rounds of the British Super Stock and Irish Championships.  The team will also enter its leading rider, Denver Robb, into the International North West 200, which is the largest sporting event in Ireland, attracting crowds of over 100,000 to see racing which is televised worldwide.

“We put our toe in the water for the first time with motorsport sponsorship last year, and it proved to be incredibly rewarding to be associated with a promising team such as Mar-Train Racing,” says Ivan Collins, Sales Director of Andover Trailers.

“It left us with no hesitation but to continue our sponsorship throughout the 2007 season, and we look forward to seeing how the team performs at the first British Super Stock round at Brands Hatch on Easter Bank Holiday, with Thruxton, near Andover, a fortnight later,” he adds.

In the build-up to the new season, Mar-Train Racing has just returned from a testing session in Spain where both riders – Denver Robb and Alistair Kirk – recorded strong lap times and reported feeling very confident on the new Suzuki GSXR 1000 K7 and GSXR 600 K7bikes.

The sponsorship agreement with Mar-Train Racing cements a long-term business relationship between Andover Trailers and Mar-Train Heavy Haulage, which most recently saw the company deliver a new Goldhofer trailer capable of transporting wind turbine towers weighing nearly 100 tonnes and up to 40 metres in length.

Release date:  16 February 2007

ANDOVER TRAILERS PLANT BODIES INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY FOR AMP ACCESS

Powered access equipment specialists, AMP Access Ltd, is in the process of replacing five trucks in its fleet with new DAF rigids fitted with plant bodies manufactured by Andover Trailers.

The order comprises three 26 tonners and two 32 tonners, each on five year contract hire agreements from Falcon Self Drive, with two new vehicles already in operation and the remaining trucks expected to be on the road by April 2007.

The delivery marks the first vehicles supplied by Andover Trailers to AMP Access, with each vehicle being mounted with a bespoke-built body offering a deck height five inches lower than a normal plant body and producing lower ramp and beavertail approach angles.

Nick Parham, Operations Manager at AMP Access, says: “Andover Trailers has built a reputation in the market for manufacturing plant bodies which combine excellent build quality with sheer strength.  We are in the process of modernising the entire fleet, and after carefully assessing the various options, we settled on the joint Andover and DAF combination.”

“Since the first two vehicles went on the road we’ve noticed a marked increase in productivity, thanks largely to the ability to specify the Andover plant bodies to suit our exact requirements.  The end result means we can make more deliveries per vehicle each day, thanks to a significant reduction in the time it takes to load and unload,” he adds.

The LPPB26 and LPPB32 plant bodies benefit from a specification which includes a full width access specification power toe ramp, with hinged centre door to allow booms to protrude between if required, together with hydraulic steady legs, which are synchronised to operate in conjunction with the ramps, and a 5,000 kg line-pull hydraulic winch.

The vehicles are expected to cover up to 100,000 km a year and will be used to deliver a full range of powered access equipment, including self propelled booms and scissor lifts.  They will be spread across the company’s branch network, which includes depots in Taunton, Liskeard, Poole and Gloucester.

AMP Access is a member of Lavendon Group plc, whose group companies also include Kestrel Powered Access, Panther Platform Rentals and Nationwide Access.

Release date:  25 January 2007

ANDOVER TRAILERS COMBINATION IS JUST THE TICKET FOR SOUTHERN SURFACING

Southampton-based Southern Surfacing is operating a new 26 tonne Scania P420 rigid, fitted with an Andover plant body which operates together with a turntable drawbar trailer, also manufactured by Andover Trailers.

The order was won based on the performance of the company’s existing plant trailer, which was purchased from Andover Trailers twenty years ago and is still operating on the fleet today.

Brian Hanslip, Transport Manager at Southern Surfacing, explains: “Both the plant body and trailer were built to our own bespoke-specification, with a maximum weight limit for the trailer set at 6 tonnes, to enable us to load our largest 18 tonne paving machine.

“Through careful use of materials by Andover’s team of engineers, the weight ticket for the completed trailer came in at just 5,680 kg, including chains, which affords us the additional flexibility of over 300 kg capacity without any compromise on strength,” he adds.

The new 6.5m long low profile plant body offers a deck height that is five inches lower than a normal beavertail, producing lower ramp and beavertail approach angles to make loading and unloading easier.  Items of plant can also be loaded over the trailer and onto the body without the need to disconnect the drawbar trailer.

Additional features include two 3.7m long, 1m wide, hydraulic ramps and a hydraulic beavertail, together with a heavy-duty VBG drawbar coupling and hydraulic steady legs.

The turntable drawbar trailer is 7.7 m long and benefits from a specification which includes BPW axles and air suspension with raise and lower control, together with aluminium wheels to save weight, light-weight hydraulic power toe ramps, steady legs, EBS braking and Andover slide-out safety lights.

The vehicle combination is expected to remain on the fleet for its entire working life and will be used to transport plant, including rollers, pavers and Bobcats, to major road construction and re-surfacing contracts undertaken by Southern Surfacing nationwide.

For surfacing requirements, including ground works, contact Southern Surfacing Limited, Old Grange Farm, Grange Road, Old Netley, Southampton, SO31 8GD.  Tel: 023 8040 7891, e-mail southern.surfacing@ukonline.co.uk or log on to www.southernsurfacing.com

Release date: 4 January 2007

GOLDHOFER LAUNCHES NEW EXTENDABLE LOW LOADER

Goldhofer has launched a new design of extendable low loader trailer for heavy haulage applications with payloads of up to 110 tonnes.

The Goldhofer XLE trailer provides an alternative to the traditional STZ-VL and STZ-VH/ET combinations and offers a lower kerbweight, higher axle load and the ability to extend the excavator-deck to a maximum of 16,500 mm with a basic length of 7,500 mm, using Goldhofer’s patented extension technology.  It is also built to a more compact design and features a deep and wide excavator recess for multifunctional operations.

“The new XLE trailer draws upon Goldhofer’s extensive experience in manufacturing heavy haulage trailers,” says Ivan Collins, Sales Director of Andover Trailers, Goldhofer's sole UK distributor.

“It features proven components such as swing axles with an axle compensation of +/- 300mm, and its compact design offers excellent steering performance (up to 70°) – critical when accessing construction sites and operating in urban environments,” he adds.

The new trailer is built in two principal specifications, and is available to order immediately.

Technical data:                                                                                 
                                                                               XLE 4 (0+4)                               XLE 6 (2+4)
                                                                               StZVO             Techn.              StZVO             Techn.
speed                                                                  80 km/h          65 km/h               80 km/h          65 km/h
5th wheel load                                                   22 000 kg       25 000 kg           22 000 kg       25 000 kg
axle load front                       2x                                                                               12 000 kg       14 000 kg
axle load rear                        4x                          12 000 kg       14 000 kg          12 000 kg       14 000 kg
total weight                                                          70 000 kg       81 000 kg          94 000 kg     109 000 kg
deadweight (without side extensions)                                   23 800 kg                                    29 000 kg
payload approx.                                                  46 200 kg       57 200 kg          65 000 kg       80 000 kg
max. payload of deck                                                                  80 000 kg                                   80 000 kg
tyres                                                                                        285/70 R 19,5                          285/70 R 19,5