Andover builds for Skelton

Skelton Plant Hire in the UK has taken delivery of two new plant bodies from Andover Trailers.

They are mounted on 32 tonne 8x2 rear-steer Daf CF rigid trucks and were bought to replace two existing vehicles also with Andover bodies. High utilisation meant that the old units were retained to work alongside the new. The original unit is mounted on an 18-year-old, 24 tonne 6 x 2 Daf.

Commenting on his latest purchase, Tim Skelton, Skelton Plant Hire managing director, said, “We’ve stuck with Andover because the product is fantastic – it doesn’t break, it doesn’t bend, it just keeps going. Though we thought at one stage about replacing the older trucks, we’ve kept them on fleet as all three are still running fine. Indeed, the bodywork is in perfect working order, which considering the amount of work they do is mightily impressive.”

The new bodies have a low-profile deck, made possible by the cross members transecting the body runners, instead of sitting on top of them. This reduced height and the rear axle steering, helps access tricky sites on narrow country lanes or on confined city sites.

At the rear is a double crank beavertail connected to a pair of 2.5 m hydraulic power toe ramps. A 3.5 tonne hydraulic winch helps loading and unloading. There are eight pairs of lashing points on the deck.