Leitch adds PM crane and Mercedes truck

Irish truck-mounted crane rental and lifting specialist, Leitch Trans Lift, has added a new 8x4 Mercedes-Benz Arocs truck and PM crane to its fleet.

It is the first Mercedes-Benz in Leitch Trans Lift’s fleet, and also the first time the company has bought a new, rather than second-hand, vehicle.  

According to Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van (NI), who sold the vehicle to Leitch, the high-riding Arocs is purpose-designed for construction-related applications. Power is from a 12.8-litre straight-six diesel producing 375 kW (510 hp) driving via a Mercedes PowerShift automated transmission.

Mounted on the truck is a 65 tonne-metre PM 65 SP, from Italian truck-mounted hydraulic crane manufacturer PM. According to PM, the 65 SP is ideal for heavy-duty applications and extra-safe, too, thanks to an electronically-controlled crane stabilisation system that ensures the lifting capacity is based on the truck’s actual stability.

The truck’s platform body and low-height, tri-axle, drawbar trailer were built by Nugent Coachworks of Dungannon, Northern Ireland. The vehicle will primarily be used to handle pre-cast products, electricity transformers, wind turbines and portable offices, as well as other abnormal loads.

Niall Leitch, Leitch Trans Lift owner, commented, “It was the Arocs cab that really impressed me. The moment I saw it, I thought to myself: ‘Mercedes-Benz has built something special here.’ The business has been going well so, having always purchased second-hand trucks in the past, I decided to bite the bullet and order my first brand-new one.

“I love the way the Arocs looks, its power, and its comfortable cab, while the ground clearance and excellent visibility mean the vehicle is ideally suited to work on rough sites. My drivers are also falling over themselves to take the Mercedes-Benz out. The transmission was a potential stumbling block initially, as none of them wanted an auto, but the PowerShift ’box makes the truck so easy to drive that this has never been an issue."