A first for Moreton C. Cullimore

Quarrying firm takes delivery of its first Thompsons Sandmaster lightweight alloy body

CAREFULLY specified to deliver optimum payload and performance, tipper operators Moreton C. Cullimore have taken delivery of their first ever Thompsons alloy body for an 8x4.

One of a trio of new 8x4 tippers in the company’s 50+ HGV fleet, Thompsons’ lightweight Sandmaster model is purpose designed for carrying sand and aggregates. Mounted on a 400hp DAF CF chassis, the unladen weight of the new tipper is exactly 12,000kg.

Founded in 1927, today the Cullimore Group operate from three main sites in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, supplying a full range of bulk, bagged and recycled aggregates, as well as ready-mixed concrete and the movement of inert waste.

Distinctive in their duo-tone green livery, Cullimore trucks are also famous for each carrying the name of a character from a Charles Dickens novel; in this case the Sandmaster has been christened ‘Reginald Wilfer’. The truck features fully weatherproof side-to-side electric sheeting, alloy wheels and a Thompsons AutoLoc air-operated tailgate.

Now in their 90th year, the Cullimore Group see particular advantages in following many of the traditional ways of running trucks as part of their quarrying and aggregates business.

‘We buy our trucks with the intention of running them for as long as we can – and we also own them fully, right from the outset. So a 15-year working life might be typical – we even have one that’s still working at 20,’ explained managing director Moreton Cullimore. ‘This way, we believe we get the maximum possible value from our vehicles, so getting their specification right at the outset is hugely important.

‘As ever, it’s all about achieving the optimum balance between payload and long-term reliability and durability. We’ve run Thompsons steel bodies for many years and found their formula exactly right for our needs. In turn, this proof of performance has encouraged us to try our first Thompsons alloy body on an 8x4, saving us some 600kg over their lightest steel design.’

Thompsons super-light steel body is the Stonemaster, two examples of which have also just joined the Cullimore fleet. Suitable for carrying both aggregates and stone, the Stonemaster saves weight over other Thompsons steel bodies by having a lighter underframe, no side rails and using higher strength but lighter steels in the headboard and tailgate.

Again mounted on DAF CF chassis, Cullimore’s steel Stonemasters tip the scales at 12,780kg fully fuelled and ready to run.