Cranage Haulage upgrade to Euro 5 with new FH16-600 6x4 tractor

Cheshire heavy haulage specialists choose Volvo double-drive tractor unit

When Cheshire-based heavy-haulage specialists Cranage Haulage Ltd were looking to upgrade to a productive, new Euro-5 emissions compliant truck to meet the 2012 London Low Emission Zone requirements, they opted for a Volvo FH16-600 double-drive tractor unit.

Gareth Edwards, company director, said: ‘Although we deliver plant and construction machines all over the UK and Ireland, we’re seeing an increase in the amount of work we get in London and the south east. We have two Volvo FHs now; both are STGO CAT2, so we can handle a wide variety of machines. Although the FH16-600 is new, we also have a 55-registered FH which is designed for 130 tonnes GCW operation, but which we use at 80 tonnes. The FH16 is on a five-year repair and maintenance contract and Hardies carry out servicing to suit us, whether that’s overnight or at weekends. They give us first class service.’

The new Volvo is a fully specified with Kelsa extra lights and Eminox twin stainless steel stacks. Like the 55-registered FH, it is plated for STGO CAT2 operation (up to 80 tonnes GCW) and is equipped with Volvo’s 12-speed manual transmission and full air suspension on the drive axles.

Cranage Haulage prefer air suspension on the bogie for 80 tonnes as they find it helps the drive axle wheels follow the ground contours better than steel and provides improved traction; for example on landfill sites. They also say that it couples well to their Faymonville four-axle step-frame trailers.