Loadmaster X-Lite for About Grab Hire UK

Glasgow-based operator takes delivery of first Thompsons Loadmaster X-Lite body built in Scotland

PERHAPS more so than with any other type of truck, tipper operators generally know precisely what they want from their vehicles and, in turn, choose their specifications very carefully.

For their latest tipper grab truck, Glasgow operators About Grab Hire UK Ltd have gone all out to acquire a vehicle that delivers an optimum combination of performance and payload. As a result, their new vehicle has been fitted with the first Thompsons X-Lite Loadmaster body to be built in Scotland.

‘My other three vehicles all have Loadmaster bodies,’ said company boss John Martin, ‘so there’s no question about Thompsons quality and reliability. With the latest X-Lite, they’ve gone another stage further with a weight saving of around 260kg over their current Loadmaster Lite, and almost half a tonne over the heavy-duty, double-skinned Loadmaster.

Yet thanks to X-Lite’s construction from Hardox 500 steel, there’s no loss in strength or durability. In fact, there’s even more. In our job, where trucks are inevitably on the heavy side, the new X-Lite is a game-changer.’

Taking the standard Loadmaster Lite design, the higher strength of Hardox 500 means that the tipper body’s floor and sides can now be reduced in thickness by 1mm to 4mm and 3mm, respectively, thereby producing a weight saving of the main bodywork panels in the order of 20%.

With no two working days ever he same, the new truck has to be able to handle any job that comes along, with equal standards of performance and reliability. For the chassis, Mr Martin chose a 450hp R cab Scania, the final spec being completed with an Epsilon crane and Harsh’s high-stability underfloor tipping gear, whilst the driver also gets cab air-conditioning and full leather trim.

Despite its particularly high specification, the unladen weight of the new truck is 16,800kg, whereas all other tippers in the company are in excess of 17,100 kg.

Starting his business in 2006 with a single skiploader, ever-increasing landfill taxes and a heavy recession made Mr Martin realize that there was much greater potential in operating tippers, and particularly with the additional opportunities offered by grab hire work. That sound and practical business approach has brought About Grab Hire to where they are today, working throughout Scotland’s Central Belt and further afield.

Speaking for Thompsons Tippers Scotland, sales manager David Craig said: ‘We’re very proud to have built our first X-Lite body for John. Like him, we think X-Lite will be one of the key products in our range.

‘John is also representative of many of our customers who appreciate that Thompsons is now a fully native Scottish tipper manufacturer and are therefore pleased to support and work with us. And besides selling new bodies, we can also offer Scotland’s tipper operators unmatched after-sales parts and service support as well.’