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Andover trailer for Mulholland Contracts

Civil engineering and groundworks firm, Mulholland Contracts, has taken delivery of a new, bespoke-built plant body and step-frame trailer from Andover Trailers, maintaining a near 20-year relationship between the two companies.

After initially specifying two very similar builds from Andover in 2004, these were replaced like-for-like in 2013, before that pair made way for this latest delivery. The new plant body is mounted to a 26-tonne Volvo FM 380 6x2 chassis, and along with the tri-axle, 60-tonne step frame trailer, join a Volvo FM 500 tractor unit and two MAN tippers in the company’s commercial vehicle fleet.

Alan Bingham of Mulholland Contracts said, “As soon as we received our first Andover builds, we could see why they had such a good reputation in the marketplace. The first two, and the pair that subsequently replaced them, never missed a beat, so the decision to return to Andover for our latest truck and trailer order was a simple one. The team at Andover has always bent over backwards to accommodate any request we’ve made when it comes to tweaking the specification of either build – nothing is too much trouble and that’s a huge positive from our side,” Alan continued.

One of the changes the company has opted for on the latest plant body is a double-crank beavertail to provide shallower access to the deck via a pair of 2.5m-long cheese wedge ramps, allowing the vehicle to be used as a flat bed when required, whilst also offering reduced drag and deliver impressive fuel savings. The new body also benefits from Andover Trailers’ trademark low-profile deck. The deck features six pairs of lashing points, with further lashing loops under the side rave to maximise the range of plant it is able to carry, alongside a full working from height safety system.

To further add to this flexibility Mulholland Contracts has also specified a 5-tonne hydraulic winch and Palfinger crane mounted behind the cab, capable of lifting 8.9 tonnes. This allows the company to load building materials and concrete blocks as well as various types of plant. The new 13.4m step frame trailer is constructed with a durable, four-member design for added strength. The 1m-wide, 4m-long hydraulic flip toe ramps allow for the easy loading and unloading of a range of heavy machinery, including everything from six-tonne dumpers through to 30-tonne excavators.

Specified with 19.5-inch wheels on BPW axles, the trailer also has the ability to lift the rear axle when required. The step frame features a 6-tonne electric winch, 11 pairs of lashing points and multiple safety features like slide-out wide load marker boards, additional reverse safety lamps, LED strobes and working from height system. Both the plant body and trailer will operate six days a week delivering to building sites across central Scotland. Clocking up to 80,000 miles a year, they are expected to stay in Mulholland Contract’s fleet for around six years – no doubt replaced by two similar Andover builds.

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