The recent acquisition of five new DAF 18t tippers by Dundee – based Tayside Contracts are extra units for its 24 – strong general purpose tipper fleet. The company specified them to be able to handle the broadest range of duties including transporting hot asphalt for everyday road repair work through to gritting and snowplough duties in the depths of winter.
Bespoke Tipper Bodies
Built on DAF LF chassis with high power 320hp engines, these new trucks all feature highly bespoke bodies built by Cuthbertsons of Biggar. Trading under their brand name ‘Cubbys’, the bodies are primarily intended for all – year hot asphalt and general road repair work. However, to maximise vehicle versatility, they have been constructed with 6mm heavy duty Hardox steel floors and extra crossmembers so that the bodies are strong enough to accommodate wheeled roll on / roll off demountable salt spreader units when required in the winter. Similarly, the forward area under the truck cabs have been fitted with mounting plates to carry full width snowploughs.
The sides of the new bodies have been built in aluminium with small access panels to facilitate tying down the salt spreader, and are finished off with fully detachable tailgates complete with two tar hatches.
Harsh Hydraulics
All the hydraulics for these new trucks have been provided by HARSH, and are centered around the compact underfloor ‘pot ram’ CU tipping gear which offers the notable benefits of high strength with light weight and minimal size, making it easy to fit between the chassis siderails.
Completing each body specification is a Harsh ‘Flip n’Go’ sheeting system, here specified with a full PVC sheet for maximum heat retention (rather than the more usual open mesh type). When retracted to the front bulkhead, the rolled up sheet sits inside a full width metal box to protect it from incidental damage.
Interestingly, Cubbys have further adapted the HARSH hydraulics with their own individual cab – controlled hydraulic circuit which allows control of all the main ancillary equipment – not just for tipping but operating both the gritter and snowplough units as well.
Speaking for Cubbys, Sales Manager Ewan Tolson comments “Our company has built up a considerable reputation in being able to build and deliver sophisticated and versatile bodywork solutions to operators that have to cope with often severe winter weather conditions. Increasingly, these customers want vehicles that are adaptable to multiple applications, for year – round work, rather than having trucks specified for a single purpose only. To achieve these goals, we welcome the inputs and capabilities offered by our key suppliers, of which HARSH is a prime example. Working together, pooling our various expertise, we can simply make a better vehicle.”
Colin Hayes, Business Development Manager for HARSH in Scotland says “We are always looking to work more closely with any bodybuilder, simply because closer teamwork and co-operation at the outset can often result in a better finished product for the end user. Cuthbertsons, who build highly specialist and often bespoke bodywork solutions, is a perfect example of how together we can meet, and often exceed, customer expectations.”
The new Tayside vehicles confirm a close relationship between Cuthbertsons and HARSH that goes back many years and which covers a wide range of vehicle specifications including fully demount tippers, 3-way tippers and hookloaders.