ARDENT Hire Solutions has purchased 12 bespoke-built plant bodies from Andover Trailers.
Supplied by Hanbury Riverside, part of the Asset Alliance Group, the new bodies are mounted to 32-tonne 8×2 rear steer Volvo FMX420 rigid trucks. The vehicles are said to represent a mix of new additions to Ardent’s fleet and replacements for older assets.
Gareth Clements, operations director at Ardent Hire said, “We’ve been specifying Andover builds since the early 2000s and have more than 30 of their plant bodies in our current fleet, which just goes to show how much we trust them. Their build quality has been tried and tested by us for years, so when it came to this latest order there was never any question as to which manufacturer we wanted.”
The new bodies feature Andover’s low-profile deck. Incorporated into the design is a double crank beavertail connected to a pair of 3.3m long hydraulic power toe ramps, with a six-tonne electric winch to aid loading and unloading. The deck features eight pairs of lashing points.
Hanbury Riverside specified the new vehicles with a slide-out working at height system with removable walkways.
Lee Smith, sales director at Hanbury Riverside added, “Ardent Hire is committed to operating a very young commercial vehicle fleet, so we consistently renew our assets. As part of this latest deal, we bought the older 2013 vehicles that were being replaced. Because they are also fitted with Andover bodies they’ll have many years of service left in them, so we should be able to move them on quickly and easily. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
