Rentool, the plant-hire specialist, has recently received its latest bespoke-built Andover Trailers plant body, having ordered its first Andover build more than 15 years ago. The new plant body is mounted to a 32-tonne 8×2 rear-steer Scania P370 which replaces a 10-year old Volvo, also mounted with an Andover body purchased second hand in 2011, joining a commercial vehicle fleet comprised of five rigid trucks that range from five to 32-tonnes.

“We buy all of our vehicles with the intention to keep them in operation for around 10 years. We took delivery of our first Andover plant body in 2003 and it was actually 13 years before it was replaced. The quality of their construction and the materials they use generally means that Andover’s bodies outlive the trucks they’re mounted to,” said Bill Collings, Director at Rentool.

Boasting Andover’s trademark low-profile deck, which is achieved by transecting the cross members of the body through the chassis itself, the new bespoke-build also features a double crank beavertail connected to a pair of 2.5m long hydraulic power toe ramps, an electric winch on the headboard to aid loading and unloading, and nine pairs of lashing points along the deck for maximum load security and flexibility.

“One of the reasons we keep coming back to Andover is that with each new body we are able to incorporate little design changes that make the latest build even better suited to our operation. We work closely with our drivers to discover what’s required and Andover bends over backwards to facilitate our requests,” added Collings.

Moreover, Andover developed a new method of recessing the winch cable into the centre of the bed without compromising on strength or rigidity. Plus, additional steel checker plate was added to the deck to protect it from the buckets and knuckles of Rentool’s excavators and diggers, helping to prevent the specific type of damage they can cause.

The new truck was specified to carry any size of plant offered by Rentool, which extends to telescopic handlers, on-site dump trucks and 14-tonne excavators. The vehicle is on the road five days a week and will clock up around 50,000km per year.