"We like the ground clearance that the steel suspension gives us for
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off-road work'jDanny Gormley r. The snow had barely cleared when we talked to Danny Gormley of Marchmont Transport, based at Airdrie, where he has been a sole trader for the past 20 years. He operates .to eight-wheel tippers on quarry and muckaway work, mainly in and around the Glasgow area.
"We took a demonstrator for three weeks and thought it was right for the job," he says. "We have bought nine Kerax 340s over the past two years, and one MAN, which we bought second-hand while we were waiting
for a Kerax to arrive. The Renault's chassis is a bit heavy, but we can cope with that. We like the ground clearance that the steel suspension gives us for off-road work. We still get a 20tonne payload using either alloy or
light steel bodies. Fuel consumption varies between services: we were getting as much 8.5mpg when they were new, and the lowest we have ever had is 7.0mpg.
"Once they are serviced they pick up again. We are averaging 9 o,000km, so the buy-back deal which guarantees us £26,000 after three years looks pretty good. They are well looked after. Our two year-old trucks are performing as well as the X-reg models.
"The only back-end brake reline we have done was on the ex-demonstrator—other trucks with 13o,00okm on the clock are still on the same brakes. Some of them are still running on some of the original tyres.
The engine has plenty of power, and has never been a bit of bother. One or two use the odd pint of oil, but nothing to worry about. The only problem we had with electrics was due to the bodybuilder trapping the wires. I have not had to buy a clutch yet, and the cabs still look brand new. The drivers like them. I drive them sometimes: I was out in the MAN last week, which is also a great vehicle, but I prefer the Renault. "We have never had any problem with back-up from the dealer; if I have needed any help it has come out. Renault of Glasgow does our safety checks, but we look after the day.to-day maintenance. They always seem to manage to get off difficult sites—we haven't got one stuck yet. The Kerax is a pretty solid and reliable vehicle." a