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New solutions to old problems
Page 48
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THIS YEAR will see an increasing number of manufacturers producing equipment for the vehicle recovery operator. Most of the products will have two things in common — hydraulic operation and remote control.
Breakdowns remain as irritating as ever, but vehicle recovery is getting more sophisticated all the time, and specialists with fleets of wreckers stand to earn-a great deal of money — they have to, with some complete rigs costing over £48,000. The majority of manufacturers reviewed here are members of the Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators.
ASE BRO-Wrecker Bellarion (Autoproducts) Limited Unit 1, Range Road Industrial Estate Hythe, Kent CT21 6HG BRO-Wrecl
A comprehensive range of equipment is available for car or heavy commercial vehicle recovery.
The 200A export model, with hydraulically operated main and folding booms, is claimed to be able to handle anything on the road and is already interesting many involved in heavy vehicle recovery.
The hydraulic main winch, has a pulling capacity of 34,020kg (75,000 lb) and a second winch with a capacity of 9979 kg (22,0001b) can be mounted on the main boom. The maximum loading capacity of the boom is 20 tons.
Brimec (UK) Limited Chapel Lane Clay Hill, Bristol BS5 7TL.
THIS COMPANY .recently announced a new towing lift designed for light vehicle recovery. The towing lift, when fitted to a lightweight Brimec self-loading truck body, will enable the recovery operator to load two vehicles in around three minutes.
The self-loading truck body is hydraulically activated and can be tilted for loading or unloading. The equipment can be fitted to a variety of vehicles including Ford A-and D-Series, Dodge Commando, Leyland and Terrier and Bedford KG and KD. Both units are available as a complete package on purchase or lease. Crane Fruehauf Limited Rushes Green Industrial Estate Toftwood Dereham, Norfolk NR19 1JF. CRANE FRUEHAUF distributes the Ernest Holmes range of recovery equipment in the UK.
The number of models and optional equipment can only be described as vast, and may be tailored to meet any recovery vehicle operator's requirements from lift car to maximum-weight off-road work.
Of particular interest to fleet operators is the fifth-wheel wrecker unit which converts a standard tractive unit to a liftand-tow recovery unit. The lifting capacity with boom retracted is 9072kg (20,000Ibs) and can be fitted or removed in minutes on a tandem or single axle tractive unit.
CVE Limited 8 Castle Street Farnham, Surrey GU9 7BY. CVE Limited is now sole distributor in the UK for the complete range of Swedish Mora hydraulic recovery equipment.
Mora has always made its. own winches and those offered with the larger recovery units are the same as those used on the latest Ministry of Defence recovery units.
All models offer undervehicle lift which eliminates body damage, particularly to coaches, and are available with winch and boom capacities up to 34 tons. Under-vehicle lift is available up to 20 tons — static condition. B. Dixon-Bate Limited Bridge Works Tawin Road Chester, Cheshire CH3 5NA ALTHOUGH possibly better known as manufacturers of towing brackets, the company now produces a 11/2 tonne capacity vehicle recovery crane. This can be mounted to any vehicle from a SWB hard-top Land-Rover upwards.
When fitted to a Transit or CF, it can be mounted directly on the chassis below the floor so enabling the vehicle to be used normally when not recovering.
Edbro (London) Limited TFL Division Tower Works Great Gransden Sandy, Bedfordshire EDBRO (London) Limited now manufactures the TFL range of hydraulic cranes. Of particular interest is the T750 hydraulic recovery crane for use in the private car and light commercial vehicle sector, and yet also being completely suitable for lift and tow of heavy commercial vehicles. The maximum lift with the boom closed is 7.5 tonnes.
Up market is th.e T12 hydraulic recovery crane which is designed to cater for 80 per cent of all commercial vehicle recovery operations. This model has a maximum lifting capacity of 12 tons with the boom closed.
For the remaining 20 per cent of recoveries, the T20, with a maximum lift of 20 tons, is available. Harvey Frost & Companl Limited PO Box 16 Dunmow Road Bishops Stortford, HertfordshirE HARVEY FROST products are able to cater for most of thE commercial vehicle and cal recovery market, and can supply transporter trailers, winches, tow poles, distance bars, cranes and all supporting equipment for fitment from Land-Rover up to 12-ton tandem-axle chassis cabs.
Wrecker International Caxton H ill Ware Road Hertford, Hertfordshire
THIS COMPANY plans to intro. duce more units and increase it range to over 16 models. At thE top of the range is the Bulldoc Recoverer which features E single boom with fully hydraulic elevation and extension, foul hydraulic side stabilisers, high. sidewinching facilities from thE boom, hydraulic rear anchor spade, twin hydraulic winche of 13608 kg (30,000 lb. capacity each, and a totally in dependent hydraulic lift and twc chains. This equipment is claimed to be able to carry oui the heaviest specialist jobs. .
Available in the spring will a direct replacement for existin equipment — a traditional twin boom wrecker but featurin hydraulic transmission an winches. The whole boom frame assembly will be struc tured to withstand a 20-ton lif over the rear and will be know as the Bulldog Dominator.
The existing Century range to be increased with the additio of two more units — the 82 and the 1030. The 820 ha twin hydraulic winches, hydra lic rear side stabilisers, and full hydraulic boom elevation an extension with a 20-ton rate capacity: The 1030 is to be similar appearance but much large with a three-stage boom exten ding to 8.2m (27ft) and capacity of 27,216kg (60,00 lb) when closed. It will be fitte with dual 13,608kg (30,00 lb) hydraulic winches an hydraulic rear legs.