AVRO to the rescu
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This year's Association of Vehicle Recov Operators Exhibition at Chateau lmpne Droitwich, promises to be the most successful yet. Tim Blakemore previews selection of the exhibits
IT'S DIFFICULT to believe that only four years ago there was no AVRO — Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators Ltd. The name and logo have become so well-known it seems they have been with us for decades. But the Association was born back in 1977 as a result of the first recovery conference in this country, organised by Commercial Motor at Wembley.
Young it may be, but AVRO has grown up quickly and there's no doubt it has already done much to improve the image of the vehicle recovery operator (you use the word "wrecker" at your peril in the presence of an AVRO member).
An important part of this promotion of the professional image of recovery operators is the Association's annual conference and exhibition. This year's Show, which opens next Saturday at Chateau !money, Droitwich (CM, April 11), promises to be the most successful yet.
Visitors to Droitwich will be able to see examples of much of the equipment already used by AVRO members as well as. new equipment from Europe and the States.
This preview describes just some of the exhibits (in alphabetical order). A full report on the AVRO conference will appear in a rater issue of CM.
Amalgamated Recovery Equipment of Portishead, Bristol, is the UK and European agent for the Canadian Vulcan Equipment Company range of "damage free" lifting and towing equipment for cars and light commercials.
By using a four-way hydraulically powered boom, long, adjustable lifting straps and a twopiece subframe which can swivel up to 900 off centre, Vulcan says it can recover vehicles from the front, rear or side without damaging them.
The latest addition to the range is the Super Cradle with a maximum capacity of 6.1 tonnes (6 tons), depending on chassis used, and a boom extension of 1.07m (3.5ft). It will lift to a height of 3.96m (13ft) and ARE says that its low profile allows for operation in restricted areas such as underground car parks.
Brimec (UK) Ltd is also Bristolbased. Its recently announced hydraulic towing beam-based system is called the Brimec Tow
lift. This system is ideal for recovering cars and vans from confined spaces, says Brimec.
To recover a vehicle, the boom is lowered from its erect travelling position, in which position it doubles as a crane, and the vehicle is pushed or winched onto the wheel grids.
The grids and the beam itself are adjustable in length and direction, and the system will carry most vehicles up -to 3.5 tonnes (3.44 tons) in..weight.
The ail-steel units are suitable for Ford Transit, Bedford CF and larger or similar chassis and can either be supplied as a kit to be fitted by the customer or fitted to the customer's chassis at Brimec's factory.
Brockhouse Harvey Frost Ltd of Bishop's Stortford is well-known in the recovery business.
The company's lightweight detachable crane is designed especially for mounting on a LandRover, Ford Transit or similar pickup chassis. This crane has a capacity of 1.52 tonnes (1.5 tons), but Harvey Frost emphasises that the carrying capacity is also determined by the character of the chassis.
The Tow Boy Mk 2 combined breakdown ambulance/crane doesn't have to be mounted on a breakdown vehicle, but can be used with any suitable vehicle, car or van fitted with a towing bracket. This model is suitable for day and night-time use, whereas the Mk 1 version is intended only for daytime use.
The Carlton Forge Ltd of Edgware Road, London, will be showing six of its Americanbased recovery vehicles at the AVRO exhibition.
The 1981 Chevrolet, Model 528, is built on a C30 short wheelbase chassis cab and powered by a Chevrolet 5.7-litre V8 petrol engine. No-Mar of America made this vehicle's crane which is rated at five tons. The telescopic boom extends 0.9m (3ft) and has a safe working load of 10,000 lb.
Carlton Forge supplies this vehicle complete with lifting sling, chains and A-bar.
Two 2001-Series Buckshots will also be on display. These have ten-ton rated hydraulic cranes, with power extending booms. Maximum extension of the boom is 1.5m (5ft) and fully extended it has a safe working load of 5,000 lb. Visitors wanting to see some heavier recovery equipment will be interested in the Crane Fruehauf Ltd exhibit where two fully hydraulic Holmes units and two conventional model 750 units will be shown.
The Ford Transcontinental HT5235 6x4 on this stand is believed to be the heaviest duty recovery unit available in this country. In the USA, it is rated at 45 US tons.
The Ford is fitted with a Cummins NTE370 engine, 13-speed Fuller gearbox, diff locks and gear brake options. The new Holmes Victor 1800 fully hydraulic unit features power winches, power boom elevation and extension under load and four power stabilising legs.
One of the Holmes 750 units to be displayed by Crane Fruehauf is fitted to a Foden RC21/24 6x4 chassis, while the second is mounted on a DAF DKS2816 6><4 chassis in the livery of Cowan Recovery. The latter unit has hydraulically powered extending booms making them much easier to operate.
This option on the 750 unit has become available only recently and can be retro-fitted.
CVE Ltd of Farnham, Surrey, is a supplier of under-vehicle lift hydraulic recovery equipment for cars, light and heavy commercials. Exhibits at AVRO EX '81 will include the Mora 2, Mora 10 and the Easy Reach with hydraulically extendible main boom. asy Reach has a 34.5-tonne n) capacity main boom. can also supply a range of nc and hydraulic winches ell as a wide selection of y equipment and clothing. an operator can have his n-down vehicle repaired e spot he may not need the ces of a recovery vehicle. importance of getting cies running again as ly as possible will be emised by DAF Trucks on its F says its exhibition/hospitrailer is designed to tell 'total support" story. DAF's international Truck Service) me is claimed to provide a d-the-clock support service DAF drivers throughout pe and the Middle East, 365 a year.
port of a different kind, in the e of MFC air cushions, will in evidence on the David lister Truck Care Ltd stand. lift systems are being insingly used for the damage! recovery of van and tanker ides.
/hen just one refrigerated semi-trailer can cost around ,000, the typical cost of an air hion kit, at around £5,000, is as excessive as it might at : seem, when it can allow h a trailer to be lifted off its 3 without causing further 9 age to it.
Favid McAlister is also a CF mes distributor. Many of the ducts sold by McAlister's will be on display at AVRO EX 81. lntertrade Engineering Ltd of Royton will be exhibiting its range of Solomatic A-frames for one-man towing of cars. Also on display will be a new eight-ton A-frame for commercial vehicles, two-wheel ambulance trailers, tow poles and wheel skates.
Marquiss Transporters' base is near Annan in Scotland. The company's main business is the design and production of specialised vehicle bodies, which include the Fagin series of recovery vehicles often used for the collection and delivery of vehicles.
Fagins are based either on Ford A-Series chassis or DSeries chassis and will use Cargo chassis in the future. Marquiss say Fagin was chosen as the name for the' Transporter series because, like the character from Oliver Twist, they will lift almost anything, Octagon Recovery ' was started by Bob Clarke, now assistant director general of AVRO, in 1979 to provide a specialist round-the-clock recovery service for commercial vehicles over the whole of Britain.
Four hundred recovery firms are now under contract to Octagon and 300 of these can handle vehicles up to the maximum C and U gvw. Octagon will be represented at the recovery club spot at Chateau lmpney.
Rapid Recovery Services have applied the expertise gained from years in the recovery business to their subsidiary—Rapid Engineering which now builds recovery vehicles. An example will be on display at Droitwich.
Roger Dyson is another recovery operator who has turned to building recovery vehicles. The company has four basic models to offer — a fixed-body conventional low loader, a fully hydraulic semi-demountable low loader, an 8.5-ton recovery crane, and a Magnum 3228 fully hydraulic crane with the option of one to three winches.
Tennant Motor Services of Leeds distribute light systems for the recovery industry manufactured by the Federal Signal Corporation of America as well as being distributors for Holmes equipment. Lights on display at the AVRO exhibition will include Twinsonic rotating sealed beams and the Aerodynic which is the latest warning system to be introduced from the USA.
Tricenrol Chassis Developments will have three main exhibits --a TEP 2000 lubricat ing pump for turbochargers, a Telma electric retarder and a Transit 190-based recovery vehicle. Specification includes an electric winch, run-up ramps, warning and loading lights. Current price of the vehicle on display (less chassis cab) is £2,700.
lsolic Italian recovery equipment will make its UK debut at this year's AVRO exhibition on the TRM Truck Sales stand. TRIVI is the IVECO main dealer for West London and sole UK concessionaire for Isolic. The equipment will be shown mounted on a 7.5 tonnes gvw 90M 7.9FL Magirus chassis.
Hydraulic systems power both an extending boom and winch, together with a reinforced tiltinc transporter body and outriggers Depending on the type ol chassis the approximate maxi. mum lifting capacity of the Isolie equipment is 2,000kg and towinc capacity is also 2,000kg.
R. Tat and Co Ltd of Dorkinc has managed to overcome some last-minute problems with Nevs York dockers and will have twc vehicles on display at the AVRC exhibition, both American Fords Staff from Tutt's will be on ham to answer questions about the Rebel and the Renegade.
Ty-Rite Ltd of Basingstoke sayr that the Danish-made damage free car recovery system it mar kets — the Easylift — was the first of its kind in this country ir 1976, and Ty-Rite representa tives at Droitwich will tell yoi. why they think it is still the best Easylifts can be obtained in id form for those who prefer tc build their own vehicles.
Rescue strops, ratchet-lashin,c systems, vehicle securing equip merit, and lifting slings will all be shown at the AVRO exhibitior by Weblash Ltd. Hardware or display will also include ratche tensioners, overcentre buckles cam buckles, end fittings, hook! and rings.
Wreckers International Ltd one of the best-known names ir recovery. This year at Chatear Impney it will have four model on display — Bulldog Recoverer Bulldog Dominator 30, Buildor Cruiser, and Century Model 82C Wreckers International describe the Bulldog Recoverer as th. "ultimate in recovery equip ment".
It is fully hydraulic in all opera tions and has a 30-ton capacit, boom, fully extending and ele vating. Independent lift and to chains are hydraulicall: controlled. The Recoverer has central control console and rea controls.