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Vehicle adaptation saves £10,000
Page 32
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A SAVING of E10,000 compared with the cost of a new vehicle is claimed by Bridge Farm Dairies who have recently converted a 1968 six-wheeler Bedford and fitted it with a Ratcliff tail-lift.
Faced with an unexpected surge in transport demand, Bridge Transport decided to rebuild the truck, which had logged 122,000 miles before being retired.
Now fully restored to operational use, the Bedford carries a reconditioned insulated container built by Osborne's of Saffron Walden and equipped with a Petters overcab refrigeration unit.
The tail-lift is the Cleardeck model from Ratcliff which has retractable columns leaving the truck's floor clear of obstructions when swinging on or off the vehicle.
The Bedford and its container weigh just under 6.15 tons and it can carry 40 roll pallets. The whole reconditioning job including the new tail-lift cost less than £2,000.