Damian Davies
Page 43
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1ver wondered just what happens when
a raised tipper body encounters an
1ver wondered just what happens when F,
a raised tipper body encounters an 11,000 volt cable? It happened to Market Drayton, Shropshire owner-driver Damion Davies and, luckily, he survived.
He was discharging his load of animal feed at a farm when the top of the body came within about 6in of an overhead power line. It was a damp day, says Davies, the power arced across, and the result was as dramatic as it was terrifying.
"I was standing on the cab steps and I was thrown off on to the ground. All 12 new tyres on my truck were set on fire, and it wrecked the battery and the alternator," he says.
He ended up in hospital, but was discharged with a clean bill of health.
Alas, the damage done to his on-board weighing system wasn't so easily dealt with. The wrecked system has been replaced by a Maywood Loadwatcher. This allows batch weighing for the collection or delivery of split loads, and will print out a weight ticket Its twin-channel display gives information on load distribution so the driver will know if an axle/bogie is overloaded.
It also monitors side-to-side distribution, and Maywood claims it is accurate to within 50kg.
It costs from £2,250. There is no installation charge on if it is to be installed on a new truck, but retrofit charges start at £600.
As with other Maywood packages, no charges for repairs or servicing are levied for the first five years. Loadwatcher will warn if the truck is in any danger of toppling over when tipping, but not, alas, if there is a danger of touching electricity cables.
Davies is pleased with his purchase, although he adds that there were a few teething problems when it was first installed.
"Maywood was out to me straight away, though," he adds. "The back-up was very good. Since then I've had no trouble with it at all; it's been very reliable," he continues. "It's a good all-round system, and I can't see how anybody in the tipper business can do without one.
"I always run at maximum weight, and it keeps me legal. When you're hauling wheat, for example, it can be difficult to judge the weight of the load."
He finds the batch weighing function invaluable as he frequently has to tip small quantities of feed.
Davies runs a secondhand E-reg Scania 112 4x2 married to a Rothdean tri-axle alloybodied tipping trailer. He's been an ownerdriver for 14 months, and enjoys the life.
"I couldn't go back to working for somebody else," he says.