PPG Fabrications and Edbro Develop Light-weight Tipper Solution for Lafarge Contracts

The first complete vehicle off the production line was revealed to the public at Tip-Ex, it has been built on an 8 wheel DAF CF85 chassis with a 5.7m wheel base. Owner and driver Dave Phillips of Dave PhillipsTransport chose the new PPG design for both economic and practical reasons; the lighter weight design and the full Lafarge spec will allow him to fulfil his Lafarge contracts quickly and efficiently, while being versatile and easy to access to clean and use for other jobs. The weight reduction provides additional carrying capacity and the Edbro lifting gear adds easier, safer handling.

The PPG Smoothline Insulated Body employs double-skinned aluminium walls and a hardened aluminium floor, all packed with the latest thermal fibre insulation material in order to maintain working temperatures, starting between 180 and 220 degrees, for as long as possible while ensuring a touch-safe temperature on the outside. The overhang at the back and the optimum tyre dimensions ensure maximum compatibility with current road laying machines. The rivet-less side panel construction also provides a good sign writing surface and is easy to clean.

The new CX14 hydraulic tipping cylinder was tested alongside the body design, and both performed extremely well in field trials. The new body is being assembled at the PPG works facility in Peterborough and provides the ultimate in reliability and strength. The overall weight of the body, tipping gear and sheet system is only just over 2,000kg an amazing achievement for a 20,650kg payload.

Nick Elliot, National Transport Manager at Lafarge, has been instrumental in developing the new PPG tipper and is responsible for the current weight saving initiative; he explains, “We have set up a joint project between the various suppliers who contribute towards an 8x4 tipper vehicle. The overall goal is to achieve a 21 tonne payload. This will result in improved revenue for hauliers, an increase in the efficiency of our fleet, a reduction of our carbon footprint, which is an important part of our overall sustainability strategy and something which is becoming increasingly significant in winning major contracts.”

Peter Smith, Sales & Marketing Director at Edbro adds, “This is a great example of how Edbro works to support both our direct customer, in this instance the body builder PPG, the contractor, and his ultimate customer Lafarge. It is only by large companies such as Lafarge and truck manufacturers themselves laying down more demanding specifications that we are able to invest and improve our technology to achieve a common goal. We are finding that the areas of the market that are strong and growing are not focussed on reduced part costs, but on driving-up overall efficiency and improving reliability, which pay far higher dividends down the line.”