Truck firm uses cylinders to make its own luck

Today the fleet includes tippers, grabs and articulated lorries, all of which are fitted out with accessories such as automated sheeting systems and all around cameras. Edbro is Luck’s tipper mechanism of choice.

Currently in its centenary year, Edbro has a tradition of cutting-edge innovation and today its products remain at the forefront of the tipping market: increasing payloads, reducing tipping times and providing ‘fit and forget’ solutions. The brand is owned by the JOST Group and is a market leader in on-vehicle hydraulic systems including front end, underbody and ejector cylinders, waste handling equipment and customised hydraulic kit solutions.

Luck’s tippers are all steel Thompsons loadmaster bodies mounted on Volvo FMX chassis and fitted with Edbro tipping systems. Two of the new trucks have day cabs, while two are fitted with sleeper cabins; all use Edbro CX cylinders.

The CX cylinder is based on a one-piece, combined ram and tank unit specifically designed for rigid tipping applications. It is manufactured using state-of-the-art laser welding for a lower weight and is fitted with a specially developed seal with built in burst prevention. The one-piece design means it is simple which makes it reliable and robust. Significantly it is able to withstand side loads better than multi-piece cylinders. It’s this quality that guarantees long life and superior tipping performance.

Mark Luck Jr., grandson of the founder Mark Luck Sr., said: “Edbro cylinders provide us with quality and reliability. You can depend on them for the whole life of the vehicle, which for us is usually around ten years.”

He continued: “In fact the company has been using Edbro since 1977. We currently have one Edbro cylinders on a ‘semi-retired’ tipper that is 17 years old and it is as trustworthy as ever.”

Mark is just as loyal to the chassis and body makers, and said: “What we want is the maximum possible operating versatility, but within strict vehicle parameters. For our rigid tippers, the body has to be a Loadmaster and for chassis, today we’re pretty much a Volvo fleet. This combination gives us the ultimate in performance and rugged reliability.”

Located near the Dartford Crossing in Swanley, Mark Luck Transport provides a full range of tipper services to the building and construction industries, covering everything from muckaway and site clearance through to waste management and the supply of stone, recycled aggregates and top soils. The company works mainly in the south east of England and is growing strongly, having doubled its fleet size in the last decade.

“Part of our philosophy is to give our drivers the best trucks we can,” added Luck Jr. “For example, all our recent Volvos have auto boxes and 500hp engines, making life that bit easier for the drivers whilst also giving us top class performance.”