Tyre specialist ramps up van fleet

Date: Monday, January 25, 2010

Well-known tyre supplier and fitter ATS Euromaster has altered the specification of its service vans.

 

A strong yet light aluminium ramp designed to ease the loading of large tyre and wheel assemblies has been fitted to all 26 of its newly acquired dual-purpose Iveco Daily 35S12 3.5-tonners. The fitters that use them can be called on to fit tyres to both cars and commercial vehicles.


“Payload is a key concern for us as vans tend to leave a service centre in the morning fully stocked with the tyres they’ll need for that day,” says group vehicle and equipment manager, Tim Richards. “As a new tyre is fitted, the worn casing is collected, which means that we’re always running fully-loaded.


“The new aluminium ramp weighs just 8kg and replaces a previous wheel-lift system which weighed over 70kg,” he continues. “This saving is helping to offset the increased weight of modern vehicles (unladen weights have risen over recent years and payload capacities have fallen as a result – ed) while maximising payload potential and meeting all health and safety requirements.”


The ramp attaches to the van’s rear and can be moved from left to right and back again, allowing the technician to position it according to which side of the vehicle the tyre he wants to unload is on. It has an aluminium tread-plate surface that provides grip even in the wet and is easy to lift in and out of the van because it is so light, Richards says. “Tyres don’t require that much effort to manoeuvre when they’re rolling which means that the ramp works well, even with heavy truck and trailer wheel assemblies that can weigh as much as 140kg,” he says.


Also supplying and fitting exhausts, shock absorbers, brakes and batteries, ATS Euromaster runs a fleet of around 1,000 service vans including 200 dual-purpose units. The new Dailys look set to remain in service with the company for at least five years and will be spread around its 380-depot-strong network. Over £3m was invested by ATS Euromaster in new service vans in 2009, adding 82 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters among other vehicles to its portfolio.


Still with the tyre industry, Micheldever Tyre and Auto Services has taken delivery of 15 Renault Master vans through dealer Renault Trucks Midlands. They’re the first Renaults to join the firm’s 200-strong fleet, which is dominated by Mercedes. Micheldever is a major industrial tyre wholesaler and the Masters will be used nationwide as delivery vehicles.



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