Thompsons X-Lite steel bodied tippers set to deliver an extra £10,000 revenue for J&J Franks

Latest News | 3rd Aug

Surrey quarry owner and tipper operator J&J Franks has just put into service three new tippers fitted with Thompsons’ lightest ever steel tipper body, the Loadmaster X-Lite. Fully fuelled and ready to run, each of these new trucks tares off at just 12,740kgs, thereby providing a payload capacity of 19,260kgs – a remarkable achievement for a steel bodied eight wheeler.

Specified by Franks’ Commercial Director Paul Lewis, the trucks have been designed to deliver the very best performance and productivity. Paul notes that:

“a typical standard – spec steel bodied eight wheeler will give a payload of 18,500kgs, whereas with these new trucks we are getting 19,260kgs – that’s three quarters of a tonne more, on each and every trip. Over a five year life, this gives us a minimum of £10,000 extra revenue from each truck. With the X-Lite, Thompsons really has taken steel tipper bodies another stage forward.”

Crucial to Franks’ requirements are that its tippers have to be equally adept in moving either the company’s sand and gravel products or working on muckaway jobs for third parties. As such, to meet the inherent needs of reliability and durability the company’s tipper bodies have to be built in steel.

Paul adds:

“To achieve this level of versatility and still get an easy 19 tonnes plus payload really marks these tippers out as something exceptional”

Thompsons manufactures X-Lite bodies from the latest Hardox sheet steel called 500tuf. This material retains all the long-proven strength of standard Hardox 450, but is 20% thinner. This means that on a Loadmaster X-Lite an otherwise standard 5mm thick floor reduces to 4mm, with side panels coming down to 3.2mm thick, and the headboard at just 3mm.

Completing the J&J Franks bodywork specification is a front to back electric sheeting system, air operated tailgate, toolbox and Edbro front end tipping gear. Finished in a particularly novel and attractive hi-vis livery, these are tippers guaranteed to attract everyone’s attention!

Speaking for Thompsons, Joint Managing Director Scott Burton says:

“We have been particularly excited in working with Paul to provide his company with a set of truly exceptional tippers. X-Lite is the third and latest member of our long – established Loadmaster family, and is sure to move the goalposts for steel body productivity out still further. To be able to earn an extra £10,000 per truck over 5 years is no small beer, and we are delighted to have been able to reward Paul’s confidence in us in such a positive way.”

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