With tipper specifications often seemingly more elaborate and impressive than ever, these days it takes a truck that’s really special to stand out from the crowd. A vehicle that at least in the UK is perhaps as rare as a Ferrari 250 GTO or Faberge egg and, to some, almost as beautiful.
Judging from the Facebook page on Thompsons new website, tipper fans everywhere are hugely impressed by one particular truck that has just re – joined the fleet of KW Purvis – a fully restored bonneted T Series 6×4 Scania. So much so that the truck is now recording more ‘likes’ than any other Thompsons bodied vehicle ever!
One John Hayes kindly commented (accurately, too) “She’s a thing of beauty.”
Based in Alnwick, Northumberland, KW Purvis has been a long – time operator of Thompsons tipper bodies fitted to Scania chassis, and for their refurbished T – Cab only a top – spec, all – steel Loadmaster would really do.
As company owner David Purvis admits;
“our T – Cab tipper is special, not only because it’s a very rare truck in the UK, but also because we’ve had it from new. It’s already earned its keep through a 16 – year working life, but I really want to keep it going for many more years to come.
As well as being a really rugged and reliable vehicle, it’s also a key part of our company heritage. And being a highly individual truck, it also creates lots of recognition for our business as a whole.”
With all the chassis and cab work being done by truck restoration specialists Ian Bone & Sons of Carlisle (along with an outstanding quality of paint and finish), the decision for the body was easy – a new, heavy duty, double skinned Loadmaster was a ‘must’. Why? Simply because the T – Cab’s previous body was a Loadmaster too, and that delivered 16 years of reliable, trouble – free operation.
So with a latest – spec version of the UK’s most proven tipper body ever, the T – Cab’s future working life is now almost indefinite.
“This has been a really unique project for us” says Thompsons Sales Manager Ian Chaplin, who oversaw the building of the body at the company’s factory in Blackburn. “We always appreciate the opportunity to do something a bit special – and this truck certainly is. The body is unusual from standard Loadmasters too, not only by being much shorter, but by also having a dual – purpose automated tailgate which can either operate as a conventional top – hinged design or else as barn doors for demolition work.”
Such is David Purvis’ enthusiasm for the Thompsons / Scania tipper combination that another 6 all – new vehicles have also entered the KW Purvis fleet.
All latest model 8x4s, these trucks have been specified with Thompsons curved floor steel Multimaster bodies, a design ideally suited for multi-purpose tipping, especially with wet and sticky loads such as muck and topsoil. Also fitted with auto tailgates, electric sheeting, underfloor tipping gear, alloy wheels, 450hp engines and Scania’s larger G – cab, the new trucks tare off at a particularly impressive 13,100kgs.
“I’m a total believer in having top quality vehicles” says David Purvis, adding “whether in terms of products or support, Thompsons always delivers everything we ask for. Whilst the T – Cab has been a special project for us, it’s nonetheless the performance of the fleet as a whole that really counts.”
Offering a full portfolio of construction services that include plant hire, civil engineering and quarrying, KW Purvis is one of the North East’s leading companies in its field, with its all – new tipper fleet now busier than ever.
