journey to delivering these three MAN TGS 35.500 8×2 dropside crane wagons, in investment by VLS of £900,000, began in 2019 and we are delighted to have seen them arrive onto our Northern Powergrid fleet.
The first two wagons operate out of NPg’s central warehouse in the North East at Billingham and the third operates out of West Yorkshire from Castleford. NPg Logistics operatives were provided with both hand-over familiarisation and full manufacturer enhanced training when they entered service.
VLS Contract Manager, Ken Harrison, explains “These three trucks have been developed to reflect the vision and enterprise of NPg’s Logistics Operations Manager James Davison to enhance performance within the department. These are the largest crane wagons we have ever built and will provide increased capability within the NPg Logistics team.
“The wagons are installed with continuous slew Palfinger PK78002-SH high performance heavy cranes with F-stage booms providing an 18-metre reach with a tremendous lifting capability, far and above anything Northern Powergrid have had access to in the past. Whilst the vehicles are primarily truck-mounted cranes for lifts of up to 18 metres, they are also built with the flexibility of dropside bodies for general stores haulage or container transport operations as well as being equipped to carry poles.
“In addition, the wagon chassis have been configured and equipped to be a prime mover to pull a tri-axle drawbar HGV trailer, which will further enhance performance and increase the gross combination payload. We have a Britcom tri-axle HGV drawbar trailer on order now, which we expect to arrive in October.”
NPg Logistics Operations Manager, James Davison, adds “We’ve immediately seen these wagons prove their capability. The increased capacity of the cranes to lift more and at further reach has meant we can carry out additional work that we couldn’t do before, this will provide great efficiencies for the business. We’re delighted with these vehicles, and they look great too!”
VLS in-house workshops in Durham (Pity Me) and West Yorkshire (Castleford) will maintain these fantastic specialist vehicles during their service lives.