With the old lorry in need of updating after 9 years of service the search for a replacement began in March 2019.
Due to the volume of wood chip we produce we have been running a HGV on an operators license to allow for the legal carrying of heavy loads for near 10 years. It is because of this that we settled on the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter with a max payload of 7500kg for our replacement lorry. The crew-cab option has always been important as it allows for the team to have a dry space to store climbing kit and such. With the UK weather becoming more extreme and with this Autumn being unbelievably wet it has already paid dividends.
The lorry was designed to our specifications with the help of two local steel fabricating companies, the aim was to utilise as much of the space on the lorry as possible. The tip-bed was shortened to allow for the twin storey toolbox to be transferred from the old lorry as it proved to be so useful, and a frame fabricated to carry up-to 10 cubic metres of wood chip. A storage compartment was also fabricated into the top of the chip-box for extra tool carriage which is proving to be invaluable.
The project took around 6 weeks to complete and I'm over the moon with the end result especially now the sign writing is on. The following is a photo diary of the transformation from a flat bed lorry to a very useful tree truck.
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