A HIAB-equipped Bedford, adapted by Blackburn scrap metal merchants Tom
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Martin and Co Ltd., is being used to fill trucks with return loads of scrap aluminium destined for Germany and Holland. Loading the 4.3m (14ft) high, 9.1m (30ft) long vehicles previously took a gang of three or four men about half a day. It is claimed that with the HIAB equipped Bedford one man can complete the job in under an hour.
The vehicle consists of a 5.3m (17ft 4in) wheelbase Bedford tipper stripped of its bodywork. On a steel platform, built up to a height of 1.52m (5ft) behind the truck's rear wheels, the company has mounted a HIAB 765 lorry loader equipped with a heavy duty cactus grab. The crane has been supplied with flap down outriggers and a central counterweight to ensure stability throughout the entire slewing arc.