RANGE C IS TRIDEM TRUSTED FOR GRANGE QUARRY EXPANSION

In the development of its new state-of-the-art office building and depot at Lockerbie, Grange Quarry (The Grange), one of the largest suppliers of high quality aggregates and ready mix concrete in South Scotland and Northern England, has praised the excellent on site manoeuvrability and additional load capacity of the Renault Trucks Range C Tridem mixers and tippers on its fleet.

Supplying its own concrete product for the £1m, two-storey development which is scheduled to open this month, Grange Quarry has had the opportunity to put the 11-litre C430 Tridem with factory-fitted extra axle adaption, to the test first hand.

As Managing Director, Stuart Dodd, explains. “Delivering concrete to site always needs good manoeuvrability with good traction.  Having the Range C Tridems on our fleet means we can accommodate sites that are smaller and tighter through the retractable rear axle.”

Thanks to its three-axle bogie, the Range C Tridem offers a shorter wheelbase of 3.7 metres which improves the turning circle by some 20 percent compared to a conventional 8x4. The Tridem’s additional load capacity over a 6x4 allows Grange Quarry to run a larger capacity drum, a McPhee 8 metre transit mixer body, to sites not usually accessible by an eight-wheeler.

The company’s C430 tipper Tridem is equipped with an Aliweld aluminium tipping body and has been traditionally used to transport aggregates to customers and concrete plants.  However, a recent expansion into agricultural lime production has seen The Grange’s Range C Tridem tipper come into its own. With a chassis spec’d for manoeuvrability, it is ideal for delivery across the rural Borders area to outlying farms and down tight lanes. 

The Grange’s Tridems, supplied by local Renault Trucks dealer, Border Trucks of Carlisle, are equipped with Renault Trucks DTI 11-litre six-cylinder in-line engine rated at 424hp with common rail high pressure fuel injection and overhead camshaft.  Maximum power output is delivered between 1700 to 1900 rpm with a maximum torque of 2050 Nm is available from 1000 to 1400 rpm. Behind this sits a 12-speed Optidriver automated transmission system. The Optibrake retarder is also particularly useful in the undulating environment in which the company’s fleet has to work.    

“We’re operating in hilly, challenging terrain, with twisting roads that often narrow to single track and the drivers find the Range C Tridem’s handling assured and comfortable, taking tight corners in its stride,” says Stuart. “We supply our concrete, screeds, aggregates and agricultural lime products to projects of all sizes, from small-scale bridge repairs to windfarms in some of the most arduous conditions and the trucks are sound. On the rare occasion we need support, we get excellent back-up from Stephen Whitehead and the team at Border Trucks.”