Make hay while it shines! M.R. Horn Transport LTD takes delivery of a sparkling new golden Volvo FH500 dual-clutch drawbar

Devon based, M.R. Horn Transport Ltd has taken delivery of a special liveried gold Volvo FH 6×2 rigid to mark its 35th anniversary of transporting hay and straw.
“The I-Shift Dual Clutch gearbox is an amazing component. The increased traction is immediately apparent when driving off road and it changes gear like a racing car,” enthuses Martyn Horn, Managing Director at M.R. Horn Transport Ltd. He continues, “We’re definitely enjoying better access to sites thanks to the rear steer axle and fuel wise, our I-Shift Dual Clutch FHs are constantly around three per cent better than the traditional I-Shift gearbox FHs. Our high, square loads of bales are probably the worst in the business for aerodynamics, but I’m happy with the
Volvos’ fuel returns.”

Supplied by Stuarts Truck and Bus Ltd in Exeter, the 500hp FH rigid is the second Volvo I-Shift Dual Clutch equipped FH ordered by the company. M.R. Horn’s vehicle specification includes full air suspension and the FH comes with three separate driving height settings and a dashboard load indicator. The Volvo FH rigid is fitted with a platform body by Turners Commercials in Beaminster, Dorset, who also manufacture the truck’s 24 tonne, tri axle flat bed trailers. M. R. Horn made the switch to Volvo trucks in 2011 and nowadays it operates four maximum length FH drawbar combinations. “It was Troy Stuart at Stuarts Truck and Bus who kept on at me to try a Volvo,” recalls Martyn adding, “I’ve met the Stuart family for many years at the Devon and Cornwall Agricultural Shows and I eventually gave in to Troy’s persistence!”

Volvo trucks have proved to be a breath of fresh air for this operator and the manufacturer’s attention to detail was immediately apparent. “For the first FH chassis, Troy took me up to Volvo’s headquarters in Warwick. The product team there were brilliant and designed a 4.65m wheelbase rigid, with full air suspension and a rear lift axle for increased manoeuvrability. Nothing was too much bother and the I-Shift gearbox was another big attraction. I ended up ordering two FH 460s,” Martyn recalls. The firm’s first two Volvos were followed in due course by a new 2014, FH 500 6×2 rigid with a rear lift axle. Two years later in 2016, another new FH arrived, but this one debuted Volvo’s I-Shift Dual Clutch gearbox and a rear steer axle into the Devon fleet.