These Tridems keep popping up on Biglorryblog

Pegasus Grab Hire of Dudley has taken delivery of a Volvo FMX 8×4 Tridem from Hartshorne Group, Pensnett. The newest addition to the company’s 12-strong – and growing – Volvo fleet represents what is believed to be not just the UK’s, but possibly the first Volvo FMX Tridem grab truck in Europe.

Company founder and Managing Director, Tony Hall says: “I test drove a Volvo FMX Tridem in Sweden last year and was astonished by the manoeuvrability and traction. I knew instantly that this truck perfectly suited the demands of our business and now that we have one on the road I’d say my initial feelings have been proven to be absolutely right.”

The new truck, which features an extra high chassis and a Day cab with leather upholstery, is powered by a 12.8 litre Volvo D13K engine producing 420hp and up to 2,100Nm of torque. “I specified Volvo Dynamic Steering with extra electronic pump and torque overlay and this, in combination with the air suspension and 12-speed I-Shift automated manual gearbox, makes this truck an absolute joy to drive,” says Tony. “With the Driving Plus package, comfort really is second-to-none, yet get down to work and the FMX is 100% built for the job. It does exactly what it’s designed to do!” Tony elected for the distribution and construction software when it came to the transmission. “I’m a big fan of the Volvo I-Shift gearbox,” he says. “I earnestly believe with the ‘off-road’ software it is as good as you’re going to get.” Thompson Group in Blackburn fitted the tipper body and hydraulic grab to make what Tony describes as a premium truck and a unique ‘workhorse’. “I started the company in 2011 with a used 380hp Volvo FM12,” he says. “This new Volvo FMX Tridem – our twelfth truck – is testament to what we’ve achieved over the past four years and demonstrates that as a company we, like Volvo, strive to be at the forefront.”

A former member of the Parachute Regiment, Tony rather happened into the grab hire business. “I didn’t have any dreams of getting into grab hire,” he says. “It just presented itself as a business opportunity and in just four years I’ve gone from being me and a truck providing grab services to domestic customers, to a company serving all the major gas and electricity utility suppliers within a 150-mile radius of Dudley.”

Tony attributes much of his success to date to being what he describes as self-sufficient. “For me, the key is to be 100% self-sufficient, so I’m not relying on others to make the business work,” he says. To this end, alongside the fleet of trucks, Pegasus Grab Hire has also invested in a McCloskey J40 jaw crusher and a Terex Powerscreen Warrior 800 screen as well as wheeled loaders and excavators. “We have equipped ourselves to take the spoil from utility excavations for recycling,” explains Tony. “We put the spoil through the crusher alongside demolition waste and then screen some 5,000 tonnes of throughput per month to produce a range of materials up to highway specification aggregate. This material is then either used to backfill and complete the utility works or is available to other customers requiring various aggregates. We handle all this in-house, so we’re not reliant on other contractors.”

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