A TRU Story - Awesome Earthmovers

The days of earthmovers being rained off have reduced over the years, not thanks to global warming, but more so for the fact that there is equipment out there designed to cope with wet and poor ground conditions. LGP wheeled dump trucks have been around for a number of years and whilst they provide a halfway house solution for wet weather muck-shifters, tracked alternatives have yet to combine low ground pressure capabilities with a sufficient carrying capacity capable of making them front line production machines.?

?AWESOME EARTHMOVERS?recently travelled to Diss in Norfolk where Tru Earthworks were part way through a 4000m3 muck shifting package for well-respected agricultural building designers and builders Davidsons.?

?Tru Earthworks are part of the larger Tru7 Group of companies owned by industry stalwart Guy Nicholls. The history of the company stretches back almost a century when Guy’s grandad started a transport business in East Anglia. Moving forward to this decade and Guy, his son Jake and the rest of the Tru7 team are now one of the fastest growing companies within the industry. Transport, aggregates, hire, earthworks and now concrete make up some of the ever-expanding divisions of the group which prides itself on its modern, fuel efficient and reliable fleet of equipment.

Guy has been known to say that if you want something and it’s not on the website, ask him, there’s a good chance he can get it for you!?

This drive to offer the best and widest options around has seen Tru Earthworks take the first four of a large order of Prinoth Panther T14R tracked dumpers onto the fleet.?

The Tru Earthworks part of the group has been formed to offer a wide range of services including site clearance, bulk muck shifting, and remediation works, reservoirs, sports pitches, domestic & commercial sites, and infrastructure. Utilising Tru Plant Machinery, Tru Earthworks couples the latest equipment with years of expertise and a team of professionals to deliver on all earthworks projects in an efficient manner. Spearheaded by Tru7’s Operations Director, Jake Nicholls – the earthworks branch of the group came to fruition in 2020.?Contracts Manager & Estimator Trevor Martin oversees the day to day running of company operations and has been joined by an experienced team of operators and supervisors including dozer operator and site supervisor Dave Norton at the Diss project.?

The history of Italian founded Prinoth, a subsidiary of the HTI Group (High Technology Industries) with its headquarters in Sterzing, Italy, can be traced back to 1951 when racing driver and design engineer Ernst Prinoth opened the parent firm of today’s company, an automotive garage. Soon the native of Val Gardena found a way to translate his passion for powerful vehicles into something practical: snow groomers, which were ideal for the wintry conditions of his South Tyrolean home. In 1962 Ernst produced his first P 60 prototype and just two years later, the first production vehicle rolled off the assembly line. Developments continued over the years along with several company acquisitions, the range of products has now expanded to encompass forestry machines, vegetation management and tracked utility vehicles.?

?The machines have been supplied by the UK Prinoth dealer Bradleys, a bespoke engineering, construction, equipment and machinery supplier based in Appley Bridge near Wigan, Lancashire. Prior to delivery, the dedicated team at Bradleys put the dumpers through their extensive workshops and stripped the machines down to give them a customised makeover as they do to all clients. Removing the standard black and white paint scheme and refinishing to a high standard in the noticeable yellow and black corporate livery for Tru7 group.?

The Tru Earthworks machines are amongst several sold lately by Bradleys, many of which have found homes in some of the biggest and most respected groundworks, earthmoving and agricultural fleets in the UK. Whilst Bradleys supply the Panther and other Prinoth ranges including snow groomers and Agripower units, their expertise doesn’t stop there. From repainting the vehicles to full customisation including bespoke bodies and attachments, the company’s extensive workshops and staff are capable of bringing both the Prinoth ranges and other machinery up to a specification and standard their clients expect. Electrical and Hydraulic services are also catered for in-house along with the fitting of additional lighting packages and site-specific beacons and strobes, depending on the environment the machines may be working in. Aside from the construction machinery sector, Bradleys also offer bespoke design and fabrication services for major clients such as United Utilities, Tate Security, Octopus Energy, GA Petfood’s and Victorian Plumbing..?

Manufactured at the company’s Canadian plant, the T14R Panther has a nominal carrying capacity of 14 ton in their heavy-duty, scow-ended bodies.?Constructed around a robust box-section chassis, the driveline is more akin to one found on tanks and military vehicles and relies on a pair of hydrostatic drive motors mounted high above the ground out of the way of potential damage and debris. Two pairs of suspended bogies provide a comfortable ride and with their fully oscillating capabilities ensuring the tracks always stay in contact with the ground. Ample spacing between the bogie wheels, idler and drive motors ensures that any build-up of material is kept to an absolute minimum. Metal-embedded rubber track (MERT) with a width of 750mm provide the T14R with excellent ground contact and a pair of hydraulic cylinders mounted tight to the chassis ensure the track tension is always maintained. The large slew ring carries the full upper structure which comprises of a spacious cab and powerpack along with the 6.5m3 body.

Power is supplied by a 275HP Stage V Caterpillar diesel engine. A compact hydrostatic drive system provides the propulsion to the tracks and allows the T14R to power up a 15° incline and reach a maximum loaded speed of 13.5km/h.??The T14R has a smaller brother, the T7R with a payload of 7,000kgs this was specifically designed with the smaller and narrower access on UK sites, the Panther range also includes rigid tip models from T6, T8, T12, T16, and T22 which can also be transformed into a variety of specialist?low ground pressure vehicles.

Unlike some tracked dumpers where functionality rules over comfort, the Prinoth has a very high standard specification including air conditioning, Bluetooth and rear and side cameras. The deep windscreen and side windows combined with the low engine cowlings give excellent vision from the seat, the machines also use a progressive speed pedal where the engine only revs when it needs to, this reduces noise and overall fuel efficiency.??

Having the ability to spin around on the move meant the Diss project hasn't required the construction of a large turning circle at the tip area and means that each dump truck can block-tip their load and return to the dig area without spragging their tracks around and cutting the ground up. Such is the minimal weight imposed by the loaded T14R, just 7.04psi, that Dave is very rarely called in to maintain haul roads and spends his time profiling the bunds of material tipped from the cut. The ability to tip on the run either behind the machine or to the sides is another major plus point for the Prinoth Panther 360°?tracked dumpers.?

The Panther T14R has been developed with ease of transportation in mind with an overall outside track width of just 2570mm (8ft4”) this makes much easier loading onto lorries and low loaders without the need for outriggers or movement orders. Still, the long, open high volume body on the trucks makes for a good target for the excavator to hit, even when working on the same level. Whilst this site wasn’t testing the LGP capabilities of the Prinoth to its full, the early days of running on the thick and wet topsoil saw the dumpers create very little in the way of damage, something Dave says a wheeled LGP machine would have done.??

?Loading duties on the site are carried out by a Volvo EC250E excavator from the Tru Plant fleet. At the time of our visit the team had only been on site for just over a week and were well into the 4000m3 muckshift and impressing the main contractor’s team with their progress.?Although the Prinoths have only been on the fleet for a few weeks, their impressive build quality and reliability have impressed everyone at Tru Earthworks. Already in high demand, the forthcoming arrival of more units can only go to bolster the good reputation already surrounding the Tru7 name.?