TotalKare highlights two companies that have benefitted from its workshop equipment, including the Y-Mech lift – the largest in its portfolio.
Thomas Hardie Commercials
Thomas Hardie Commercials has upgraded its vehicle lifting capabilities at two of its sites in the Northwest with assistance from workshop equipment expert TotalKare.
The main distributor for Volvo Trucks and Volvo Bus and Coach throughout the Northwest, North Wales, and Lancashire operates six franchised sites offering a full range of vehicle services. These are complemented by its wholly-owned division Thomas Hardie Vehicle Solutions, based in Chorley, which offers vehicle painting, hydraulic kit fitting and other specialised aftermarket equipment, as well as truck and trailer refurbishment.
With help from its long-term workshop equipment partner TotalKare (Thomas Hardie currently runs some 22 sets of Totalkare’s T8DC mobile column lift across its sites), the Volvo specialist has now introduced a Y-Mech vehicle lift at each of its Trafford Park and Preston sites, they are both fully galvanised wash bay solution lifts to replace a failing outdoor vehicle lift installation. At Trafford Park, the workshop is moving away from its traditional use of vehicle inspection pits for wash bay, favouring a permanent vehicle lifting facility instead.
The newest addition to TotalKare’s comprehensive range of heavy duty vehicle lifting solutions, the Y-Mech lift can be supplied in a range of weight capacities from 25,000kg to 35,000kg, with platform lengths ranging from six to 13 metres. The lifts at Preston and Trafford Park are both rated to lift 25,000kg with a nine-metre bed length.
Available with drive on/off and drive through options, the Y-Mech lift can be surface- or recess-mounted into the floor to suit operator preference, and feature rollover and roll-back protection to keep the vehicle in place while being raised off the ground. It can be upgraded with manual or air-powered axle jack and lighting if required and as mentioned above, is also available as a galvanised option for wash bay and outdoor applications.
Both lifts will be supported by a comprehensive TotalKare aftersales service contract with two routine service engineer visits a year.
“We needed a solution to the challenge of preparing HGVs for ministry MOTs whilst maintaining high levels of safety for our operatives. We have done away with using outside pits and the Y-Mech product was a natural choice. TotalKare has shown throughout our 2 decade-long relationship, that it is capable of delivering the high-level of service we demand inside our workshops, and these products extend this to the outside environment,” says Chris Schofield, Head of Procurement at Thomas Hardie Commercials.
Brian Young, National Account Manager for TotalKare, comments: “TotalKare enjoys a fine relationship with Thomas Hardie Commercials, underpinned by the quality of our aftersales support and hands-on approach to customer service. At both sites, the Y-Mech lift is an excellent addition to their existing vehicle lifting provision – fit for purpose and built to last.”
Grist Environmental
One of the leading waste management businesses in the UK, Grist Environmental operates a large fleet of specialist vehicles. Due to the demands of vehicle repair and maintenance, it was key for Grist Environmental to have the latest testing equipment to keep up with the demands of its workshop.
TotalKare has installed a mobile brake tester and headlamp tester in Grist Environmental’s workshop. Having been impressed with a demonstration of the mobile brake tester at TotalKare’s stand at a recent vehicle launch event for Refuse Vehicle Solutions, Grist Environmental used TotalKare’s helpful online brake tester savings calculator to get an indication of the potential cost savings that could be realised by testing in-house.
TotalKare’s mobile brake tester is DVSA-approved and can accommodate up to 20,000kg per axle and a number of wheel bases up to 4,000mm. The brake tester comes with a tablet device which uses a virtual display to show all the readings of the test, and a touchscreen-based remote control, enabling brake tests to be conducted from the driver’s seat in a matter of minutes. The mobile brake tester can be placed on asphalt, concrete and even on uneven gravel, sand or dirt, which is why Grist Environmental has opted to use the brake tester outdoors for its vehicle testing.
Headlamp aim is the most common failure item at annual test for both HGVs and PSVs. TotalKare can provide both manual and electronic headlamp testers to accommodate all workshop solutions. All electronic headlamp testers are fitted with capabilities to be connected to the MOT testing service when legislation changes in the future.
By adding a brake and headlamp testing to their workshop, along with an existing set of TotalKare mobile column lifts, Grist Environmental is now further equipped to provide repair and maintenance work on vehicles. Through TotalKare’s comprehensive service offering, it will also benefit from its world class support.
“We were impressed by the level of detail and expertise shown by TotalKare and their products. We were driven in wanting to reduce excessive external charges from third party brake testing by keeping the service in-house and reducing downtime,” explains Paul Forth at Grist Environmental.
“After seeing our equipment in action, Paul and the team at Grist Environmental were keen on introducing our mobile brake tester to their workshop as they could see it being a robust and flexible solution to help test a high number of their vehicles per day,” concludes John Ray, Area Sales Manager at TotalKare. “By obtaining both pieces of testing equipment, headlamp aim can be tested at the same time as the vehicle’s brakes, meaning two common items of test failure are routinely checked in next to no time.”
