DAF weighs up the waste on Deeside

With as many as 200 lifts a day a pair of DAF CF85s are being worked hard by Deeside operator Ash Waste Services.

The 32 tonne FAD eight-wheelers are fitted with 27 cubic metre Heil Big Bite equipment and operate with a two-man crew on trade waste collection across a wide area of North Cheshire extending into neighbouring North Wales and Merseyside.

They’re collecting cardboard, glass and general waste from commercial premises which is taken to the Ash Waste Services transfer station at Broughton near Chester for sorting and pre-treatment prior to being sent for recycling.

Microchips on the waste containers enable the company to know precisely the amount collected from each customer as this is the basis of charging. The CF85s are also fitted with an on-board weighing system from PM, allowing information to be automatically gathered on the total amounts of each type of waste going to the transfer station as well as avoiding the risk of overloading the trucks.

Ash Waste Services managing director Zoe Hassall says that the DAFs are proving to be very productive. “This type of work with its constant stopping and starting and short runs between pick-ups is very demanding on vehicles. These big DAFs are proving to be well-suited to the work and are both reliable and efficient. Being a twin steer makes them very manoeuvrable too, which can be important at premises where access is restricted.”

The company has opted for the 360 horsepower (265 kW) rating of the 12.9 litre MX engine in the trucks and has gone straight to the Euro 5 emissions standard. At 1775 Nm between 1,000 and 1,400 rpm, this engine also delivers ample torque to get the trucks moving in all road surfaces or load conditions and a mechanical diff lock – a standard fitment – is available for when the going gets really tough. The engine is matched to an eight-speed manual transmission.

Imperial Commercials, the DAF dealer in Wrexham, supplied the trucks and will be carrying out routine maintenance, including six-weekly inspections, as well as any warranty work. Heil will service their equipment at the Ash Waste Services premises on a six-weekly cycle.

Ash Waste Services is a sister company to Alan’s Skip Hire, the leading skip hire and tipper operator in the Chester/North Wales area. The specialist independent waste contracting business runs seven trucks, with a further 65 in the Alan’s fleet.