DIFFLOCK.com - Buyer's Guide

FROM THEIR bases at Guildford, Birming-ham, Pembroke, Inverness and Locherbie Four x Four Hire Ltd operates a large vehicle hire fleet which includes over 180 Land Rovers. The sort of service that is offered is typified by the recent hire of some 40 Land Rovers to local authorities in Wales earlier this year where they worked on snow clearance for over a month.

Two major county councils have adop-ted a different approach. They hire Land Rovers from Four x Four from the beginning of January to the end of March for what they term ‘winter maintenance programmes’. This type of service fills a very positive need for customers who are unable to justify the cost and running expenses of four wheel drive vehicles throughout the whole year.

New market

Recently Four x Four identified a new market for the services offered on long term civil engineering contracts like motorways and pipe laying. Four wheel drive vehicles are essential for this type of work and the onus is on the main contractor to supply such vehicles especi-ally those requested for use by the resident engineer and his staff.

Four x Four now operates a fully comprehensive service supplying vehicles and, where the numbers justify it, a manager and site fitting staff plus additional spare vehicles.

Managing Director Duncan Smales said "We try to put in an extra sense of discipline in the use and maintenance of site vehicles. The vehicles’ performance is being constantly monitored throughout the length of the contract to ensure availability of the required number of vehicles at all times."

In addition to supplying a number of major UK contractors with this service the company is now receiving enquiries from overseas contractors to supply a similar service.

The majority of the Land Rovers are basic models. A special conversion by Four x Four based on a longer and wider Land Rover body results in a mobile workshop offering full headroom and the option of 300DC welding equipment or a 7.5kVA generator. This gives the fitter in the field total flexibility and provides him with power, lighting and a working environment that makes him independent of a base workshop for all but major overhauls.

‘Best of the lot’

Although Four x Four has examined alternative possibilities Duncan Smales still describes the Land Rover as "definitely the best of the whole lot." As the entire fleet of four wheel drive vehicles consists of Land Rovers, spares holdings can be standardised and the fitters are constantly working on the same type of vehicles. Spares are readily available from Land Rover dealers wherever the vehicles are working and at present the company sees no reason whatsoever to change from its current fleet policy.