Nissan Picks Up The Tough Jobs For Balfour Beatty
Published: 6th March 2003
Balfour Beatty has added 15 2.5-litre, 133PS turbo diesel 4x4 Pickups in a mix of Single, King and Double Cab bodies and two 2.2-litre turbo diesel X-TRAILS to its fleet so far, and more are due to be ordered in 2003.
The Nissans were equipped with hand-wash units via the manufacturer’s one-stop-shop for special vehicles and have gone into service at Balfour Beatty construction and rail sites around the UK, where they are subjected to gruelling working conditions over very rough terrain.
As a consequence of the demanding lives their vehicles lead, reliability and speed of parts delivery was a major factor in Balfour Beatty’s decision to choose Nissan.
Mike Brown, Commercial Manager for Balfour Beatty Fleet Services, explained: "Our site vehicles work under arduous conditions and we expect a high degree of reliability from them – we can’t afford long periods of downtime if something goes wrong.
"We have previously had a number of other manufacturers’ 4x4 pickups on site but were particularly impressed with the Nissan’s towing ability, reliability record and torque. Phil Henrick, Nissan’s National Accounts Manager, promised us an exceptionally quick turnaround on parts, so we decided to switch and, to date, Phil’s confidence in Nissan’s product and parts service has proved to be upstanding."
The hardy Pickups are well-equipped to withstand the rigours of site life and tackle the toughest of jobs. Their potent turbo diesel engine gives class-leading power and performance and a maximum towing capacity of 2800kg.
The selectable four-wheel drive system gives the option of high ratio two-wheel drive for everyday road driving, and high or low ratio four-wheel drive to provide optimum traction and towing ability on all surfaces. Standard automatic free running hubs mean that the driver can lock the front wheel hubs for off road driving without leaving the vehicle – a useful feature on a busy, messy site.
The capacious X-TRAILs transport personnel on and off-site in comfort, with their off-road capabilities allowing them to negotiate muddy, uneven terrain with ease.
"The vehicles have been very well-received by those
who use them – they are strong workhorses and are doing
an excellent job on site and I look forward to exceptional
residual values," concluded Mike Brown.
