Barry’s Skip Hire Draws On First-Hand Evaluations To Inform Mercedes-Benz Arocs & Atego Skip Loader Purchase

---

Barry’s Skip Hire of Liverpool purchased a 32-tonne Arocs 3240 in 2018 and have liked it so much that they recently purchased another Arocs 3240 skip loader as well as an Arocs 1824. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.)

In 2018, Barry’s Skip Hire of Liverpool began what became a three-year evaluation of skip trucks when they purchased two 32-tonne (35.2-U.S.-ton) skip loaders—one of which was a Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3240—and pitted them against a third truck from a different brand already in the fleet. The firm reports that the results were conclusive: The Arocs “trounced its rivals.”

“The Mercedes-Benz was in a completely different league,” says owner Barry Flanagan. “It’s been far more reliable over the period than the other two trucks, both of which gave us all sorts of problems. We’re a waste management and recycling specialist, and trucks are just a tool with which to do our job. We want our guys to go out in the morning, do their rounds all day, and then go home without worrying about whether their vehicle will break down. We get that peace of mind from the Arocs.”

Ticking All The Boxes

Based on its evaluation, Barry’s Skip Hire recently turned once again to Mercedes-Benz for an 8x4 hook loader and an 18-t (19.8-U.S.-t) skip loader. Mercedes-Benz dealer eStar Truck & Van supplied the family-owned business with an Arocs 3240 and Arocs 1824, both featuring a ClassicSpace M-cab and Hyva lifting gear. In the next 12 months, Barry’s plans to add four more 18-t Arocs and one 13-t (14.3-U.S.-t) Mercedes-Benz Atego skip loader.

Barry’s Arocs 3240 is equipped with a 10.7-litre, straight-six engine rated for 394 horsepower (290 kilowatts) and a 12-speed PowerShift 3 automated manual transmission with crawl function and manoeuvring mode. Its Arocs 1824 has a 7.7-litre, six-cylinder engine rated for 238 HP (175 kW). Interestingly, prior to its Arocs 3240 purchase in 2018, Barry’s Skip Hire tended to sidestep Mercedes-Benz’ eight-wheeled chassis.

---

Barry Flanagan, owner of Barry’s Skip Hire, says his Mercedes-Benz Arocs skip loaders provide peace of mind that his drivers can go out and make their rounds without worrying about breakdowns. The company plans to add four more 18-tonne Arocs and one 13-t Atego skip loader to its fleet in the coming year. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.)

“We’d always considered the Mercedes-Benz 8x4 to be a bit too heavy for our application, which is very payload-sensitive,” Flanagan says. “The introduction of the Arocs range changed all that, though. The big rigids are light enough to allow us to maximise productivity, while also offering the strength and durability that we’ve come to expect from Mercedes-Benz. There’s plenty of ground clearance too, and the view from the driver’s seat is excellent. It’s a great combination of attributes.”

Old-School Meets MirrorCam

The excellent driver’s visibility that Flanagan mentions stems in part from Mercedes-Benz’s MirrorCam technology. The Arocs 3240 is the first truck in Barry’s fleet with the feature, which replaces conventional mirrors with a roof-mounted camera system that relays images to 15-inch displays mounted in the cab’s A-pillars. Along with enhancing rear visibility, MirrorCam eliminates the forward-facing blind spots that mirror housings create while simultaneously enhancing fuel efficiency.

“We’re an old-school outfit in many ways; I don’t even carry a mobile phone,” says Flanagan. “But the MirrorCam system has some obvious benefits and our drivers have taken to it very quickly.”

Find Your Mercedes-Benz Truck

Truck Locator has hundreds of new and used Mercedes-Benz trucks for sale every day, including a number of Arocs and Atego models.

Source: Mercedes-Benz