You may remember this company, never very big but had some nice tackle and good work - me and the owner John had our differences over the years, but the news is awful regardless - RIP
jj72:
You may remember this company, never very big but had some nice tackle and good work - me and the owner John had our differences over the years, but the news is awful regardless - RIP
Very sad news jj72-I remember seeing their low loaders around Surrey and they did as you say have some nice tackle.
We used to do a bit for Betchworth in the early to mid 90’s when i worked for Heavyhaul Chelmsford ltd. A Pennine crane from a factory in Grimsby was a memorable one, as the factory absolutley stunk, and there all day waiting for a fork-lift to load the 7 jib sections !!! 
I remember them having an 8x4 DAF and an F12 150 Tonner, the Daf was certainly a beast!!
STRAIGHT EIGHT:
We used to do a bit for Betchworth in the early to mid 90’s when i worked for Heavyhaul Chelmsford ltd. A Pennine crane from a factory in Grimsby was a memorable one, as the factory absolutley stunk, and there all day waiting for a fork-lift to load the 7 jib sections !!!
I remember them having an 8x4 DAF and an F12 150 Tonner, the Daf was certainly a beast!!
The F12 and Nicolas trailer
That 8 wheeler DAF (Ginaf whatever you want to call it) was one of if not the first built for UK and was nothing but a pain for John - many problems at great expense, and he rued the day they bought it
She looked good though, but not as good as the E Reg Gobstopper shown above, but not many motors do IMO
We had F12’s at the time, good old tools, an E reg with a lift axle was run at 80 ton and done stirling work and punching well above its weight most of the time!! 
, the other was an X reg 6x4 150 tonner and proved to be un-breakable in it 16 yr life. Volvo just dont build them like that anymore.
STRAIGHT EIGHT:
We had F12’s at the time, good old tools, an E reg with a lift axle was run at 80 ton and done stirling work and punching well above its weight most of the time!!
i did a very small amount of work with Heavyhaul years back, Phil who ran it wasn’t it? I’m sure the X reg you mention was restored by a chap in Norn Iron and then put up for sale? Talk about taking your own thread off topic eh? 
I worked for Betchworth as a driver’s mate/office dogsbody back in the 80’s soon after leaving school, even then the kit was first class, two 6x4 DAF 3300, three F12s, an MAN and not forgetting a beaver tail FORD D series!!
R.I.P John and my condolences to the family
jj72:
STRAIGHT EIGHT:
We had F12’s at the time, good old tools, an E reg with a lift axle was run at 80 ton and done stirling work and punching well above its weight most of the time!!i did a very small amount of work with Heavyhaul years back, Phil who ran it wasn’t it? I’m sure the X reg you mention was restored by a chap in Norn Iron and then put up for sale? Talk about taking your own thread off topic eh?
Yeah thats right mate, Phil Dyke, still going, albeit, with a much more modern fleet!. It was the G reg F16 that was restored, that was bought to replace that X reg in 98. Apart from a Gearbox replacement after 1 wk on the road, it was another bloody good motor, my dad drove that and loved it. That gave way to an FH16 Gobstopper XL.
yeah, funny how these Threads get going