Richard Healey Removals Ltd of Beith, a family run business since 1965, has been relishing growth and new challenges due to its unrivalled customer care and quality of service. With the company booming, a demand for a new, fuel efficient vehicle became necessary.

In 2011, Richard Healey, Director, approached Tekbo with a proposal to build a five pallet furniture body on a new DAF CF65 with the aim to maximize payload and fuel efficiency by minimising aerodynamic resistance through shaping bodywork and lightweight construction.



Tekbo was first choice for this new build as Richard Healey Removals has been using them for manufacturing and refurbishing of their van bodies since 2001.

Tekbo was established by Gavin Brownlie and Colin Dyer in 2000. Combining their knowledge and experience of commercial vehicle body building has contributed to the continued growth of the company. The core strength is the ability to design and manufacture in-house products tailored to meet the demands of the customers whilst providing quality products with minimum maintenance.

This project included the use of pioneering technology and design to create a body that met the needs of Richard Healey Removals. The typical manufacturing process of a furniture box body involves attaching internal upright spines to a GRP flat sheet or GRP plywood panel. This process has a payload weight disadvantage and inherent problems with cracking and spines loosening over the vehicles life being all too common, so a new approach to developing a combi-panel design was required.

The design resulted in the development of a completely new process including a ‘New Super Strength’ lightweight panel with shaped stiffeners coated on both sides with glass fibre reinforced polyester resin. The finished vehicle was built and has achieved a payload of 10,800kg which is a 15-20% improvement on previous designs.

The vehicle has some unique features and benefits:

     · Curved roof line at rear of bodywork designed to angle air flow;

     · Rear of bodywork tapered to reduce drag;

     · Radius cant rails;

     · Side container doors with internal seals to improve visual appearance;

     · Rear lockers with tunnel for access to both sides of the vehicle;

     · LED slope mounted internal lights;

     · Multi-attachment ramp for positioning at any point on side entry;

     · Integrated rear tow bar;

     · Reverse docking LED lights;

     · ABS buffer protection.

The vehicle has already started winning awards: 3^rd Place Best Kept Rigid and 3^rd Place Best Working Rigid Truck at Truckfest Scotland and 2^nd Place Best Kept New Truck at Truckfest Ireland in August.  Barry Howitt is the proud driver of the new vehicle.  “I am very pleased with the new truck and the new superspace cab provides excellent driver comfort. The new type of body gives excellent fuel efficiency and it makes for very easy loading,” he said.

Richard Healey Removals is very pleased with the new truck and design and has placed an order for yet another new truck.