ESH CONSTRUCTION’S NOVEL 16T HARSH HOOKLOADER DEMONSTRATES CLEAR BLUE WATER IN VERSATILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY

27 May 2026

County Durham – headquartered Esh Construction has just put into service an unusual specification of HARSH hookloader, the truck having been designed to deliver a whole range of additional benefits for both operator and driver alike.

Built on a Renault D Series 4×2 rigid with a 16t gvw, the HARSH HH12 hookloader system combines powerful, twin cylinder lifting performance along with minimal weight and high stability and safety.

Typically working with a steel dropside body on a 24/7 contract which Esh delivers for Northumbrian Water Group, the truck is delivering higher than ever levels of performance in serving their sites across the region.

Esh Construction’s Transport Manager Phil Bassett says “Apart from the obvious hookloader advantage of combining both a conventional tipper function with a fully demountable body, choosing a 16t vehicle over an 18t model gives us further benefits too. This truck is smaller, lighter, quieter, more manoeuvrable and more economical – both to purchase and to operate.

In addition, the two-tonnes payload ‘advantage’ of the bigger vehicle would be largely eaten up by the 18 tonner’s heavier overall specification. With a payload capacity of around 9 tonnes, this new 16t vehicle gives us all the carrying capacity we need, but with a much improved overall economy. For sheer versatility it’s a winner too – it might be on standard tipper work in the morning then a couple of hours later working at a different site dropping off a body loaded with pipes, metalwork and other miscellaneous items. The addition of a flat Plant body further increases the versatility of the vehicle, allowing the delivery of small and medium sized plant and other equipment as required by the variety of jobs we undertake.”

Another key advantage of the 16t model is that its smaller wheels and lower chassis height make loading the body by personnel at ground level very much easier and safer.”

Fitted to the chassis at HARSH’s HQ outside York, the CHEM – standard HH12 offers a full 12 tonnes lift capacity along with detail features including hydraulic container locking. Operation of the system – in or out of the cab – is by a driver handset remote control.

The Esh HH12 also comes with HARSH’s latest semi-automatic ‘Hi Tower’ sheeting system complete with an integral sheet storage cassette. By offering a full range of heights when the sheet can be deployed, full coverage of any height or length of container provides complete load security and therefore maximum safety to third parties.

Phil Bassett adds “We chose HARSH for this truck because they had exactly the hookloader specification we were looking for, both in the main item itself and also the supporting items such as the sheeting system and driver remote control. On completion, their vehicle handover to our staff was comprehensive and highly professional. This gives us real confidence in not only the long term productivity of the vehicle, but also the level of support behind it.”

Esh Construction is part of Esh Group and takes its name from the County Durham village of Esh Winning, where the company was founded in 1999. Today, with a fleet of 36 HGVs and around 200 light commercial vehicles and a second base in Leeds, the company offers a wide range of civil engineering, housebuilding and construction activities across the North East, the Tees Valley and Yorkshire.

In 2025 Esh Group was recognised by professional services business Deloitte Private as one of the top ten best managed companies in the UK.