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A van, owned by a building company, passed me on the M25 and signwritten across the rear was the message: You've used the cowboys, now try the Indians. It was good advice as Indian craftsmen can compete with the best. On an internationally huge scale, Hindustan Motors with investment in car production, cement, chemicals, engineering and a dozen more sectors, competes successfully on the world stage.

And just to put the Earthmoving Equipment division into context, it is one of the very few companies worldwide to build Cat equipment under licence. To meet the needs of the Indian continent and certain other territories, Hindustan manufactures in India the D6 high drive dozer, 966E wheeled loader, 773 and 777 dumptrucks, and builds the range of Cat 200 series excavators. It also has a manufacturing licence with Allison to build the 700, 5000 and 6000 series transmissions.

In 1964 the company entered a joint venture agreement with Terex to build dumptrucks and two models of wheeled loaders. Following the IBH-Terex failure, the agreement was terminated and Hindustan started manufacturing in its own right. It now produces three models of rear dumps with payloads of 25t, 35t and 40t.

'It is these three machines, designated 1025, 1035 and 1040, that Marton Dump Trucks will import into the UK with the first units arriving in time for a September launch,' says md Martin Merritt. 'Hindustan is a world class manufacturer competing in a world class market.

'The Earthmoving Equipment division factories are as well, if not better, equipped than many European or American ones with the latest computer controlled machining centres, profiling and press plant and, most importantly, verifiable quality assurance systems. The company holds both ISO 9001/9002 certification and has been producing around 700 units per year since going it alone,' adds Merritt.

There is a very distinct division between the smaller and the two larger models being imported. The 1025 is in fact a replica of the old R25 and is called 'the standard' model while the 1035 and 1040 models have specs equal to the most modern units available - and even more operator goodies.

The 1025 is supplied with a NT-743C Cummins diesel which pushes out 220kW at the flywheel and drives, as standard, an Allison CLBT 754 five- speed auto transmission with Torqmatic retarder and lock up clutch in all forward ratios. Underneath, the front axle is suspended by leaf springs while the rear is semi rigid-mounted. Full power steering takes care of manoeuvering and fail safe, air-operated drum brakes on both axles supply stopping power. Standard E3 1400 x 25 at the front and rear 1800 x 25 should provide enough rubber to satisfy most applications. The body, fabricated from high yield low alloy steel, is rated at 16.97m3 to give a payload of 25.4t. According to Merritt, the 1025 will be mainly used as a stocking machine and the spec is ideally suited for such applications.

The 1035 and 1040 machines are straight from the Hindustan Motors design and development drawing boards and are truly smooth looking machines. Rated at 32.7t, the 1035 is powered by Cummins NTA 855-C380 producing 262kW at the flywheel and driving through the same five- speeder CLBT 754 with retarder and lock up. Suspension is via oil-pneumatic legs with fail safe, full air, drum brakes on both axles fitted with 1800 x 25- 32PR tyres.

'We expect the 36.3t 1040 to be the most popular size in the range which is powered by Cummins KT1150-C450 turbocharged diesel putting 290kW through the CLBT 5961 six-speed transmission,' says Merritt.

Oil-pneumatic suspension struts and disc brakes are fitted to both axles. The rear axle brakes are oil immersed while at the front the discs are dry and the operator can switch the front out of the circuit when not required.

All three vehicles will be sold with a standard 5,000 hour/ two-year warranty on engine and transmission, 10,000 hour/four year on the chassis and 2,500 hour/one year on the rest of the truck. Even better still from the operator's viewpoint, the 1035 and 1040 standard spec includes air conditioning, Backeye reversing camera and what we believe is a first-time standard, a Simret F brake test meter.

The final piece of good news is that Marton Dumptrucks Ltd is publishing list prices for the vehicles and the figures are almost guaranteed to bring a tear to the eyes of some competitors. The 1025 carries a sticker price of œ96K, the 1035 œ126K and the 1040 œ160K. Merritt adds: 'The spec matches the best and meets all EC conformity standards. Parts are not a problem. Each truck that comes in will have a matching batch of spares and the major componentry such as Cummins and Allison have outlets in the UK. 'The company, as the sole European distributor, will use the Warwickshire base as its European distribution centre for all the vehicles and once the UK operation is up to speed we will set up a number of dealers throughout the Continent.'

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