About Us
Now in its 3rd generation, our family business can trace it’s origins all the way back to 1958.
Devon’s original heavy haulage specialist
It all started in 1958, when the late Wally Balsdon established the business driving a BTD6 bulldozer felling trees and removing roots. In the 1970’s he progressed into the demolition industry, and decided that rather than hiring in transport to move his machinery, he would move his own equipment with his own trucks. A far cry from the outfits seen on the road today, a Guy Big J, a Scammel Crusader and a Leyland Marathon all carried the company colours in the subsequent years.
In 1988 Wally’s son Wayne joined the company, having left college and completed an apprenticeship at a local commercial vehicle repairers. It is just after this, in 1990 when “Goliath” debuted- an 8×4 Volvo F12 built from the remains of an F89 by Wally and Wayne in the workshops at Ratsloe, a feat at that time thought impossible.
Now nearly two decades on, there have been many special-build trucks in the intervening years, most notably the 4 axle, 150 ton T-cab (as seen on the cover of Trucking magazine), and, more recently the 5 axle, 200 ton 164 with Fassi 110 ton/m crane (as seen on the cover of Heavy Torque magazine).
The 4-in-line trailers of the early 70’s are a world apart from the step-frames and low loaders today. They had no steering and in order to load a machine the trailer had to be jacked up, put on wooden blocks, and the wheels rolled out of the way! However, this provides the perfect foundations for a company that, true to its roots, is not scared of moving something that cannot be simply driven onto a trailer.
Able to carry anything up to 95 tons in weight, 14 feet tall, 120 feet long and as wide as will fit between the hedges, we are used to dealing with the oddest of requests.
We were even asked on one occasion to become midwives at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, to help with the delivery of a giant baby!
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