The ram repair specialists

Athy Trailers & Engineering Ltd is a family-run business specialising in hydraulic ram repair among other things. Managing director Martin Kelly recently took time out to talk to Irish Trucker about this thriving Co. Kildare-based operation.

Athy Trailers & Engineering managing director Martin Kelly

Since its inception in 1988, Athy Trailers & Engineering Ltd has gained a countrywide reputation for excellence, value-for-money and customer service.
In that time, it has become one of the leading vehicle and trailer repair operators of its size in Ireland. It employs highly skilled staff and prides itself on being one of the very few hydraulic ram repair specialists in the country.
“Any repair work that needs to be carried out on a trailer, we can do it,” says Athy Trailers & Engineering managing director Martin Kelly.

“We’re especially well known for our ram repair service and we have people coming to us from north and south for this service. It’s specialised work and there’s hardly anyone else at it, so it’s an important service to be able to provide. I don’t know why there are so few companies out there who repair rams – maybe they are put off by the fact that it’s hard work and involves getting your hands dirty!”
Athy Trailers & Engineering Ltd only uses Edbro and Hyva hydraulic rams. A English company, Edbro has its Irish base in Carlow and is one of the leading tipping hoist manufacturers in the world, supplying a product range to suit many vehicle-mounted tipper applications. Edbro also supplies a range of skip loaders and hook-lift equipment for the waste industry.

Alex Tihimorius and Guntars Ozolins carrying out repairs to a ram

Hyva, whose Irish headquarters are in Naas, is a global multinational company founded in the Netherlands in 1979. The company is committed to the development, production, marketing and distribution of components for the commercial vehicle industry. Hyva offers a wide range of technical products and components, mainly used in connection with hydraulic loading and unloading systems on trucks and trailers for the road transportation industry. Like Edbro, it is also an important player in the manufacturing and supply of compactors and waste collecting units for the environmental service industry.
Athy Trailers & Engineering offer the keenest prices for ram repair work as Martin explains: “For just €600, we take off the ram, strip it down and put it back together again. Any extra work will cost you a bit more.”

Each ram is repaired to such a high standard that the same repair should never need to be done again. For the owner of a haulage firm, this means that he can be 100 per cent confident that his staff, customers and the public can use or be near his plant without fear of a health and safety tragedy.
Athy Trailers & Engineering have equipment and systems in place to repair rams very efficiently. Martin and his staff strive to reduce waste of materials, time and money. These cost savings are passed on to the customer.
As well as ram repair, Athy Trailers & Engineering also specialises in chassis stretching and straightening, crash repair of aluminium bodies, aluminium floor fitting, lift axle fitting, reconditioning of brakes, running gear fitting and reconditioning, and air suspension fitting.

Office staff Lily O'Brien and Olive Casey

In his large workshop at Barrowford in Athy, Martin is able to inspect, service, repair, upgrade or convert the running gear on most trailers. Through his experience of trailer repairs, Martin is able to advise customers on the successful and not so successful products on the market.
“As most of our customers come to us through word of mouth, we try especially hard to give them the right advice and information. This has worked well for us so far, with customers coming to us from as far north as Donegal and as far south as Cork and Kerry. We’ve even got business from England,” he explains.
The company can carry out repairs to all sizes of trailers, and its skilled welders are well capable of mending and patching up all kinds of steel and aluminium structures. Among Athy Trailers & Engineering’s five staff is Benny Horan, a highly experienced welder who has been with the company from the very beginning.

Olag Judins repairs a trailer

While repairing trailers can be an arduous task, the company prides itself on taking on every job, no matter how difficult or demanding. It does so as a mark of respect for its clients whose custom it especially values.
“We’ll work that bit extra harder if it means making our customers happy. The good feedback we get is down to the quality of work we do. We always strive to give any job our total service because that’s the way people have always heard about us,” Martin says.
Athy Trailers & Engineering has come a long way since it started business nearly 20 years ago. “The business was set up by my father Andy, who is semi-retired at this stage, and he started out by carrying out repairs on trailers for farmers. From there, he progressed to repairing larger trailers and trucks.

“It wasn’t easy at the start – the economy wasn’t as strong as it is now – but we persisted and things have been going well for us over the past few years.”
From his dealings with hauliers from around the country, Martin is very much aware of the problems the industry faces.
“The hauliers I deal with are all saying the same thing – they are being crippled by high fuel and insurance costs. On top of that, drivers are now commanding a very high wage. They’re clearly having a tough time of it and we bear this in mind by offering the lowest possible costs for repair work,” he concludes.
For further information about Athy Trailers & Engineering Ltd and the services it offers, contact Martin Kelly at 059-8631819.