Central Tool Hire enjoyed big win at Full of the Pipe
18/12/2025
There was delight for the Larkin family of Central Tool Hire in Birr, Co. Offaly when their remodelled Scania R650 won ‘Best Custom Truck – Irish Registered’ at the 2025 Full of the Pipe.
On a scorching July weekend at Mondello Park, Aidan Larkin and his 16-year-old son Fynn were among the big winners at what is recognised as Ireland’s premier truck show. A fitting reward for the countless hours they spent modifying the truck and ensuring it was immaculately turned out for Full of the Pipe, the win came as quite a surprise to the father-and-son, so much so that they missed the presentation!
“It was a lovely surprise to get, so unexpected,” Aidan fondly recalls.
“We presumed we weren’t in the running when the judges didn’t put a ribbon on our truck like the others. So I said to Fynn on the Sunday afternoon: ‘we’ll tip up the road to Dublin to collect a loading shovel’ and call back later. In the time that we were away, we were announced as the winner and missed the presentation.
“The success made Fynn feel 10-feet tall – he was thrilled to take home the trophy. He loves remodelling trucks and his attention to detail is serious. It’s just the way he is.”
The winning entry was 11 months in the making. The Larkins purchased the 19-registered Scania R650 in 2023 and painstakingly remodelled it to their own specifications.
“We’ve been buying trucks for 25 years and modifying them to suit our needs,” the affable Central Tool Hire owner explains.
“With this truck, we carried out all the work ourselves at home in our shed except for the exhaust. We also called on our good friend Valdas to do the painting for us. He does all the painting and graphics on all our trucks and hire equipment, and is absolutely meticulous.
“Our original fleet colours were purple and green. They’re now purple and white, but we decided to add metallic black to this one to make it stand out that bit more. We’re currently applying the same purple, white and black colours to an older Scania R500.
“The Scania R650 was red when he purchased it, so we had to change it to our colours, both inside and outside. The interior is now black instead of red. We also fitted a Dutch bumper to the rear which we built ourselves, and fitted Nedking air horns that were sourced from Holland. By coincidence, my wife Carol’s late grandfather was called Ned King. He was also involved in transport, so the family was very emotional about it.
“We even customised the sun visors to suit us. That’s the sort of detail we went to. We left no stone unturned.”
Aidan adds: “It was a real team effort between Fynn, my older son Brody and I. Brody is a second-year apprentice mechanic with Westward Scania in Strokestown. He’s 20 and has won Feile and Minor Hurling Championship medals with CRC Gaels, which is an amalgamation of Carrig & Riverstown and Crinkill. Brody did all the mechanical work, Fynn was the designer and I was the financier!
“It was nice to be able to put our own stamp on it and to be recognised for all the long hours we put into it on evenings and Saturdays.”
Aidan describes the win as ‘bitter-sweet’ after the R650 had a mishap on the way to last year’s Tipperary Truck Show in Holycross.
“We had it ready in time for the Tipperary Truck Show and were on our way down along with another Scania Next Generation P320 rigid when it broke down. Fynn was so disappointed – he had it gleaming and was looking forward to showcasing it. That’s why winning at Full of the Pipe meant everything to him.
“The R650 eventually made its truck show debut at Drifterstyle in Dublin last October which we received an invite to. We’ve been invited to Drifterstyle again this year and will be bringing the R650 along once again.”
The award-winning R650 is part of a five-strong Scania fleet at Central Tool Hire which hires machinery such as access platforms, compressors, diggers, dumpers, rock-breakers, rollers, skid loaders and teleporters. Since 1997, the family-run business has been providing a high-quality equipment rental service to customers in the midlands and beyond.
“We purchased the R650 to coincide with our 25th anniversary,” Aidan says.
“Our other trucks are an R500, P320 and two P360s which are used for low loader, haulage and skip hire work. We employ six people, have a large and loyal customer-base and continue to go from strength to strength by offering a top-class, reliable and value-for-money service.”
Central Tool Hire
Syngefield,
Birr,
Co. Offaly,
R42 NY70.
Telephone: 057 912 2200 / 086 275 4587
Web: [email protected]
First published in Irish Trucker magazine November/December 2025, Vol 28-6
