Deck space needed
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FOR THE WEIGHT conscious, the impact of the 38-tonne legislation was plain to see at last week's Temperature Controlled Storage and Distribution Exhibition at Wembley Conference Centre: tri-axle reefer trailers were there in abundance, writes DAVID WILCOX.
But the increase in weight means that more operators now find themselves volume-restricted and are looking for more deck space for the extra pallets or roll cages.
Fortunately, developments in insulated bodybuilding have kept abreast of this, notably with the insulated thin wall panel. The forte of the thin wall panel — typically 35mm thick overall compared with 100mm or so in conventional panels — is that it allows a 2.4mm interior width within the 2.5m legal maximum width.
Those extra few millimetres enable standard 1,0 0 0 x 1,200mm pallets to be turned through 90 degrees and mean that 24 pallets instead of 20 can be fitted in a 12.2m trailer: a 20 per cent increase in productivity. The roof and floor is thicker to compensate but the loss of internal height is usually no problem.
The French are generally recognised to be experts in refrigeration techniques and among the manufacturers promoting thin wall construction at the exhibition was French bodybuilder Lamberet whose grp-faced thin wall reefer trailer boasts a good K factor, ATP Class C certification and impressively thin rear pillars giving an equally wide rear aperture. A Lam beret spokesman told me that in France thin wall bodies are now well-established and he considered the UK has been slow in following this development.
Scottish bodybuilder Gray and Adams is one of the manufacturers replying to this allegation and was showing one of its thin wall, aluminium-clad reefer bodies which also offers 2.4m internal width. Director Jim Gray said that it does not have Class C certification but that it could meet the requirements if necessary.
Insulated panel manufacturer Concargo was also introducing a grp-faced thin wall panel with an overall thickness of just 33mm and capable of Class C certification. Concargo believes there is a big future in thin wall panels; their advantages are too good to ignore.
Among the rigid bodywork at the exhibition was a new refrigerated body from Norfolk-based Windfoil, already known for its aerodynamic and weight-saving dry freight bodies. The first of its Econolite insulated bodies is on a Bedford TL1260 and is fitted out for hanging meat. Its plasticfaced Econolite insulated panels are 100mm thick and have a type of foam insulation that is claimed to retain its insulative properties longer than polyurethane foam.
Another new rigid body making its debut at the TCS&D Exhibition was from Welsh bodybuilder Bedwas, part of the Securicor group. Its small Supercool body has sandwich panel construc and is designed for chassis up to 3.5 tonnes gvw sucl Transits.
Sales of Boalloy's Insuline sulated curtainsider have topped 160 and the lal models incorporate some provements. A new type of construction and some mon sulative curtains have increE the thermal efficiency of body. Not intended to match efficiency of a conventic reefer, the Insuliner is suit, for chilled goods at temp tures down to 0 degrees Cc grade and offers greater inte width (room for 24 pallets) full length load access.
Boalloy also chose the exl tion to launch its new Freshli an insulated version of Localiner delivery body. The models are on Sherpa cha with Patter HYX fridge units used for dairy deliveries.
Among the recently revi Petter models on show wz pre-production version of a unit called the Medium Over (MOC) which has a higher ci city than the model it repla plus slimmer evaporators quieter operation.
Petter's chief competitoi American-owned Thermo K which admitted that its UK si have been hit by the poor lar/pound exchange rate. A t Thermo King model was in duced last week; the City Bos vehicle engine pto-driven for rigid reefer bodies 4. (13ft-19ft) long.
This long/medium sectior the market seems to be ceiving more attention from fridge manufacturers; Hubb was showing its new vehicleyen 485 unit. French comp, Carrier (represented in the UF Carlyle Transport Refrigerai of Warrington) now has a la range of models available in 1 country and one of the more usual ones is the Mistral 3001 also aimed at the small/medi sector. It has its own 280cc c cylinder petrol engine, givin independence from the vehic engine and making it lighter ; cheaper than a diesel-powe unit.
TransFrig's trailer ax powered fridge unit was aft' ting a good deal of attentior the exhibition. Using Rub Owen-Rockwell's trailer a drive and a condenser unit t can be underslung on the ch sis it is a new approach tha claimed to save weight energy.