Bodies show their cool
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This year's Commercial Vehicle Show was a definite step up from last year's, both in presentation and in the quality of the exhibits. Though it's still no rival for the sheer scale of the IRTE's Telford show, the CV Show at the NEC, organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, is an excellent showcase for bodies, trailers and components— in particular its Cool Pavilion for temperaturecontrolled bodies and equipment.
Almost every bodybuilder seemed to have a multi-drop van design on show, reflecting the expected growth of home-delivery services, while disc brakes and steering axles proliferated on trailers. And a few more over seas manufacturers appeared, attracted by the strength of sterling. With the SMMT promising a bigger exhibition next year, it looks increasingly absurd to have Iwo major annual shows in the UK.
What do you think? Should the SMMT and IRTE join forces, remain separate, or perhaps alternate their shows each year? Please write to CM with your opinion, or fax 0181 652 8969.
Show report by Toby Clark, Charles Young and Colin Barnett. Photography by Torn Lee,
• GRP was probably the bestrepresented bodybuilder at the NEC, with five vehicles on its own stand and half-a-dozen elsewhere. This is a new light fresh/frozen body on the latest low-height Ford Transit platform-cab. With threeelement panels and powder-coated aluminium cappings, the 3.5tanner has a payload of around 1,200kg. Another variation on the multi-drop delivery theme, the body has chamfered doors for easy closing, with GRP's own design of replaceable seals. • Global was showing this new-to-the-UK reefer trailer, which is the result of a tie-up with Italian company Univan. The panels are three-element composite with fibre technology; the rear doors are stainless steel. Interior measurements are 13,360x2,500x2,500mm (LxWx1-1). The body weighs 2,1300kg and with a 3,800kg trailer and Carrier's latest Maxima 2 fridge unit, Global reckons the all-up weight is under eight tonnes. The price is around £.40,000.
* The latest development of SAF's SK Intraax trailer axle/air suspension system is Intradisc, incorporating a disc brake. The calliper is by Knorr, while the disc Imade by Winter) has a diameter of 430mm, optimised for use with 22.5in wheels. The ABS sensor is mounted in the sealed hub cap; Intradisc is available with steel or alloy hubs talky hubs save 14kg per axle). Distributor IMS reckons that the price premium for a triaxle will be around £1,000-1,200 over a drum-braked setup. Volvo dealers are now selling the Mitsubishi Canter light truck in the UK (CM 5-11 February) and there were several at the show. This 3.5tonner was on the Ingimex stand, with a new dropside tipper body that combines Ingimex's typical aluminium construction with a heavy-duty steel floor. It's fitted with a Del ram and a Smiths Industries electrohydraulic pack. • Having their first UK public viewing were the LDV Convoy van power units. The Ford-sourced direct-injection diesels are available in 75hp (56kW) naturally aspirated and 99hp (74kW) turbocharged versions.
John R Billows of Kettering has taken on the UK distribution of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries refrigeration equipment. It will be offering products like this TD30 DXL 2 from the second half of this year, with a full range available within two years. According to managing director Hugh Robertson Smith: "We're not pitching at the bargain buyer—reliability and durability are what people want." The company is initially aiming at the smaller operator, and full repair and maintenance packages will be offered.
• No, it's not a Tonka toy. This beefy Iveco Ford Cargo 1 35 El8 is a 13-tonne 4x4; the sixth built for MEB with a Welford steel and aluminium body, reinforced for heavy loads such as transformers. The truck also has a rear-mounted Pesci 5P90 craneWelford is the UK distributor for Pesci—and a 3,000kg-capacity Taurus winch.
• Gray & Adams showed a lowmaintenance reefer built for BOC Distribution Services to demonstrate that Twaron construction is practical and durable. Tworon is an aramid fibre (like Kevlar) with excellent rigidity and energy-absorbing properties: the colour-impregnated panels are said to be more puncture and scuffresistant than GRP, and just as easy to repair. The usual five-element (GRP/ply/insulation) side panels can be replaced by a lighter, thinner three-element design, which saves around 400kg but adds £1,600 to the cost of a typical reefer. Other features included Mentor disc brakes, a steering rear axle, a spring-mounted rear buffer (to G&As own design) and a neat suzie rail,
• Coca-Cola Schweppes is buying at least 63 of these Iveco Ford Cargo 7.5-tonners fitted with Omnivan bodies by Equipment Innovators of Atlanta, Georgia. The beverage organisers are used for replenishing vending machines; they have modular racking, a safe box and insulated floor and roof, The aluminium bodies will be assembled and finished in the US, then shipped (three per container) to bodybuilder Rohill. They should require only bolting on and applying decals.
• After an absence of 25 years, Ford's price list once again contains a Transit Dropside. The new body, styled to complement the Flareside model, is fitted to the single-wheel 150 MWB chassis-cab and has a payload of 1.41 tonnes. It retails at £13,795 (ex-VAT). • Rossendale-based Solomon Commercials believes that novelty and needless innovation are not essential for success, according to Ray Solomon, What the customer wants is a clean, thermally efficient, hygienic reefer body. Still, the firm is right up to date with this ATP Class C 3.5-tonner, one of 50 for Kerry Foods: designed for home delivery rounds with up to 60 drops per day, it has a slam-lock door and simple nylon door retainers, alloy cappings, a GAH fridge unit and a payload of over a tonne.
• Spanish Firm Mirofret builds a variety of trailers on its own chassis, including the Jumbofret 33P reefer which weighs in at around 8,000kg in standard form. This example has BPW axles and Mentor disc brakes. More than 15 have been sold in the UK since last year by distributor Al International. Maldonbased Al is well known for vehicle repairs and conversions, but the firm is also the UK distributor for Van Howl trailers. Van Hool's Alex Bruskin admits the strength of the pound has allowed the Belgian firm to compete in the UK, but insists that that is not the whole story: "Internationalisation has raised customer expectations—people are not focusing on price first—but with sterling being so strong we are in a much better position."
• Longdon Truck Equipment displayed the latest Zepro RZ75 tail-lift for fitting to 3.5-tonne vehicles. The 750kg-capacity electrohydraulic lift weighs 180kg with an aluminium platform. It is currently available for no-drill fitting in Transit, Sprinter and IT versions.
• Don-Bur's Palletmoster 2002 trailer, which complements the current 2001 version, made its debut. The curtain sides are secured by a fail-safe system of hooks and rollers which are tensioned to the side rave by a single ratchet-operated steel cable. This eliminates the usual buckles, resulting in a totally smooth side. The other part of the 2002 package is a full perimeter air management system which includes full-width front and reor closures with integrated rear light clusters. Side panels are made from three GRP sections for ease of damage repair.
* The biggest thing at the show was this enormous van trailer with a claimed load volume of 131m3; the tandem-axle GRP trailer was built by Cartwright for British Vita. It has the TransDek/MegaDek internal loading platform, a sliding design intended for hand loading—Cartwright obtained the rights to the system late last year.
• Scania showed its new SoloDriver R cab for the first time in the UK. The main focus is better cross-cab access after operators complained they were having difficulties getting across to pay road tolls on the Continent (the booths being set up for left-hand drive). Also, 70% of R-cabs were being used in one-man operations so there's more emphasis on living space. The truck shown is the R124LA6x2/4NA 420 twin-steer which also has a lowered engine cover, a new steering column and a fold-flat gear lever.
* Not every trailer at the show was a reefer: Weightlifter is now offering Mentor disc brakes on its tipper trailers as a £1,500 option. Mentor says the weight of the disc brake system is much the same as that of drum brakes, so payload should be unaffected. Weightlifter says the extra cost is measured against better efficiency and less maintenance.
• The Australian-designed Razorback made its longawaited appearance at the NEC. It has a 2.52x1.28m, one-tonne-capacity load-bed which lowers to ground level on four electro-hydraulic rams. Operation is by a simple key switch on the rear corner. The body will be available for fitting to Volkswagen Transporter chassiscabs in the UK from May at a cost of £4,995.