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Versatility the keyword for small bodybuilders
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VERSATILITY is an essential for the smaller bodybuilder who, unable to match the big boys when it comes to volume production, can nevertheless carve out a slice of the market.
Besco Bodies, the Northampton-based bodybuilder, is a good example of a fairly small maker doing just that. With a staff of around 40, it turns out an amazing 1000 bodies each year. To see how it achieves this creditable performance, CM visited the company at its new HQ in Ross Road off the Weedon Road at Northampton.
A measure of the company's go-ahead attitude is that it moved lock, stock and barrel from smaller premises in Northampton between a Friday evening and the following Monday morning, when production resumed with all staff present! The new factory offers a vitally necessary 50 per cent increase in floor area but, more importantly, allows the use of better mechanical handling equipment. Don Wilson, Besco's director, says that this obviates the need to build the body directly onto the chassis. Instead, bodies can be prefabricated and simply dropped onto the chassis when required.
There are two immediate advantages with this arrangement. Firstly, more bodies can be made within the same area, as the available space is not occupied with vehicles. Secondly, the delivery of bodies is not dependent on the supply of chassis.
In any event. Besco is able to offer bank stock facilities for a variety of chassis, including VW and Chrysler, as well as many other British and continental manufacturers.
Bank stocking is not limited to box bodies, as Bosco offers tippers and flats too. One well-, established tipper built by Besco is the Highway model. This is now available on the Bedford TK 570 chassis as well as on the Dodge Karrier Bantam.
On the TK, either petrol or diesel, the body has a capacity of 2.41cum (3.15cu yd) and is fabricated from mild steel. The base frame and floor are made from three sections of folded 12swg mild steel sheets which are CO, welded. Fixed rear corner posts are welded to the rear bearer section. Single dropsides, of 12swg mild steel are pressed into a corrugated shape by Besco itself, To comply with EEC regulations while still keeping the anti-loose fasteners which operators prefer. Besco has recessed them. To the rear, a tailboard of similar construction to the sideboards is swung at the top and bottom so that it can be dropped or used for tipping. At the front end, a mild steel headboard is welded to the floor and base frame. Besco has fitted a bracket in front of the headboard to take the spare wheel. A single pto-operated front-end ram is used.
Total payload for the petrol TK tipper is 3101 kg (3.05 ton) while the gvw of 5690kg (5.6 ton) allows the vehicle to be driven by a non-hgv driver. Interior length of the body is 2.92m (9.67ft) and it is 2m (6.54ft) wide.
Another area where Besco's ingenuity scores is in the manufacture of Luton and boxvan bodies on the Leyland Sherpa. By lengthening the chassis of the 250 Sherpa (a job undertaken by Tricentrol), a 3m (10ft) long body can be accommodated on the chassis. This gives the Sherpa as good a payload area as many of the competition but at far lower cost (up to £1,000 less).
The bodies are built of alloy on an underframe made of mild steel channel bearers. Construction of the side panels is unique. Folded individual panels, each 460mm (1 Bin) wide are joined together giving a smooth outer finish while at the same time cutting panel replacement costs. Inside the folded edges aid the fitting of load retaining bars.
A one-piece translucent grp roof panel is incorporated into the design and a full width and depth roller shutter is used at the rear. Optional extras such as a side-loading shutter or tailboard are available and if required the body can be built to TIR standard.
The standard Luton is built in the same way and both bodies are 1.8m (6ft) wide. At the moment Besco is completing an order for Curry's, the retail electrical dealers, and is fitting extras such as rollers at floor level to aid loading and unloading.
In addition to standard bodies, demountables are also available which have a simple leg system. Besco can also supply tipper bodies on the Sherpa chassis. These are manufactured from pressed steel in a similar manner to the Highway tippers but feature electrohydraulic tipping gear. Payload on this model is 1118kg (1 ton 2cwt) although if a diesel power unit it is lowered by 24kg (531b).
A full range of bodies is also available on the VW LT chassis including Luton, flat and boxvans. The flats may be specified with wood or steel flooring. Such is the success of the Besco bodying of VW LTs that the company recently won a VWorganised competition for the greatest number of bodies sold on LT chassis.
For people such as market traders and those requiring a mobile shop type vehicle, Besco is able to supply a sideloading body. Made from ribbed alloy panels, the body has a modern and streamlined appearance.
When Besco redesigned the steel tippers to incorporate ribbed sides and other improve ments, the price was neverthi less pegged. Don Wilson hope that the new factory will alloi the company to continue with ii expansion while building th bodies to the same standar( and holding prices down as fi as possible. The extra Ian available will, he believes, pe mit Besco to hold larger stocli of chassis and thus give qui( delivery — an essential i today's transport business.