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Old bodies stay fit
Page 76
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INEVITABLY a time comes when it is prudent to replace a vehicle with a newer model — though the age at which it becomes. an economic liability varies enormously on the operational terrain, type of goods carried and distance travelled.
Since the introduction of the annual Ministry test, general standards of maintenance have improved, not only the mechanical side but also has with respect to body structures. Such is the improvement that many operators now consider it a worthwhile proposition to retain the body for installation upon a replacement chassis when the vehicle is disposed of.
Last week I visited G. Quayle, chairman and managing director of Wilsdon 'and Co, specialist bodybuilders of Solihull, West Midlands, to learn more of this growing practice.
It is reasonable to expect a standard box or Luton body of aluminium construction to provide an operator with up to 20 years service with average use. A grp body which has the same initial cost may only last 10 years. The 'cost advantage gained by selecting aluminium, the cheaper basic material, is offset against the simpler construction methods used with a grp body.
Aluminium has to be supported by a frame to provide the basic strength and reduce the incidence of panel painting, whilst grp is, to a much greater extent, self-supporting, so that it can be used in a single section to form a side panel, However, the grp sandwich panel is made from live materials and consequently, more susceptible to deterioration due to the ingress of water and dirt.
Both types of body can be re-used but this is only consid-' ered worthwhile when they are assured to last the operational service life of the new chassis. Even it does not result in 100 per cent saving.
The old vehicle without the body will attract a lower trade-in price. The body itself will need to be refurbished to ensure continued reliability in service, which in turn will mean the loss of use for a limited period, while ancillary equipment such as tail lifts hinges, locks and roller shutters are overhauled.
Changes to chassis dimensions and specifications by individual vehicle manufacturers are rare but when it happens, or if the operator should wish to change to a different make of vehicle, the body underframe must be modified to suit the new chassis dimensions and location points. Where wheel arches intrude into the floor area, the wheelbase must also be taken into account.
Refurbishing a riveted body means derivetting and replacing damaged panels before building up again. Body mounts should also be replaced along with anti-vibration pads.
Even with this amount of attention, it is possible to save up to 50 per cent of the cost of a new body. The more complex construction of insulated and refrigerated bodies can result in .a greater saving on capital outlay.
It is normally a straight forward operation to transfer the body to the same type of chassis. While I was at the Wilsdon factory, I saw a batch of bodies being built as mobile workshops for the Midland Electricity Board for use by their service engineers. When finished they are equipped with the engineers' own tools, plus a stock of spares, and inevitably become very personalised units.
When the vehicle is taken off the road for a major service or repair the body is transferred to a spare chassis, rather than transfer tools and equipment to a back-up vehicle. With only four bolts each side and all the electrics for the vehicle's lighting system mounted on the chassis, the total operation can be completed in less than 20 minutes.
The principle of the operation is the same as that of moving a container on to another skeletal chassis.
Modern materials and construction methods combine to provide the rigid structure which makes this type of operation possible. Although a wooden construction may still produce the cheapest unit, it provides neither the durability nor the strength of aluminium or grp. However wood still has its place in body construction — it is used largely in the floor area.
When exceptional wear is experienced, as might be found in the transport of heavy machinc parts, a top layer of plywood car provide an economical and eas ily replaced protection for th: main floor bearers.
In more common use though, compressed plywooc with a top wearing coat of grp used. The food trade with it strict hygiene regulation: requires an all-welded flooi which is easy to wash out.
Durable constructior
materials could in the long tern
have a detrimental effect or body builders as the longer the unit lasts the less will be the demand for new bodies. On the other hand, modern technology could make the commodity se good that refurbishing mighi become the major occupation ol the body builder.
On the other hand, tipper bodies used to carry scrap metal, hard rock, aggregates and clinker may use up several bodies. The big problem here is the floor and its resistance to the commodities carried. Scrap metal is notoriously bad for the damage it causes. When dropped from a grab a large heavy shard is quite capable of penetrating the vehicle's body.
Other materials such as clinkers are very abrasive and simply wear the floor section out. In some cases, it is possible to replace it with a false floor section, but in the current trend of monocoque manufacture, all the panels are integral and combine to make up the overall strength of the completed body. A worn floor section can result in flexing support members and flapping side panels. In many instances the cost of completing a satisfactory repair would be out of proportion to the cost of a new body.
On the occasions where the new tipper body is the same as the old, original fittings like the tipping hinges and tipping bar equipment may be salvageable, but at best the saving would add up only to about £100 and this excludes the scrap value of the discarded unit.
When I spoke to Mike Neville of George Neville, Mansfield, he told me that the normal proced ure adopted by many operators was to supply him with the di mensions of the old body and dismantle it themselves, leaving the chassis and tipping gear intact.
This is a worthwhile opportunity to check the ancillary equipment. Small localised accident repairs can be dealt with satisfactorily but where it involves a complete panel, it is often a better deal to scrap the old unit and fit a new.