2,500-cu.-ft. Body in Sections
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A VARIANT of the method of build
ing sectioned bodies in light alloy, developed by G. E. Neville and Son, Lid., Mansfield, is being employed by the company's South African agents, Premier Motor Body Works, Ltd., Cape Town, with the aid Of tools supplied by the English concern. Premier manufacture a wide range of bodies and bolted-section construction has been adopted because itprovides interchangeability of the main. panel panel units, and because the sections
be readily readily dismantled and assembled by' unskilled labour. This is particularly advantageous when a body is damaged.
Notable on account of its size, .a 2,500-cu.-ft. furniture van was built, for the Stuttafords company for 'mounting on a two-axled semi-trailer having a length of 36 ff.,a width of 8 ft. '21 and an overall height of 12 ft. 6 in. 'A dropped-centre type of trailer is employed to give maximum capacity combined with minimum ground clearance of 1 ft.11 in.
The vehicle is engaged on regular longdistance runs to centres in the Union of South Africa and the Rhodesias. It is frequently used in conjunction with a second trailer-mounted body of 1,100 Cu. ft. having a length of 16 ft.
According to the bodybuilders, sectional construction is particularly suitable for such large bodies as it enables severe distortion to be accommodated without undue stressing of the members. The vehicle frequently travels over rough ground.
Following normal Neville practice, the bodies are built of U-sections, which form the roof and sides and the framing without additional support members. The joints are fully water-proofed by a sealing strip of continuous circular rubber cord which is unaffected by distortion.
Other special bodies supplied by Premier include a van for carrying crated milk, an all-purpose cleansing-department van and a number of refusecollection types. On average the labour time occupied in the construction of an 80-cu.-yd. body having an approximate length of 10 ft. 6 in. is 65 man-hours.