One-piece plastic bodies of versatile design
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by P. A. C. Brockington • Road Transport Services (Hackney) Ltd., 14 Andrews Road, Hackney, London E8, have recently completed two plastics one-piece refrigerated bodies for well-known operators, the body in one case being a prototype. The bodies are based on a polyurethane-foam sandwich with inner and outer skins of glass-fibre which has inherent insulating properties providing an efficient heat barrier. Bodies of up to 40ft long, 8ft 2+in. wide and 9ft high could be produced in the same type of mould, the two bodies mentioned having a length of 14ft 8in.
A spokesman of the company states that in the past operators generally have been reluctant to accept plastics bodies despite the success of all-plastics cabs, which have been produced by the company for many years. He forecasts that the prejudice against plastics construction for insulated bodies will be overcome in due course because of the many advantages they offer. These include durability (a polyurethane-foam type should outlast two or more chassis) resistance to damage and localization of impact stresses, ease of repair and lower maintenance costs, elimination of repainting costs and resistance to corrosion. The RTS method of fabrication has reduced production costs, partly by virtue of its adaptability, and the somewhat higher first cost of a typical body should be more than offset by these advantages over a relatively short period.
One of the new RTS bodies is a production-model built for the Express Dairy Co. Ltd. which will be used to carry loads of cheese at a controlled temperature of 40 degrees F. In contrast, a prototype body has been supplied to Findus (UK) Ltd., through Motor Services (London) Ltd., which is designed for the carriage of frozen foods at —5 degrees F. In both cases, the refrigerating system is rated to cater for 60 door openings in 12h at an ambient temperature of 80 degrees F. The Express Dairy (Eden Vale) body cost £1,400; both bodies were constructed at the Rayleigh, Essex, works of the company.
The more conventional of the two models, the Eden Vale body is built without a vestibule and the load is carried on fixed shelving on the nearside and on four stillage trolleys clamped to the offside panel. Two quarter doors at the rear give access to the interior.
In this case the polyurethane foam (having a density of 21b) has a thickness of 2in. and the body is refrigerated by a unit designed by Eden Vale which is mounted ahead of the front bulkhead and is supplied with current by an auxiliary-engined
alternator. Provision is made for the unit to operate, from a 230/240V single-phase mains supply.
The body is mounted on a Ford D500 chassis, the unladen weight of the vehicle being 4 tons 5 cwt. Payload capacity is 2 tons lOcwt.
To provide for the lower operating temperature, the foam insulant of the Findus body is increased to 4in and a Prestcold externally mounted Compactomatic refrigerating unit is employed. This is coupled to Winget dole plates fitted under the roof and to the front of the cold compartment. The vestibule is located at the front of the vehicle and has a jack-knife door on each side— which reduces the distance walked by the driver on each delivery because of the easy access to the cold compartment. This has a length of 10ft Sin. and full-width rear doors cater for easy loading of the four mobile racks. The body is based on a Commer 4-ton chassis and can accept a payload of 2 tons newt, the laden weight of the vehicle with a 2-ton payload being 7 tons.
It is notable that the RTS moulding technique is such that a large number of layout variants can be offered with regard to the position and number of doors and so on. Bodies can be supplied in any increments up to the maximum dimensions.