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LONG REEFE RS SET TN E TREND
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Specialist shows could be the way ahead, judging by the excellent quality of exhibits at this year's TCS&D exhibition. Not surprisingly, the new semi limit was a major theme.
• The Fifth Temperature Controlled Storage & Distribution Exhibition, which seems to have found its home in Manchester's G-Mex centre, is clearly an industry sector showpiece.
It was dominated by new-length reefers, with 20 out of the 25 trailers on show built to carry 26 metric or 33 Euro pallets within the new 13.6m trailer limits due to become legal on 1 January.
Concern over food hygiene was underlined by the appearance of the term "ozone engineering", and small ozone generators for freezer units along with a growing variety of temperature control and monitoring equipment.
From the high-quality appearance of the displays there seems little reason for operators to look beyond home-based manufacturers when replacing their vehicles.
Lamberet's 13.6m chassisless Cargofrigo was one of the most stylish reefers on parade, but both York. and Gray and Adams exhibited handsome semis with streamlined undercarriages for holding empty pallets and storage lockers.
York's 13.6m Thermostar was one of the lightest on display at 7,700kg, but still offers 86m3 of useable loadspace within its 13.35m-long, 2.6m-high interior. Using a nose-mounted Frigoblock DS22SL evaporator with underslung genset, it complies with the 2,04m swing radius requirements for 16.5m artic operation.
LIGHTER END
At the lighter end of the market York is offering an off-the-shelf Koolkit conversion system for panel vans.
The first unit, fitted with a Carrier Zephyr 180 fridge unit, was exhibited on a Talbot Express belonging to London seafood retailer HJ Brunning.
York claims to have reduced downtime on a heavier conventional system by up to 80%, and with less than half the number of thermal bridges.
Carrymaster's 13.6m Eurofridge exhibit is built to take a 26/33 quota of pallets, but can also be used as a dualcompartment trailer using its patented sliding bulkhead and double side-access doors. Roll-cage users wanting to take advantage of the new limits, but not able to afford new tractors, might be more interested in its 13.02m Eurofridge.
A 1.02m king pin allows it to couple, while its 7.1% larger interior can take 45 standard roll cages.
Crane Fruehauf had its first rigid reefer on show: a 6.6m-long, 2,53m-high composite body which was displayed on a Cargo 1721.
Body panels of aluminium and polyurethane foam with a GRP inner skin are supplied by C-F's West German associate, Ackermann Fruehauf.
For operators with manoeuvring problems, GRP Massey has stretched its tri-axle chassis to 13.5m and added a steered axle at the rear. Its main [-beams are jig-built on 1.2m centres, then narrowed to 800m over the rear axle to give a 250 steer angle.
The Hosta (RV) dual-circuit power steering system is hydraulically controlled from the fifth-wheel coupling; the head unit, housed in the 125mm neck, operates the Ackermann steered rear axle. The SAF bogie has a front lifting axle for extra manoeuvrability and reduced tyre wear. Also specified is Wabco ABS with independent all-wheel sensing.
Plug-type flush-sided sliding doors are used on Don-Bur's latest Spacemaster II trailers for Thorntons, in place of the twin hinged doors previously used for the front freezer section. To ensure that doors open without fouling their mating edge cappings, patent expanding rear pillars have been added.
When closed up. the hand cranked (or optional pneumatic) mechanism applies extra pressure and tensions the entire set of doors.
Bedwas's Supercool 2000 bodywork now boasts a moulded doorframe structure for improved sealing and durability. Doors have a stepped crosssection and radiussed corners with a new pressure seal.
FITEING AGENTS
Norfrig had four examples of its reefer bodywork on view, assembled by its two fitting agents. WSM Bodies of Westonsuper-Mare exhibited a 6.7m fridge body on a Freighter chassis built for Dewhurst. It is equipped with meat rails and built with Norfrig's new composite alloy/ stainless steel rear frame.
One of A&M Vehicle's three reefer trailers. a 26-pallet semi for 16.5m operation by Blakes Chilled Distribution, is designed to couple to a standard sleeper-cabbed Volvo F10. It uses an internal floor covering of Acrydur, a new non-slip acrylic polymer-on-ply panelling.
Norfrig also supplies GRP, aluchequer and alu-hat profile plating.
The oldest and the newest design of insulated curtain-sider were on display in the shape of Boalloy's lnsuiiner examples of which are at work in Australia, Chile, France and Spain— and Southflelds' Coolstar, which is presently undergoing thermal testing.
Now in its 11th year and right up-todate, the Insuliner Three Star has modular interlocking insulated roof and floor panels, double-skinned curtains with a cellular core and 150mm insulated bulkheads that help achieve its 1.0W/m2PC rating. Top tracks are double-sealed and the curtain's bottom edge, triple-sealed.
Southfields Coolstar, by way of contrast, has single-piece 140mm GRP/ polyurethane foam panels for the roof and 127mm for the floor sections. Its 140mm front bulkhead can accommodate a freezer unit, and a choice of rear closures are available. Its insulated curtains are of a composite six-layered material: load strap tracking is recessed and bonded into the roof while the Comet chassis uses longitudinal stiffeners over its 100mm neck with three sets of outriggers for body support. CooIstar trailers are available in lengths up to 13.6m. A dual intermodal 7.15m, swap-bodied drawbar outfit built by Schmitz (including the trailer) is due to begin working in TIP's UK./continental contract hire/spot rental fleet.
Both bodies use Ferroplast, steel-lined, polyurethane foam core panels. One is refrigerated with a Carrier Mistral 700 unit; the other is insulated and with a fully opening near-side wall.
Each will accommodate 14 metric or 17 Euro pallets, and have rail-approved straddle lift points for transfer to rail wagons.
LATEST ADDITION
Keynsharn-based Icemech Refrigeration supplies Canadian-made Teinpcon fridge units and displayed its latest addition, the T-2000 for bodies up to 7.3m. It can be powered from the truck, using a standard compressor working in the —34 to +37°C range, and has a single/three-phase mains standby.
An independent mode is available using an underslung Kubota diesel engine.
A typical T-2000 with its shapely resin cover was chosen by Klege Europ for its AWD 7.5-tanner demonstator with a 4.6m reefer body.
Icemech also displayed an Italian-made Fromec 12v DC system for car-derived vans.
Other newcomers to the TCS&D included Carriers' front-mount Eurostar full-length artic use and its smallest Basic 600 unit from its subsidiary Silo, also for CDVs of up to 7.0m3 body capacity.
The Basic runs from a 12v/80Ah alternator and uses a wheeled auto transformer for standby.
The Thermoking/Petter alliance has reprofiled and reduced noise levels of its joint ranges. with a new Petter V-Pac models for 2.7-7.5-tonne vehicles.
Hubbard's latest Kubota dieselpowered 750 overcab fridge unit is for medium to heavy trucks. It has a 100mm slimmer evaporator than the 740, uses R502 refrigerant and at 287kg is 85kg lighter too. Its box temperature ratings are 2,200W at —20°C and 4,275W at 0°C. (30°C ambient).
Hubbard has also produced undermounted diesel hydraulic power packs for existing truck-engine-driven 485 and 486 hydraulic refrigeration units.
New tail-lifts on show included Ratelifrs 1,500kg Retractible from its Dijon, France factory, and its latest 1.0 and 1.5 tonne Quickfit columns lifts.
Henderson showed a prototype Tenpo 2000 two-tonne cantilever lift from the Hydris range with a slim, self-levelling platform. Its hydraulic pack is contained within the sturdy square-section main beam.
Longton Trucks displayed its latest lightweight lift for 3.5-tanners. Weighing only 210kg, it will raise 750kg and is likely to cost in the region of £2,500.
There was no shortage of body panel and kit suppliers at Manchester, the most recently established being Hi-Core. Its associate company. Wilsdon, exhibited sliding door and box van versions of its ZM2 bodywork for rigids, both using HiCore lightweight coated ply/polyurethane foam panels. These have a variable polymer strengthening matrix, and integral non-metallic fixing strips for load-retention rails.
Wilsdon also had an insulated Citroen C15 van on show fitted with an independent 12v Framec freezer system that operates at chilled levels and carries a one-tonne payload.
Stockport-based Dawnpress supplies its Eurokit body kit in aluminium or GRP to bodybuilders and comes with a suite of alu-extrusions, pre-fixed to the panels and doors pre-hung in steel frames for speedy assembly.
One truck rental company, Cowie Interieasing, has cut out the middle-man by assembling the kits in its its own repair workshop.