MEAT TRANSPORT
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Calls for Special BODIES
Factors That Influence the Design of Bodywork Intended for Carrying Meat in Order to Secure Hygiene, Easy Loading and Adequate Capacity. Special Arrangements Required for AccomModat# ing Hanging and Stacked Loads
THE body of the vehicle for carrying meat should be designed for easy cleaning, whether for local delivery, market work, transporting loads from the docks, or long-distance haulage. To facilitate cleaning, the sides and front are close-boarded for about threequarters of their depth. The boarding is painted or covered with sheet metal. As an aid to the maintenance of hygienic conditions, many vans have the floor covered with removable mats of wood slats.
Vans of 2-3-ton capacity are used by the catter for distributing meat from the market to butchers, or may be operated by the larger concerns with several shops. Although some of these vans have small curved or rectangular wheel-arch enclosures, an unobstructed floor is generally preferred, with the result that the loading line is at least 3 ft. 6 ins, from the ground.
Overcoming Loading Handicap.
When loading, the tailboard is lowered to the vertical position, and, if the doors do not fold against the sides of the body, they are removed. Sometimes the vans stand so close together in the market that the fading back of the doors is impossible, and unless they may be held open with stays, it is an advantage if they
be mounted on liftoff hinges.
In order to reach easily a somewhat high floor level, the tailboard has a folding step attached to it, or a removable one is temporarily hung on it. In other instances, a short ladder or a pair of steps is used.
The work of loading is simplified if the van has a well floor at the back. It should be the full width of the body ; that is, mounted on the cranked tail,ends of the chassis. If a narrower well be built between the straight tail-ends, the well has a set of loose boards. These are placed in position after the front of the van has been loaded, so that the normal floor level may be extended to the rear.
Although the well floor has been adopted in the past for meat-carrying vans, including the setni-trailer portions of articulated six-wheelers, it is still a novel feature of the market van. It is considered, however, that it will be seen mere often in the near future,
Apart from this, the general design of the meat van is now more attractive. Hitherto, somewhat conventional patterns of box and boarded tilt van have teen utilized, whereas others could be more lightly built without sacrificing strength. The modern market van is more stylish and of lighter construction.
Forward-control chassis with easy access to the cab are more numerous; the Luton-type front is adopted, corners are more often rounded, and the rear wheels are occasionally• paddle-boxed. The tailboard is hung on light channel irons intead of on
the heavier forgings to save weight.
As already indicated, there is usually a pair of doors opening above the tailboard. To fasten the doors securely a simple and quickly operated device is required, such as a plain bar across both doors. This pivots on a bolt at one end, being supported on brackets in the centre and at the other end having a hook which drops into an eye and is secured with a padlock.
A more compact device is the tower bolt which is attached to one of the doors. The upper end of the bolt engage S with a Socket on the back rail above the doors and the lower part is extended so that the
tailboard is secured in the same way.
If the doors be unfastened by pulling the bolt downwards, the lower end of the bolt has a hinged handle extension which, when lifted, re leases the tailboard. When the tower bolt lifts for unfastening, the upper end is hook-shaped and a portion of the bolt is cranked to form a handle. In both instances the bottom of the bolt takes a self-fastening padlock.
Even such simple contrivances are unnecessary if a rdller shutter takes the place of the doors. The shutter may open above the tailboard, or be the full height of the back of the body, because even when there is a tailboard it is seldom used as a temporary loading platform.
A van which is to carry a full load of carcases of home-killed meat requires bars with hooks at the cant rail level. Usually, the bars are arranged crosswise, and they may be fixed or removable, with double-sided hooks. The bars may be of wood and flitch-plated, or entirely of metal. The metal bars, being more compact, have the advantage, if removable, that a set of them may be detached and assembled at the front of the van in a comparatively small space.
Each end of the metal bar rests on an angleplate which is bolted to the side of the body. The bar is held in position between two pieces of angle placed back to back and secured to the 'main angle plate. Alternatively, the end of the bar drops into a slot made in the centre of a bracket plate. The hooks drop into grooves in the bar, which keeps them in position.
When the greater part of the load is carried on the floor, crossbars at the roof level are unnecessary. If any part of the load is to be hung, then a few hooks engaging with the upper inside slats answer the purpose, otherwise there is a bar on each side running lengthwise, also a bar across the front, furnished with books. These rails are supported on brackets, so that they are a few inches clear of the inside of the van. The brackets are bolted to the standards.
Modifications to Light Vans.
The butcher's light van often has standardized bodywork. A few modifications may be made, such as increasing the height of the inside close boarding, adding a removable shelf and equipping the floor with wood mats.
As the business grows, so extra vans are added to the fleet or larger ones purchased. Occasionally, the loading capacity of the body may be increased by adding to its height. The roof of the loading portion is removed, also its supporting hoopsticks with the top back rail above the doors.
Then a new top is built, complete with roof, sides and front. The bottom rails of this superstructure are bolted to the. existing cantrails and the space above the doors is filled with a flap hinged at the top. When open, this flap 1.1", supported on side stays. By this means extra loading space may be gained with but little addition in weight.