Correct Habitat
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TWO DEMOUNTABLE box vehicles with drawbar trailers entered service with Habitat last week — a switch first suggested by John Gibbons, company engineer of Western BRS.
After looking at many chassis mainly of British manufacture, John Gibbons suggested when the operation was started five years ago, the DAF rigid as this was up to one ton lighter than a comparable chassis. However, competitive chassis are now getting nearer the DAF unladen weight, but the original choice has never been regretted, John told me.
The two vehicles have DAF DHS 38-ton-gtw chassis with cab-over-sleeper; a Primrose ASF 16. 16-ton-gross two-axletrailer; and body constructed by Star Bodies (an NFC company) to TIR standards.
The demount system is the Ascliffe 80 system with four independent rams with self-centring body locator, with a Primrose one-ton lift.
John Gibbons explained that while product improvements introduced in new models are desirable, dramatic changes in specification are unwelcome beca use the Habitat vehicles working with identical demountable boxes must perform in a similar manner and any improvements, such as fuel consumption, must be meaningful. A comparison of the changes achieved by DAF in the basically similar models show steady engineering improvements. Today the 2500 DHS rigid model with 5,46 9 kg unladen weight achieves 27 lit/100km (10.5mpg) at a steady 50km/h (31mph) with a theoretical maximum speed of 101km/h (63mph).
With the slight weight reduction, improvements in fuel consumption and greater driver flexibility using the DAF 12-gear gearbox, Western BRS expects that the fuel consumption will be better by 2mpg than the original 2105 model — from just over 9mpg to over 11mpg towing a drawbar trailer.
One-man operation is necessary and VBG coupling gear is specified — underslung on the chassis, allowing for a longer drawbar frame to be fitted making for more control while reversing.
The total BRS fleet on contract to Habitat consists of 15 small vans in the 7.5-ton range (the range is of Ford, Dodge and Mercedes manufacture) and 13 DAF drawbar units with 12 drawbar trailers and 35 demountable boxes. A DAF 2300 tractive unit with 40ft boxvan is also used on inter-warehouse deliveries.
The company has 37 stores; the national distribution network supplying the stores from two warehouses is handled by British Road Services Contract Hire. The nearest BRS branch operates and maintains the local delivery vehicle while Western BRS Reading branch handles the trunking vehicles and supply of all new vehicles.
Habitat's needs were: