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BODIES for FRUIT and
Page 78
Page 79
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VEGETABLES
Various Types of Bodywork Suitable for the
Transport of Agricultural Produce, Ensuring Maximum Efficiency and Convenience in Use, Described by Our Bodybuilding Expert THE market gardener's lorry has the front and sides extended upwards by means of skeleton racks. At the back there is a tailboard, whilst above it there may he a pair of hinged frames, so that the overall height of the lorry at the rear is the same as at the sides. The hinged rear frames open like doors and are mounted on lift
off hinges. .
All lorries do not have the same equipment of loading racks, but there is always one in front, or its equivalent, such as a fully boarded front. The rack rests on top of the lorry side and is kept in position by dowels and plates.
The rack is also made with feet which drop into staples fastened either inside or outside the body. A front rack often has a pair of side chains, which extend diagonally from the top of the rack to the tops of the body sides.
The side rack may be the full length of the body. In many instances, however, there are two or
three racks each side. The side extensions support the ends of the front rack and are fastened to each other. In turn, the side racks are made more rigid by means of stays, D28 which extend across the body at the top of the ladders.
Any rack may be removed with out disturbing the others. Often, the first side rack is removed to complete unloading, after the greater part of the unloading has been effected from the rear. A lift-off rack is convenient when lorries are standing close together in a market. The loading rack is not always supported on the top of the actual body side, but on a floating rave, which projects a few inches beyond the lorry side. The floating raves form on each side a ledge, which facilitates loading above the waist level and increases the capacity of the vehicle. These raves are se cured by means of stays, which are flapped inside or outside the body.
The loading rack consists of a frame of hardwood with uprights of iron rod spaced 3 ins. or 4 ins. apart. The rack is also made entirely of wood, with slats for the horizontal members. Flat steel, also small channels and angles, are used for the uprights and for cross-bracing. A rack of somewhat open construction is suitable if the load be carried in baskets or crates.
The rack adds about 3 ft. to the height of the lorry sides, but a higher extension may be required for a bulky load, also the lower the sides the higher the racks. Often extra height is confined to the front and the upper part of the rack is hinged, so that it folds inwards, enabling the lorry to be kept in a garage with restricted headroom. The hinged frame is narrower than the portion below and, when itis
lowered, thus clears the side racks.
The market gardener's lorry is open-sided, with the pillars, standards and raves exposed. There is a narrow panel at the top and a wider one at the bottom. Instead of wood or iron standards, pins or rods are used similar to those which form the uprights of the loading racks.
Other lorries have plank sides With slots cut in them, or, if the vehicle be required for general purposes, it has plain sides either fixed or hinged, with removable racks, as already described.
A simple method of converting a lorry for the transport of marketgarden produce is to fit a pair of large channels inside the front of the body. The feet of the front rack drop into these channels and the rack is easily removed when not required.
The greengrocer and fruiterer goes to market with a vehicle which is similar to that used by the market gardener. Other tradesmen have no special market vehicles and use platform and sided lorries, whilst many prefer boxvans.
The load brought by the grower may be in bulk, or in boxes or other containers, which allow the load to be piled systematically. The retailer, however, after he has made his purchases, has a collection of barrels, boxes and crates of different sizes, as well as a load of loose, stuff which requires some contriving before it is safely and compactly arranged. According to the season, so his load may also include some trays of bedding plants or plants in pots. The last-named items must be laid on top of the load, on the floor or on the roof of the cab.
The best way to carry plants is on shelves or a built-up platform. If the lorry has floating raves, then a platform is made of boards with cross-bars underneath, resting on top of the body siaes and extending to within in. of the raves. The platform is slid off or dismantled when not required.
Another method of fitting a platform, or intermediate floor, is to attach runners on the.inside of the loading racks, the runners being of angle iron filled with wood. With a set of loose boards, varying lengths of platform may be made up. The usual size of rack is high enough for two tiers of platforms, whilst the main portion of the vehicle below is available for a miscellaneous load.
Although such an arrangement is chiefly of value for items which must not be crushed, removable shelving of some kind usually improves the loading facilities, even when fragile articles do not have to be considered.
The trailer used by the market gardener is of similar design to the self-contained vehicle, and varies in size and loading-rack equipment.
The small two-wheeled trailer, such as carries a load of 5 cwt. and is drawn by a private car, is to be seen in the market, a form of transport which, pending the purchase of a van or lorry, appeals to the small shopkeeper.
The improved springing of the commercial chassis and its mounting on pneumatic tyres help to stimulate the demand for new vehicles. The grower of soft fruits is particularly interested in better suspension, because he requires a lorry which will cover long distances speedily, with a minimum of vibration.