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ON TES T
111111PRIV
Price as tested: £20,000 (ex-VAT)
Engine: 2.5 litres 70kW (95hp) GVW: 3,400kg. Payload: 1,340kg.
Fuel consumption (unladen): 9.911t/100km (28.6mpg).
The most versatile load carrying shape is a box with flat sides and square corners. But such body designs don't lend themselves to the monocoque chassis structures and marketing needs of the everyday van maker. Such boxes need a separate chassis at the least, so the chassis-plus-body construction most often seen in heavier trucks doesn't lend itself immediately to low-cost vans.
Enter chassis converter AL-KO Kober and bodybuilder lngimex to change all that. Intended specifically for those carrying low-density freight, their highcube, box-body conversions offer volume without the mechanical or operational complications associated with 7.5-tonners. The Sevel-built Peugeot Talbot Express, Citroen C25 and Fiat Ducato ranges are most often the target of AL-KO's work, though it does tackle other marques including VW.
Conversion costs are higher than that of the average factorybuilt high-cube 3.5-tonne van and depending on spec, are not so far from the typical five, six or even 75-tonner. This configuration offers lots of space and you don't have to have a box body: AL-K0 converts chassis for car transporters, buses and motorhomes, for example. With a choice of two or three-axles, up to seven wheelbases and three track widths, there's generally something for everyone. All that AL-KO's customers seem to have in common is a need for a low floor and indirectly, front-wheel-drive.
Productivity
Our test vehicle started life a standard Peugeot Talbot Express 290 chassis-cab, built in the Sevel factory in Italy and delivered to AL-KO at Leamington Spa, where the chassis immediately behind the cab was removed. Special brackets were welded to the back of the cab's superstructure and the new hot-dip galvanised chassis was bolted on.
Peugeot-Talbot's 12-month warranty is unaffected by the conversion: AL-KO offers a similar guarantee.
AL-KO's design includes torsion bar suspension with independent trailing arms. The brake circuits and load sensing valves supplied on the original vehicle are transplanted on to the new chassis. Where the second rear axle is specified, standard Peugeot Talbot brakes, wheels and tyres are used.
The exhaust system and wiring loom are modified. The electrical work includes the addition of two side running lights below floor level. The necessary side reflectors are also bonded to the body.
The new chassis offers the bodybuilder a flat-top platform. AL-KO quotes a laden chassis height of 400mm to 450mm. Usually the body is fitted tight to the cab's rear; a gap was left on this vehicle for demonstration purposes. The 1,340kg payload is typical for a box-bodied 3.5-tonner, but buyers are more likely to buy it for its exceptional body volume. At 19.6m3 it is a match for a box-bodied 7.5-tonner and comfortably beats the high-volume 17m3 Iveco Ford Daily.
Ingimex of Telford built and fitted the box body. This has twin back doors and a small fullheight roller shutter on the nearside. The floor is mounted directly on the chassis and (-TOSSmembers ensuring the lowest possible height. Inside there's a 30cm high 6mm ply kick plate bonded at the corners to ensure rigidity. The rear doors are total
ly lined preventing damage to the door skins should anything fall backwards on acceleration. The wheelarches are square cut like the body. Three internal lights are fitted. The doors are fitted with outer padlock latches The rear double doors are held shut by a single top-to-bottom "truck style" bar. Both swing through 270° and can be latched to the outside of the body walls. The cab has air deflector panels to maintain the long-leggedness of the PSA 2.5-litre turbo-diesel.
On the road
On the road the AL-KO's handling is similar to the standard van. But when empty, that slabsided body puts it very much at the mercy of turbulence when passing or passed by large vehicles. On even a moderately windy day the driver experiences a double kick effect through the steering. The first jolt, which requires opposite lock to maintain a straight course, comes as the two vehicles overlap. The second occurs as they part company. Sudden gusts can whip the vehicle sideways, irrespective of the direction of the steering wheel: caution should be exercised.
The powerful turbo-diesel engine develops rather a lot of torque steer through the steering wheel, but once mastered, this causes no real bother. Brakes are good, though again such large bodies limit overall performance. It didn't take much to lock up the rear nearside wheel with moderate braking into a roundabout.. The body's gentle roll to the right was sufficient to lift pressure form the corner and limited grip.
Summary
Comparison with conventional 3.5-tonne tonne vans is impossible with such a large body. The specialist operators who will need high volume and low payload are comparatively few and AL-KO Ingimex can't expect to sell many at present. However, AL-KO's expertise in marrying the Sevel front end to length ened chassis must be unri valled. And with the arrival of the new frontwheel-drive VW Tranporter, the Sevel chassiscab faces more competition for lengthened chassis conversions.
Other high
volume contenders are the PV 600 from Bedwas, which offers I6.8m3 of body volume on a Leyland Daf 900 chassis-cowl at £21,634 (ex-VAT) in turbo-diesel form. Bedwas also produces the smaller LWB Transit-based CUBIC. Prices have yet to be announced. Mini-artic converters offer similar solutions but with more flexibility.
French bodybuilder Durisotti offers lengthened chassis conversions on the Sevel so there is plenty of choice. On a Talbot Express 3.5-tonne, turbo-diesel platform cab, the Maxum van costs £14,860 plus FF50,540 for the basic body. Since Britain left the ERM, Peugeot Talbot will not quote prices for the French body in Sterling.
AL-KO's experience with the Sevel must make the Ingimexbodied version a worthy addition to the shopping list.
Li by Danny Coughlan second lorry has been stolen this year from U&H Transport's depot, the former BR goods yard at Clifton Green, Luton. The eight-legger Volvo F17 tipper was stolen on 12 November. It is red, unliveried with on aluminium body and damage to the driver's door. A £300 alarm is fitted and its registration is G89 OKE Contact Jack Michalczyk on 10582 793647) or (0860) 306609.
£500 reward is being offered for the recovery of a Peak tri-axle trailer. It is a green curtainsider with Manf low Ltd in large white letters down each side. The trailer was parked overnight on 8-9 November at a layby at Adwickle Street, Doncaster without its tractor unit, which had been taken away for repair. It was loaded with yarn for weaving car seat cloth. The loss was discovered at 03:00hrs on 9 November: thieves had burnt off the kingpin lock.The chassis number is 1278; ID is A117278 and the trailer was manufactured in 1989 on wide singles.
Contact Kris or Duncan at Baxendale Engineering on 061-8775160 or South Yorkshire Police on (0709 583151).
12.2m international tilt type Craven Tasker trailer was stolen from the Dewsbury Road area of Ossett, Wakefield on the evening of Saturday 14 November, with a full load of carpet backing applicator machinery destined for export. The trailer was a 1989 model, chassis number 802391931, ID number 8115507, fleet number 8T3 with a blue chassis, body and sheet, all unliveried.
Contact Andy Park, transport manager at Pi Coulton, on 10422) 205657.
E500 reward is being offered for a Mercedes-Benz tipper which was stolen from the rear of Rossendaleribased O'Keefe Haulage. The unliveried unit, registration BND 2021, went missing on the night of Thursday 29 October. It can be identified by a light blue cab, a steel body, chassis number 38504524455172 and engine number 35395120528285.
Contact Jim O'Keefe on (0706 222565).