Parcels under the Hood
Page 34
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• A new Ford Transit-based parcels van is now available from Robin Hood Vehicle Builders of Fareham, Hampshire. The "Griff" parcel delivery van is based on the Transit 190 3.5-tonnes gross weight chassis cowl, and can be built on the 3,020mm (long-wheelbase) or the 3,472min (extendedwheelbase) models.
Claimed payloads are 1,550kg for the LWB version and 1,500kg for the EWB. Prices are dependent upon final specifications, but the basic conversion will cost £3,600 exVAT for the 12.7m3 load space LWB model, and £3,750 exVAT for the 15.5m3 load space EWB model.
The Griff is built around a zinc-coated tubular steel structure that is wax injected to prevent corrosion. The main side panels are aluminium-alloy sheet, with glass-reinforced plastic for the roof, wheelboxes and lower panels. The floor is made of plywood, and the vehicle comes with a rear rollershutter door.
A huge front windscreen allows operators to place their names at the top. The sliding doors for the driver and passenger have been specially extended to allow wide access.
The load space for vans allows a 2,050mm width, and a 1,920min height for both models. The length of the LWB is 3,288mm compared with the EWB's 4,000rrun. The rear loading height for both vehicles is around 800mm.
The Griff will face stiff competition from the likes of the Dormobile Ford PDV parcels van and the Bedwas PV400 parcels van roadtested last week (CM 31 March-6 April). The Bedwas PV 400 only offers a load space of 11.56m3, although loadspace is higher than the Griffs at 1,960mm.