Lightweight TIR body to beat smugglers
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A TOTAL assembly time of half an hour for a 12m (39.37ft) aluminium TIR superstructure is claimed by Ingimex Ltd, Halesfield 9, Telford, Shropshire, the weight saving compared with a conventional TIR body being about 1/2-ton.
Now in the pre-produc tion stage of development, the kit will be available — within four or five months — in lengths down to 7 m (22.96ft) for rigid vehicles as well as semi-trailers of all types and drawbar trailers, current inquiries from Germany being mainly concerned with 7m demount ables for rigids.
The kit has been evolved in close consultation with the DoE and Customs and is used in conjunction with Ingimex TIR aluminium sideboards, which have been in production since January 1973.
No modification of the vehicle chassis members is required apart from welding on steel pockets for the aluminium pillars. The weight of each pillar is approximately 10 kg (221b) and the pillars can therefore be readily removed by one man for side loading. Dropside options comprise four-, fiveand six-a-side assemblies with a type of toggle or shoot lock specified by the user, height options varying up to 2.4m (7.87 It) The prospective cost of a 12m kit is around .E700, about 50 per cent of which is the cost of the sideboards.
Pillars, rails and roofsticks are of special aluminium extrusions, and it is claimed that the super structure has been specific ally -designed to exploit th, properties of aluminium td the full as distinct from al application in whicl aluminium simply replace steel. The standard aluminium frame of th headboard is reinforced wit steel tubes — the type of re inforcement is subject t customer preference while the tailboard is reir forced with four steel hing bands. All steel parts at treated with red zinc and at painted.
The elimination of cav ties in which drugs, preciot stones and so on can be col cealed is a necessary feattu of TIR bodies. Of relate importance, a senic Customs officer told Ci during . a demonstration the superstructure at In mex that future regulatioi will include locating the te sioning-strap flaps of tilts c the inside of the cover eliminate the possibility slitting the material high under the flap, which is dif cult to detect.