DOORS When considering doors, fl eets should determine the amount of room required for unloading and loading. Swing doors require adequate clearance on both sides to open the doors and do not always work well with lift gates due to the locking mechanism on the rear swing doors. So more oft en than not, a roll-up door is utilized on the back of a pickup and delivery truck body because it does not interfere with nearby vehicles. “If using a lift gate, roll-up doors are preferred to get that gate as close to the fl oor as possible,” says Supreme’s Beasley, noting roll-up doors provide maximum opening, are good for tight areas where swing doors do not have room to operate, and makes it easier to pull in and out of a dock. For example, if a driver is on a street with a lot of traffi c and he’s double parked, there’s no need to swing those doors out, adds Gracia of Morgan, estimating 90 percent of dry freight bodies use roll-up doors. “When you swing open a swing rear door, there could be an obstruction out there, and you also don’t want him swinging a door into a traffi c situation.” However an overhead door reduces the interior height of the body due to the door’s track. “When hauling large skids or pallets, a rear overhead door track protector might be specifi ed,” adds Beasley. “Th is protects when moving skids from the inside of the body from damaging the overhead door tracks.” Side doors are used more for short deliveries – one box being dropped off , for example. While swing doors are the most common type of side doors, roll-up and sliding options are available, also. Side doors provided ease-of-mind if security is an issue. Instead of rolling up a rear door and exposing all the cargo, a side door can allow a driver to remove a small amount of freight and keep the remaining cargo protected. Beasley adds that side doors may require a stepwell, depending on the size of the body. LIFTGATES/RAMPS Determining if a lift gate or ramp is right for a fl eet must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Oft en, ramps are utilized when loading/unloading applications are done by hand or with a hand cart, while larger loading/unloading requirements oft en necessitate lift gates. “Ramps will work with most any truck body as long as it has a fl at fl oor,” explains Beasley of Supreme. “Ramps typically have a lower fl oor height due to the incline of the ramp. “Most medium duty applications will have a lift gate,” she continues. “Lift gates have a minimum fl oor height requirement.” Medium Duty | The Sahara dry freight truck body was a combined effort by Great Dane and Johnson Truck Bodies. Photo courtesy of Great Dane ‘Joint’ truck body By David A. Kolman, Editor Great Dane and Johnson Truck Bodies worked together to produce the all-new Sahara – a dry freight truck body that incorporates a combination of the best trailer and truck body designs from the two companies. Features of the Sahara include: • Great Dane’s exclusive maintenancefree, body tie-down system. • Grote’s LongLife sealed harness with a 10-year warranty. • 0.24” pre-painted white exterior composite plate with galvanized “One of the more popular options in recent years is all the lift gate companies developed a lift gate/walk-ramp combination,” Morgan’s Gracia adds. “Th ere’s still a tuck-away lift gate, Continued Page 22 steel interior. • EnduroGuard roll-up door frame. • Grab handles at the rear, curbside and roadside for easy loading and unloading. • Composite upper corner design with aluminum corner connection for durability and ease of repair. Great Dane (www.greatdanetrailers. com) is a manufacturer of highperformance commercial transportation equipment. Johnson Truck Bodies (www. johnsontruckbodies.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Dane. The truck’s lightweight design maximizes payload capacity, say company offi cials, and includes panels that are riveted to the outside of the bottom rail to prevent water intrusion. The Sahara is available for Classes 5 to 8 in body lengths of 16’ to 26’. Heights are 93” to 109”. Widths are 96” and 102”. VehicleServicePros.com ❚ AUGUST 2016 ❚ FLEET MAINTENANCE 21
FleetMaintenance_August_2016
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