| Medium Duty which tucks under the back of the body. But then you can also access a walk-ramp that we put in between the body long rails.” Gracia says he has seen an increase in lift gates recently, because fl eets want to make it as easy as possible for drivers to load/unload without straining themselves. “I think any of the major fl eets would tell you they want to make sure the vehicle is, from a driver comfort standpoint, the best, safest vehicle they can put out there on the road,” Gracia says. “Instead of having my driver getting in and out of this truck body all day long, I would prefer to have them use the lift gate to unload.” “Most applications will allow either a lift gate or ramp, depending on the chassis frame height and GVWR,” notes Beasley, adding a lower capacity lift gate can be specifi ed to accommodate certain applications. WALLS When selecting a material for a dry freight body’s walls, Supreme’s Beasley says to consider your fl eet’s need for: • Impact resistance. • Water resistance. • Fade resistance. Gracia of Morgan explains there are three types of material commonly used in most pickup and delivery truck bodies. Th ese include: • Aluminum skin and post – a popular selection as sidewalls are constructed with 48” wide aluminum panels that are attached to posts inside the body. • Plate – a durable option as 48” wide panels of galvanized steel make up the outer surface. The Kin-Slider curtain-side system is intended for those fl eets that use truck bodies with roll-up doors that want to pick up and deliver products with greater speed and effi ciency, Photo courtesy of Kinedyne A polyethylene plastic core material is then bonded between the steel outer surface and an inner skin. • Fiberglass reinforced plywood (FRP) – an outer surface and inner surface of fi berglass is bonded to a plywood core. Aluminum is likely the least expensive option. Plate and FRP bodies are slightly more but comparable in price to one another. Cost and durability oft en factor into a fl eet’s decision, but Gracia says other items, like decals on the side of the body, can infl uence purchasing decisions too. “Aluminum sheet and post body has rivets every 48” where the panels are joining together. If you’re going to do a full-body decal on the sidewall of the body, it may not look as good if you were doing it on a FRP body – which is a smooth sidewall, or a plate body – which is basically smooth. Th ere’s no fasteners on the outside wall when you do a plate body or an FRP body,” says Gracia. ROOF Th ere are two basic choices for a dry freight body roof material: aluminum or translucent. “Th e translucent roof is basically fi berglass, and it has a 10 percent translucency. So 10 percent of light gets through,” says Morgan’s Gracia, adding there are no advantages to either material in terms of durability. “Th e advantage of that over an aluminum roof is purely visibility inside the truck.” Even if the weather is overcast, there is more visibility inside the body when utilizing a translucent roof. However, translucent roofs have a tendency to make the truck body warmer if running in hot climates. Fleets also should consider roofs that are crowned to assist drainage or reduce the load placed on the roof by snow. LIGHTING If a translucent roof does not provide enough visibility, or if deliveries are made at night, additional lighting will be required. Truck bodies that are 16’ or shorter – regardless of roof type – will almost all have one dome light, says Morgan’s Gracia. Bodies that are 18’ or longer typically have a minimum of two dome lights. Supreme’s Beasley notes there are many diff erent lighting options available, including: • Halogen. • LED. • Incandescent. • 18” fl uorescent. • Spotlights, work lights, etc. “For years, the industry used incandescent lights on the dome lights. In a lot of cases, fl eets have gone to LED dome lights,” adds Gracia, as they off er a better light output and longer life. FLOORS In pickup and delivery applications, wood is the most aff ordable and the primary type of fl oor. “In almost all situations, we are using a 1-1/8” laminated hardwood fl oor. Th at’s what I would say is an industry standard,” says Morgan’s Gracia. Floor materials include: • Wood. • Laminated hardwood. • Composite fl ooring. • Apitong fl ooring. Full cargo access By David A. Kolman, Editor New to the U.S. trucking industry is Kinedyne’s Kin-Slider curtain-side truck body system. It features a novel latching approach that enables the curtain to be effortlessly opened and closed within seconds. In designing its new system, the company focused on addressing weaknesses – such as singlepoint latching, moisture intrusion, mechanical failure, graphic fading and fungal growth that have often plagued existing curtain-side systems – and on designing features for optimal performance and longevity. Kinedyne (www.kinedyne.com) is a manufacturer and distributor of cargo control products for the transportation industry. The Kin-Slider provides a technological advantage for fl eets with chassis-mounted truck bodies that now use roll-up doors and want to operate with greater speed and effi - ciency, says Paul Wolford, company vice president of sales and marketing. The curtains, which slide fl awlessly, open and close at both ends of the truck body so that cargo can be fully accessed. COATING The Kin-Slider features a weathertight design, heavy duty rollers and super-durable vinyl, fi nished with optional high-resolution printing and an exclusive coating that resists graffi ti, UV rays and biological activity. The multipurpose curtain coating is said to be so effective and resistant to foreign agents that materials such as spray paint can be removed with just water within 24 hours. After 24 hours, graffi ti and the like can be removed from the curtain using alcohol or petroleum distillates. The process can be repeated up to 400 times with no visible impact on graphic appearance. The Kin-Slider system is easy to maintain and is safe to be cleaned at any standard commercial truck wash. A video of the system in operation can be viewed at www.youtube. com/watch?v=7fxUcnzz2VQ. 22 FLEET MAINTENANCE ❚ AUGUST 2016 ❚ VehicleServicePros.com
FleetMaintenance_August_2016
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