Last Updated: 10/09/2009
Supertrucks branches out with its latest conversion
Supertrucks, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of glass carrying van and truck conversions, is branching out into the dry freight market. Using aluminium and GRP technology from its successful glass rack range, the St Helens firm has developed a 3.5 tonne low floor box van that offers an incredible 20.4cu m of internal load volume.Initially based on a Citroen Relay, as Supertrucks is already a supplier to Citroen’s Ready To Run programme, the van offers a load height at the rear of just 550mm, making it easy to step up into the load area from ground level and virtually negating the need for a tail lift.
The van starts life as a Relay Back-To-Back cab, which is exactly what it sounds like, two Relay cabs bolted to each other for ease of transportation. This solution provides converters with two cabs from which to build finished vehicles in a single delivery.
The cabs are attached to a lightweight Al-Ko galvanised steel chassis, that comes complete with trailing link torsion bar suspension or if preferred, air suspension. Supertrucks then creates a lightweight body using extruded aluminium frame sections, similar to those in its glass racking components.
The van’s side walls are a single piece GRP skin bonded to the aluminium frame, providing a smooth finish for company logos and graphics.
A one piece glassfibre roof provides good visibility during the day, with internal lights also included in the conversion. At the rear customers can choose between a narrow slat shutter or, for maximum load height, double swing-out rear doors. A side loading shutter or door is also available as an option.
The base Relay 35 cab is powered by the firm’s 2.2HDi engine rated at a healthy 120hp, though customers can also opt for the higher powered 3.0HDi with 160hp on tap. With an all up weight of 3.5 tonnes though the smaller motor should be more than powerful enough for most duties, unless you are going to be using the vehicle for regular long haul journeys at its gross weight.
Internally, the load area offers a body length of 4.1m and a width at the widest point of 2,050mm. The internal height is 2,450mm, creating that huge overall volume of 20.4cu m. The width between the wheel arch boxes is a full 1.5m.
If the vehicle is specified with air suspension it would be possible to reduce the loading height even further, by dropping the suspension during loading operations. Either way, a rear lift could be fitted if desired, but there really is little need for the additional weight.
Talking of which, the Supertrucks van offers a payload in this configuration in excess of 1.3 tonnes, which compares well with other Luton type bodies. I say in this specification because, as with all of the company’s work, customers can request a body made to order, with even longer chassis sections available if required, providing up to 22.29cu m, though the vehicle would lose some of its manoeuvrability if it were any longer and you would have to have a very low density load to require even more internal space.
We tried the van on a variety of roads around Supertrucks’ St Helens base, including fast dual carriageways and smaller country lanes. It was a windy day and though unladen the van coped well with the conditions.
That air management package of roof spoiler and side air deflectors is an essential option box to tick when specifying the van. With the driver’s window closed there was zero wind noise in the cab, even at higher speeds. With the window half open the wind noise was negligible and certainly less that experienced in some Luton designs. The air deflector package is integrated into the bodywork too, providing yet more storage space above the cab.
Lowering the load floor also drops the van’s centre of gravity, which should improve handling and road holding as it is loaded. For an empty box the Citroen drove well, with few bumps making their way into the cabin, and no creaks or groans from the cab trim or from the box behind.
Indeed the structural integrity of the design is particularly impressive, and you could easily believe that the vehicle had come off a single production line, rather than being assembled by three different companies.
Internally Supertrucks had equipped the van with full length lashing rails and a kickboard at floor level. This would undoubtedly be the favoured specification for small removals contractors, who are one of the target markets.
Supertrucks’ chairman Peter Wright says that the company is looking at a number of customer markets, though he admits that he is new to some of these sectors.
“It’s our first go at dry freight, so we are still finding our way,” he says.
“We can see it being used for furniture removals and for local authorities, where there are increasing concerns about the amount of lifting involved for operatives.”
The van could also prove popular with electronic equipment delivery companies, office furniture suppliers, even piano movers. If the company were to create a temperature controlled section in the front of the body it could well be popular with supermarket deliveries too, where again the manual handling of loads is of growing concern.
Though it has its roots in Mr Wright’s grandfather’s haulage and coachbuilding company, Supertrucks has been in business in its own right since 1981. By 1984 the firm had decided to concentrate solely on glass carrying vehicles, and has gone on to become one of the leading manufacturers of its type in Europe. In a normal year Supertrucks converts 800-1,000 vans and 80-90 heavy trucks into glass carrying vehicles, of which around 10 per cent are exported to Germany, Denmark, Belgium, France and Italy.
Of course the glass industry is closely involved with the construction sector, which is currently suffering perhaps more than any other in the UK. This is part of the reason for the move into dry freight transport, although it is also a sensible progression for the company, using the same skills and materials to satisfy a slightly different customer demand.
“We’d like to do at least 50 vehicles a year to start, but the market is anything but normal at the moment,” says Mr Wright.
Given the excellent quality of the construction, the low loading height design, the vast internal volume, coupled with a powerful engine, comfortable cab and that relatively low price, it would be surprising if the company doesn’t exceed those conservative figures.
As with all of the Ready To Run vehicles, Supertrucks will match Citroen’s own three year/100,000 mile warranty on the body. However you don’t have to have the van with Citroen power. Obviously it would be easy to specify one of the other Sevel partners, Peugeot or Fiat, but the company is also in talks with a number of other van manufacturers.
However Supertrucks does have a number of cabs on order from Citroen at present, so would be able to offer lead times of just four to five weeks if ordered directly or through a Citroen dealer under the Ready To Run programme. If it had to start from scratch with another van base then the development time could be as much as six months.
Of course Citroen is keen to push its involvement in the low floor vehicle, and the firm always works hard to keep the price of all of its Ready To Run conversions as low as possible. Were a customer to ask for a different front end to the van, there is little doubt that the very competitive price of just £21,335 plus the VAT would be somewhat higher. The cost rises by £850 plus VAT if you opt for the longer body.
