So, you’ve got your fleet’s utility vehicles sorted. Whew! That was a mission but now you’ve got your next hiccup.
The utes you’ve picked are great, but they need much more than the standard well-side tray they came with – your road crews need to carry stuff, safely, securely and yes, stylishly; so, you’re now looking at properly fitting out the vehicle with some sort of service body.
And oh my, if you thought finding the right make and model of ute was tricky, you’ve got a real surprise coming, but don’t go reaching for the panic button yet.
Auto Transform have been helping fleet managers find the right ute body solution for years and they are THE people to see, you can ask pretty much any major fleet running utes – and/or vans for that matter.
Selecting the right door configuration is a pivotal decision in any vehicle fit-out project, as it significantly impacts the accessibility, functionality, and overall design of the vehicle.
And Auto Transform’s expertise is based on the information you, the client, can give them.
This data will help Auto Transform’s team provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision and keep your vehicle’s operating at maximum efficiency for improved productivity.
Your utes might be best served with a gull wing service body, but then on the other hand a split door configuration might serve your fleet’s needs better.
While to the casual observer, there appears to be very little difference between the two, both have their pros and cons, and it requires quite a bit of thought to ensure you have the best solution for your fleet.
If you look at the gull wing design throughout automotive history, you won’t be surprised to learn the design is associated with luxury and high-end performance vehicles: think Mercedes-Benz, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, DeLorean and more recently, Tesla.
The gull wing presents athleticism with timeless design in cars, and it does much the same with a ute service body, so if your ute fleet serves to present a superior corporate image – and the vehicles are looked after properly – a gull wing service body might be the best bet.
And while this all sounds well and good, the gull wing design does have its disadvantages, not least of which is – unsurprisingly – cost.
Gull wing doors are generally more expensive to produce and by their very nature, more challenging and time consuming to install.
And being challenging to install, gull wing doors can be prone to mechanical issues after the fact with regular maintenance being required and potential repairs.
Perhaps more critically, in the eyes of your Health and Safety personnel especially, the road-side gull wing may pose a higher risk of being struck when open, protruding more into the road area.
Gull wing doors do, however provide brilliant accessibility for ease of loading and unloading of cargo or equipment, while at the same time offering the best form of weather protection when the doors are opened to their maximum.
What then, of the split door? There are more pros than cons with the split door which has more pros than its gull wing counterpart.
The roadside opening problem of the gull wing is mitigated by the split door arrangement which doesn’t occupy as much road space.
This does, lead to the consideration of the split opening offering less shelter than what is provided by the gull wing door.
And another mild disadvantage is the ease of opening of a split door which requires two-handed operation. Perhaps not a huge consideration from the comfort of the boardroom, but when you are out on the road, it could prove to be more than a little annoying.
On the positive side of the ledger, the split door arrangement offers increased flexibility in its opening options and internal fittings of the service body, including the ersatz workbench which comprises the lower door.
Split doors also tend to be simple in their design and robust at the same time, so if your vehicles tend to not enjoy the regular care and maintenance of some, the split door configuration might be your best bet.
And while the above provides plenty of food for thought, a great many fleet managers have little time for pondering pros and cons, which is where Auto Transform comes into its own.
With its history of creating customised fitouts tailored to unique and specific requirements, Auto Transform can help you transform your fleet into safe, stylish, functional and efficient tool-of-trade vehicles. Visit the www.autotransform.co.nz website to find out more.
