Kidron Inc displayed a prototype of its new Hackney Dairy Classic refrigerated truck body during a tour of the company's Lakeland, Florida, manufacturing plant. The tour was part of the program for the 30th annual Dairy Distribution Conference held February 7 to 10, 2001, in Orlando, Florida.
“This is Prototype Number One, a work in progress,” said John May, Kidron's president and chief operating officer of the new body. “We started several months ago.”
The Hackney Dairy Classic was designed with the help of leading dairies. It incorporates features those fleets typically request, May said. It will be available in two versions: one for ice cream and one for fluid milk and other medium-temperature products. The new body will be available with holdover plate refrigeration, Vari-Temp blower/plate eutectic systems, or mechanical refrigeration. Vari-Temp refrigeration is available with automatic sequential defrost.
“The Dairy Classic is built for durability and thermal efficiency,” May said. “It has operator friendly ergonomic features such as deep-step rear bumpers designed to reduce operator fatigue. Interior lamps — dome-mounted incandescent bulbs or fluorescent tubes — and lifts available under the side and rear doors increase delivery productivity.”
Although Kidron tailors each body to customer specifications, the range of standard design features incorporated into the Dairy Classic will result in a limited number of production options. These will include:
- Sliding rear doors;
- Hinged rear doors with a sliding panel;
- Hinged rear doors with a single partial opening;
Hinged two-panel, partial opening;
Hinged two-panel, full opening;
Hinged three-panel, full opening; or - Insulated rollup doors.
Single or multiple side doors will include a sliding 33-inch panel, or reach-in doors for ice cream applications. Exterior marker lamps with a sealed wiring harness are standard. High intensity LED lamps are available as an option.
Designed from input gathered from focus groups of fleet managers at major dairy distributors, the Dairy Classic will be available in lengths from 12 ft to 24 ft. Insulation thickness is optimized for body application.
The Dairy Classic still is in final development. Kidron plans production of the new body design in summer 2001.
