Consider the benefits of fiberglass
Fiberglass truck bodies are 26% more thermally efficient and 896 times more resistant to heat transfer than aluminum.
With fiberglass construction the refrigeration system doesn’t work as hard. Your equipment lasts longer and is less expensive to operate.
Fiberglass-insulated body construction uses no rivets and is seamless so there is less moisture penetration and the insulation deterioration that results.
Fiberglass is more puncture and tear resistant than aluminum.
What are my refrigeration options?
Your Johnson slide-in body can be mounted with a mechanical blower system. Because these units run off your truck engine they are lighter in weight and provide on-demand refrigeration. If your operation needs product carried at different temperatures this is the type of system for you.
Your Johnson body can also be outfitted with a cold plate system. This is a simple, proven technology that offers some outstanding benefits that can’t be found elsewhere. Cold plates are large metal envelopes filled with a solution calculated to freeze at a specified temperature. A reliable electric compressor on the front of the body pumps refrigerant through a piping system inside the plates to cool the solution until it freezes. This is the “charging” process and is generally done by plugging the compressor in at night while the truck is parked. During the day while the truck is making its deliveries the frozen plates will “discharge” providing the refrigeration energy needed to maintain proper body temperature. Because the plate solution is calculated to have it’s change of state” from solid to liquid at a certain temperature the maximum amount of refrigeration energy is released at that temperature. A plate system therefore is temperature specific and that is a limitation
There are some great benefits to a cold plate system however.
For frozen and deep frozen applications cold plates allow you to “bank” much more refrigeration energy than a mechanical unit can produce in most situations. On a small truck, over a twelve hour period, a cold plate system provides the most refrigeration capacity of any available system. A plate system will provide refrigeration when the truck is turned off and parked for deliveries. Plate systems have fewer moving parts and even those parts are of a simple, proven design. Plate systems have no blower motors and fans. With the use of a strip curtain on the door there is very little air exchange and subsequent loss of the cooled air inside the body.
For medium temperature applications a plate system provides reliability. It also gives you the ability to leave product in the body overnight because you have refrigeration capacity while the plates are being recharged. If you have a product that is sold by weight you’ll have less dehydration and loss of weight without a blower system. As an example if your product is shellfish your product will retain more weight and moisture.
Plate systems have to be plugged in and charged before use. Plate systems weigh more than mechanical systems. However plate systems offer greater simplicity and reliability than mechanical systems. On a plate system refrigerant travels through metal piping as opposed to hoses on a mechanical system. The compressor on a plate system has a motor that is an integral part of the compressor eliminating belts and shaft seals. Having a plate system means not having to worry about an engine drive belt snapping or a pulley seizing stranding you and your truck. There are no intransit electronics on a plate system. Once they are charged your plates simply suck up heat from the body. If you’re in an outlying area and travelling for service is an issue reliability becomes an important consideration.
It’s nice to have choices. Call us and we’ll help you make the right one.