2016 Work Truck Show Recap - Knapheide

The 2016 Work Truck Show was the platform for some huge announcements from The Knapheide Manufacturing Company, watch the video to see for yourself.

The Reading Aluminum Classic II Service Body

Reading’s Classic II™ aluminum service body combines the superior fuel economy and corrosion resistance of aluminum with Reading’s legendary quality and durability. Built with premium recycled aluminum alloy and protected by Reading’s exclusive Triple Protection E-coat primer and powder coat finish, it resists corrosion better than any other service truck body on the market. It features all the standard and exclusive options that have made our flagship Classic II™ a leader in the truck body industry while offering environmental benefits that today’s consumers appreciate. Standard features include a pressed diamond plate floor and inner tailgate surface, heavy-duty compartment doors and a rugged undercoated understructure for superior durability and strength. The Classic II™ aluminum service truck body also features Reading’s exclusive adjustable hidden hinges, Dual-Pro® door seals, a slam-action tailgate and much more. Add our industry-leading 10-year limited warranty and it’s easy to see why there’s No Body Better than the Classic II™.

•     Increased available payload
•     Corrosion resistance
•     Weather-tight storage
•     Customized compartments

Find out more at:  http://www.readingbody.com/product/aluminum-classic-ii/

GMC Savana Cutaway with SRW Knapheide KUV Body

Ron Sadler shows off a GMC 3500 Cutaway Savana chassis with a Knapheide KUV plumber style body with optional electric locking system and low roof. This unit also has a material rack on the roof.

See more at http://www.LehmersGMC.com

Service bodies: Part 3, Knapheide reveals its most durable body

Tony Marshall, product manager at Knapheide, answered questions about the type of materials used to build Knapheide bodies.

HWT (Hard Working Trucks): What’s the most popular material used to construct Knapheide service bodies?

Marshall: Currently, the material used by Knapheide for our service body offerings is a two-sided A-40 galvanneal steel.  Depending on the type and style of service body (standard service body, EC series service body or KUV) we use a variety of gauges of high strength steel to accomplish a couple things.  First and foremost, is the strength, security and longevity of the product that our customers expect.  Second, we try to use this combination of different gauge high strength steel to optimize the strength to weight ratio to help our customers get the most out of their work trucks.

HWT: Have customers been showing a greater interest in aluminum?

Marshall: The interest for aluminum service bodies remains as a niche product, mostly limited to the snow belt of the country.  Interest level and market share penetration of aluminum has been flat as we have come out of the recession.  We anticipate that the interest level will gradually increase over the next several years with the propagation of aluminum panels in work trucks, like the 2017 Ford Super Duty.  Knapheide will continue to listen to our customers and the market as a whole and stay committed to delivering the service body products that the industry demands.

HWT: Does Knapheide use polypropylene or other plastic materials in its service bodies?

Marshall: Knapheide currently uses an ABS material bulkhead in our KUV as a standard offering.  The ABS bulkhead while lighter than the once standard bulkhead offers another great benefit.  The ABS material is much quieter.  For the driver that spends the majority of his day in this vehicle going from job site to job site or delivering product the rattle free quiet is a well received and welcomed upgrade.  We recognize that plastics have a potential place in interior and non-structural areas of a body.  We will continue to look at the feasibility of using plastics where it is an improvement to the product and does not unduly affect the financial model of the product line.

HWT: What Knapheide service body is considered to be the most durable and why?

Marshall: The standard J-Series Knapheide Service Body is the most durable.  Over 50 years of commitment to product and process improvement make this body the best.  We also use this same methodology in the design and assembly of our line bodies and crane bodies to deliver the best solution for those applications.

HWT: How does Knapheide help customers decide which material to spec for their service body?

Marshall: A Knapheide Service Body is primarily A40 galvanneal steel.  We work with our customers to configure and design the service body to their needs.

HWT: Anything else you’d like to add?

Marshall: Knapheide Manufacturing is the leader in the service body industry.

Source:  http://www.hardworkingtrucks.com/service-bodies-part-3-knapheide-reveals-their-most-durable-body/

12' Royal Contractor Body On GMC 3500HD

Ron Sadler shows us a GMC Sierra 3500HD with a 12' Contractor Body by Royal Truck Body. This unit sports the aluminum floor and gates and load divider, along with the other standard features. The aluminum floor not only outlasts the typical wood floor, but is so much lighter allowing additional cargo capacity.

Knapheide Customer Story: J.F. Electric

Since 1848, we have been a family-owned company led by six generations of the Knapheide family. We are proud to say that some of our best customers are multi-generational as well, like J.F. Electric in Edwardsville, Ill. Check out their story!

GM to Put Baby Duramax in Full-Size Vans

GM, maker of the oldest commercial vans on the market, will put the new, torque-biased four-cylinder Duramax diesel engine into both the E-Series Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana for the 2017 model year.

According to Automotive News, the lightly modified global diesel engine currently used in the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickup trucks will be offered as an option in the long- and short-wheelbase 2500 and 3500 2017 full-size GM vans.

Some might argue this was not a difficult decision for GM because the midsize pickups and large work vans are built at the same Missouri plant near St. Louis. Ordering more diesel engines for the same location should be simple, assuming that demand for the diesel engines doesn't outpace production capabilities given that it offers as much as 31 mpg highway when optioned in the midsize pickup. The diesel is likely to be paired with GM's new eight-speed transmission used in Chevy and GMC half-ton V-8 pickups.

The Express and Savana are the oldest commercial vans sold in the U.S. They haven't been significantly redesigned in almost 20 years, yet they sell in strong numbers: more than 100,000 in 2014 and 85,000 in 2015. Despite the proliferation of new, Euro-styled vans such as the full-size Ram ProMaster and Ford Transit, and smaller Ford Transit Connect, Nissan NV200 and Mercedes-Benz Metro, GM is finding unique ways to keep its old-school vans alive and generate customer interest.

GM's high-tech 2.8-liter turbo-diesel uses a cast-iron block and aluminum cylinder heads along with a dual overhead cam 16-valve setup that produces 181 horsepower at 3,400 rpm and 369 pounds-feet of torque at 2,000 rpms in the midsize pickups. It's possible, for the sake of greater longevity, that GM could decide to "de-rate" the engine since it will be put into a vehicle with a heavier curb weight, higher gross vehicle weight rating, and more payload and towing capacity.

Given the EPA fuel-economy numbers for the midsize pickup with the small diesel — 22/31/25 mpg city/highway/combined — and that GM's most-popular engine for full-size vans is the 6.0-liter V-8 (11/16/13 mpg), it's possible that ownership cost savings based on fuel consumption alone could mean the higher price of the little Duramax could be one of those rare instances where the vehicle could pay for the engine upgrade in the first year of operation.

Model-year 2017 vans will be available for ordering through select dealerships later this fall.

Source:  http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2016/03/gm-to-put-baby-duramax-in-full-size-vans.html#more