THE VAN RACKING SPECIALISTS
Three special racking systems for the fire brigade / 2
As we saw in this earlier news item, Syncro System’s Udine dealer recently installed three very special racking systems for the province’s fire brigade. The first news article in this series described the solution chosen for a Fiat Fullback pickup. Today’s photos illustrate a special racking configuration in a Volkswagen Crafter.
The Crafter is one of the largest vehicles in its class, both for length and for the height of the cargo compartment. Its size allows it to house a complete racking system and still provide plenty of room for transporting large items of equipment – something that the fire brigade has to do on a daily basis.
The first step was to install a complete lining system. As you can see, the floor is covered by a birch plywood floor liner with a rubber-coated surface. This type of liner offers an exceptional grip and is therefore the perfect choice for a specialist team that deals with emergencies involving water and often has to enter the van with wet footwear and handle wet equipment. All the remaining interior surfaces of the van, including the roof, are lined with aluminium chequer plate panels.
The left of the Crafter
The Syncro Ultra racking on the left van stretches for almost the full length of the van and is divided into three columns. The first and second columns start with floor-level compartments with lift-up doors. The first then continues with four shelves, two with removable Euronorm containers and two configurable shelves with non-slip mats inside.
The second column houses a two-door locker with key: fully customisable and secure storage for materials and personal effects that need to be protected against theft. The third column starts with a spacious open compartment at floor level that holds a large wheeled container that can be loaded and unloaded using either of two ramps with which the van is equipped. This column ends in two configurable shelves. Particularly worth noting are the two retaining systems on the wall and racking side panel near the rear doors, which secure two sheet metal cutting kits that the team uses when dealing with serious road accidents and natural disasters.
The right of the Crafter
The racking on the right of the Crafter consists only of a framework of side panels and horizontal profiles, along with one shelf. This unusual solution forms two full-height open compartments for carrying large items secured by straps and hooks. One of the items stored here is a lightweight folding ramp for loading equipment and heavy objects recovered during operations. A bar and strap retaining system on the side panel and wall near the rear door can be used to secure other items.
The Crafter’s bulkhead
The bulkhead liners are fitted with bar and strap retaining systems for a second, larger ramp. Here it is easy to see how lashing straps stop equipment sliding around and damaging the racking or the van’s bodywork. In the corner between the bulkhead and the left wall is a small shelf. This item demonstrates the flexibility of Syncro Ultra racking and its ability to exploit every inch of space!
Stay tuned: we’ll have news of the last of the fire brigade’s three special racking solutions soon!
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