Welcome to Abel Systems Ltd

This Mercedes Actros is a sight to behold with its high gloss white finish and clean body lines with no visible fixings except those securing the polished stainless steel rear frame. For some companies image is a highly valued commodity and worth the every penny they invest in their vehicles, as when their trucks arrive to collect or deliver first impressions really do count.

This truck is every drivers dream, being top of the range throughout, so it’s unlikely that you’ll ever find this one in the corner of the yard looking dirty and unloved!

Abel Systems Ltd are always happy to build a single high specification bespoke body to suit any type of operation for a small company or owner driver, but the demanding specifications of these customers can at the very least be a challenging, however the satisfaction gained from meeting those demands is something our workers put their own value on as it's the stuff that creates innovation and job satisfaction.

Please call us to discuss you next body requirement.

Whitemeadow Furniture Ltd is an independent manufacturer based in Nottinghamshire with an enviable reputation for the supply of quality furniture to its nationwide network of independent retail outlets. As a forward thinking company how to best serve their customer base is critical to both their reputation and future expansion, hence product delivery is a very important consideration.

Given the daily challenge of all manufacturer’s Whitemeadow Furniture required a transport system which would enhance their ability to deliver their products cost effectively to any of their retailers in the knowledge that it would arrive in the same immaculate condition as when it was completed by their skilled workforce.

The delivery method of choice for Whitemeadow Furniture was the introduction of a bespoke build demountable body system manufactured just down the road in Derbyshire by Abel Systems Ltd.

The demountable system is based on DAF LF chassis which operate with interchangeable 9800mm long, high cube box van bodies with streamline curved roofs to improve fuel economy and lightweight body panels to maximise payload.

Commercial vehicle bodybuilding manufacturing techniques have come a long way in a very short time, so it is not surprising that the appearance and versatility of bodies installed onto the 3500kg GVW range of chassis has changed beyond all recognition. The idea of dropping a square box onto a chassis and expecting it to be all things to all men is a thing of the past to the enlightened operator who believes in getting the best from his equipment and driver alike, whilst presenting a professional image which is enhanced by the appropriate choice of delivery vehicle.

With more and more small consignment doorstep deliveries in busy urban areas it is often critical to the efficiency of the operation that the driver has the facility to enter and exit the body quickly, hence having a side access facility in a box van that would be more commonly associated with a panel van can provide significant benefits, as the driver is working directly off the curb and no longer looking for quite such a large parking space, swinging doors into the path of passing traffic, which in turn reduces the risk of personal injury.

The Wren has long been a favourite with the British people and now it seems that a company with the same name is also becoming the manufacturer of choice for many which has necessitated a significant increase in the size of their distribution fleet to cope with demand. That company is Wren Kitchens Ltd.

As an established Abel Systems Ltd customer with a long history of demountable equipment use, we are pleased to say that when it came to adding additional compatible equipment into the existing fleet, Wren Kitchens Ltd once again came to us as their preferred supplier. On this occasion the order consisted of equipment to suit 21 new drawbar prime movers with tuck under tail lifts complete with 14 drawbar trailers and 54 demountable box van bodies, all manufactured to Wren’s unique specification which has been developed over a number of years to work with various chassis marques including Renault, Volvo and DAF.

Kitchen and bedroom furniture manufacturers have long realised the benefits to be gained from the use of demountable body systems, particularly at the point of dispatch where by the nature of the product the time required to load and pack goods for safe damage free transportation can be considerable and as a result would cause considerable underutilisation of equivalent vehicles fitted with fixed bodies.

The use of demountable drawbar trailers also increases vehicle productivity, particularly on routes with long stem mileages and into urban areas where the use of large vehicles is impractical or restricted. It is the ability to quickly break the vehicle down into smaller units and transfer the loaded bodies between truck and trailer or onto out based local distribution vehicles which make the system particularly effective when delivering to small retail outlets and domestic customers.

Long established timber importer Devon Hardwoods Ltd of Sidmouth have added to their fleet of demountable equipment with the introduction of an additional DAF FA LF55 chassis provided by Wessex DAF and two demountable curtainside bodies.

All of the demountable equipment and bodywork has been manufactured by Abel Systems Ltd to be compatible with that previously supplied by their parent company Wheelbase Engineering Ltd.

The equipment of choice in this case is for a ‘Contact System’ where all of the demountable legs are within the width of the body, which is an ideal situation when loading long lengths with a side loader fork lift truck.

In this case the trucks rear axle air suspension provides the lifting medium when mounting and demounting the body, so eliminating the need for any supplementary lifting device.

The body specification, including the width, has intentionally been kept compact to reduce the possibilities of damage when negotiating narrow West Country roads and to enhance manoeuvrability when operating in confined spaces.