Osborne Motor Bodies offer a tailor-made range of utility vehicle conversions to suit the needs of our clients, no matter whether you want a fleet conversion or a single, one-off bespoke vehicle conversion.
Utility vehicle conversions are very useful for a wide range of industries and business sectors, such as for field engineers, landscaping services, mechanics and maintenance crews. But one of the most popular conversions we perform is to add curtain sides to utility vehicles to make the loading and unloading of goods easier for logistical purposes.
As one of the UK's most long-standing and trusted vehicle conversion specialists, we can advise you about adding curtain-sided vehicles to your fleet or for one-off conversions of vehicles to adapt them for more flexible and versatile usage.
Why choose Osborne Motor Bodies?
Our friendly and highly experienced team work closely with our customers to deliver them exactly what they want. No two vehicle conversions are ever quite the same, so we look at how you want to use your vehicle and will make suggestions about your conversion that you may not have thought about.
We pay very close attention to detail, so we will work with you to draw up a personalised conversion plan instead of offering a basic or generic conversion that may not be completely perfect for you.
What is a curtainside utility vehicle conversion?
A curtainside van or lorry is basically a flat-bed or drop-side vehicle with an upper rigid structure mounted on top. Instead of having solid sidewalls, you will have a tarping system that will give you a wider and more flexible opening.
Your utility vehicle will have full-height rear doors and the sides will have heavy-duty curtains fitted made from high-grade PVC that are robust and weatherproof. These modifications make it easier for you to load the vehicle from the rear and sides using a forklift truck.
The curtainside motion is bi-directional, meaning that you can easily slide each curtain back-to-front or front-to-back, depending on the side you want to reach.
When closed, the curtain sides are tensioned both horizontally and vertically to provide a tight, smooth, weatherproof body side.
You can take a closer look at some of our most recently completed utility vehicle conversions, including a recently completed Mercedes Benz Luton Grey curtainside conversion and a Mercedes Benz Luton White curtainside conversion completed in June 2020.
Benefits of a curtainside utility vehicle conversion
If you are a business that operates just one sole flatbed trailer, then it can be far more beneficial to convert this into a curtainside trailer rather than buy a separate standard van or lorry. This is because you would be paying for the maintenance and upkeep of two vehicles instead of one, putting an extra strain on your business income.
This is especially true if you don't plan to use both vehicles every day, meaning that one of your vehicles will be left standing idle and unused for 50% of the time. So for a small business owner or a sole trader, converting your flatbed trailer into a curtainside vehicle will make it more flexible and versatile to meet your needs, plus you will be getting 100% value from your single vehicle.
One vehicle, multiple options
By converting your existing utility vehicle to a curtainside, you will be adding to your business flexibility and profit potential. The speed and ease of loading and unloading your vehicle makes it quicker and easier to access multiple loads from the side or rear without having to move other loads out of the way.
With curtain sides fitted, you can simply draw the side curtains shut to close off and secure your vehicle. This is much better than having to fiddle about with more time-consuming tarping of open loads.
The ability of a curtainside vehicle to morph into what you need is very valuable. You don't need to have a separate van, and your vehicle can allow traditional loading and unloading from a dock as well as from the ground when a loading dock isn't available.
For transporting perishable goods or delicate loads that cannot be exposed to the elements, the curtains provide all the security and weather sheltering offered by a standard rigid walled vehicle.
Overloading concerns resolved
An average flatbed curtainside vehicle conversion only adds around 2,000 pounds in weight and less for a commercial van-sized vehicle body. This means that your curtainside conversion will still feel like the vehicle you are used to driving as the weight distribution of the conversion doesn't negatively affect handling.
You will not worry so much about becoming overloaded when carrying a heavy load, and the curtainside mechanism makes maintenance requirements for your vehicle much easier to manage.
Cutainside conversions with Osborne Motors
Our highly experienced team of vehicle conversion specialists will make your curtainside conversion swift and easy. We can quickly upgrade your existing utility van or a flatbed trailer with curtainside walls and get your vehicle back on the road working perfectly for you as soon as possible.
Do not hesitate to contact our friendly team today to discuss your needs. Whether you want us to convert an existing vehicle or you would like us to supply you with a new or used utility vehicle body, we can help!
