Ford Kuga

 Service Manual

Body Repairs - General Information » Health and Safety Precautions
Refrigerated conversion vehicles

Apart from the special materials used in building the structure of the refrigerated compartment, such vehicles have special energy and refrigeration systems which require special handling during repair.

CAUTIONS:

Danger of injury. Work on the 230<SP>volt system of the refrigeration equipment must only be carried out by trained specialist personnel.

The refrigeration system is filled with refrigerant R134a. This can cause frostbite if it contacts the skin. Pay attention to the corresponding warning notices and instructions in the chapter Air Conditioning Systems

NOTE: Work on the refrigerant circuit may only be performed by persons who have a relevant certificate of competence.

Vehicles with a refrigerated compartment are often used to transport foodstuffs. For this reason, additional hygiene regulations must be complied with during repair work.

Aluminum and plastic are used to construct the two different types of compartment found on refrigerated vehicles.

The aluminum conversion is a very stable and technically perfect variant. However, against this the relatively high production costs and a lower payload must be taken into account, because of the weight of the aluminum conversion itself.

NOTE: Basic and in-depth training is offered on the following topics. You will find an overview of the complete range listed in the Training brochure published by the Ford Service Organization.

The plastic conversion has developed into a light, clean and economical alternative because of constant further development of materials and working techniques.

NOTE: The material combinations, the workmanship and the working methods must comply with the current food hygiene regulations.

For this reason, service and repair work on the refrigerated conversion may only be performed by authorized and specially trained technicians.

Refrigerated compartment constructions are often made using both materials. The floor pan is made of structured, slip-proof aluminum panels and the wall and ceiling cladding is made of smooth surfaced plastic elements.

CAUTION: PUR hard foam is flammable. If PUR hard foam is overheated, it will burn on its own with a brilliant yellowish flame.

It produces unpleasant choking and toxic fumes. Special measures must be taken when welding the vehicle body.

Polyurethane wall and ceiling elements are manufactured using a sandwich principle. An insulating polyurethane core is coated with food grade ABS plastic on one side.

PUR hard foam does not decompose, is rot resistant and is odorless. These properties make it suitable for use as insulation.

Because of its closed cell structure, water uptake by PUR hard foam is for the most part only a problem at edges. Cut edges or other mechanically worked surfaces must however be sealed with the greatest care.

The conversion to a refrigerated vehicle is performed as made-to-order production. The large surfaces of the wall and ceiling cladding can be changed and are particularly easy to repair.

If access to the back of a body panel section is needed because of body straightening work, in some circumstances it is cheaper to perform a cut-out repair instead of removing an element.

The repair process is fully described in the Student Information booklet Refrigeration System Technology, Transit 2000.5 Freshline.

General

Personal protection

Protection of the vehicle

Electronic components

Liquefied gas vehicles

Refrigerated conversion vehicles