How a panel-van conversion differs from a body on a chassis
A refrigerated panel van is not a body mounted on a frame but the insulation and cooling of a vehicle that is already built. The advantages are plain: it stays car-sized to drive and park, moves through the city without truck restrictions, parks at the entrance and needs no category C licence. The gross weight of 2,900 kg puts it in category B.
The drawback is equally plain: the volume is fixed by the vehicle. On the M4 that is 2,300 × 1,550 × 1,200 mm, about 4.3 m³ and a 975 kg payload. If you need more, that means a body on a chassis — look at FAW 1027 or a Kia Bongo.
Refrigeration unit
On panel vans we mount the unit on the roof — the condenser sits on the body roof. That way it takes no space inside and does not block the sliding side door. The evaporator is under the ceiling at the front wall, so air travels the full length. The range is −20 to +12 °C: frozen, chilled, pharmaceutical. COND is the official Carrier dealer in Kazakhstan, so the warranty and servicing are ours.
Insulation and doors
We insulate the inner shell over its whole surface, arches and ceiling included — working straight onto the metal, with no thermal bridges at the stiffening ribs. The floor is flat, the walls are smooth and it can be hosed down.
The rear lift-up door gets an inner insulated door: open the tailgate and the cold stays behind the second door; take the box out and close it. The sliding side door is kept and insulated too, so on a route with frequent stops the temperature holds.
