Ford Transit Skeletal chassis cab is based on the front-wheel drive model and provides a lightweight low-floor base for conversions. It should be a popular choice for removal vans.

Anyone planning to move house with a rented van may want to check if their local rental company offers a low-floor jumbo luton, sometimes known as a dropwell van.

As their name suggests, their built like a standard luton van but with a low floor that boosts the available load space for large-but-light items. Such as furniture.

Ford already dominates most sectors of the UK van market. But the company has now decided to target this niche sector of the market with a new lightweight chassis cab model that’s aimed specifically at conversions requiring a low load floor.

The big numbers

The new Transit skeletal chassis cab offers a 100mm lower chassis height than a standard front-wheel drive Transit and weighs 200kg less than a standard chassis cab. That’s a big difference in weight.

This big weight saving means that the payload of the converted van should remain competitive, even with the added weight of a large box body. Finished models will normally be built to have a maximum weight of 3.5 tonnes, so anyone with a standard car licence should be able to drive them.

Customers will be able to choose three wheelbase lengths and the model will be powered by Ford’s 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel in 130PS or 170PS power output. A choice of six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes will be available.