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HEAVIER DODGES AND QUIETER TOO
Page 104
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MW BRAKING SYSTEMS, fresh models and other changes covering oth Commer and Dodge ranges are announced today by Rootes. In the case of Dodge there are six new models including a 28-ton-g.t.w. tractive unit, while Chrysler/Cummins V diesels have had changes too.
Modifications to brake systems are intended to bring performance to Code of Practice standards—and these apply to most models from both companies. In the case of Commer chassis, increased payload capacities result from alterations to the Walk-Thru, medium and heavy ranges.
Dealing first with Dodge, the most significant change is the introduction of the K P1000 two-axle tractive unit for 28 tons g.t.w. This addition to the 500 Series follows the lines general to this design, including the high-standard tilt cab. The engine in the KP1000 is the Chrysler/Cummins V8 which produces 185 bhp and the gearbox is a fivespeed synchromesh unit.
Earlier Dodge tractive units had wedgeoperated brakes but on the KP1000 these now have cam actuation.
The secondary brakes operate on the tractive unit front axle and on the semitrailer auxiliary connection. Lock actuators are fitted all round. The same hand valve operates the secondary system and the parking brake, so eliminating the need for a conventional handbrake lever.
A new fitting for Dodge is a Clayton Dewandre load-sensing device on the driving axle and this, together with the other changes in brakes, applies to the other three tractive unit models in the 500 Series.
These are the KP700 for 20 tons gross train weight, the KP850 for 22 tons g.t.w., and the KP950 for 24 tons. Both the 850 and 950 are in fact new models and while the 185 bhp version of the Chrysler/ Cummins V8 is used in the heavier chassis, the KP850 has a Perkins 6.354 diesel which gives 120 bhp.
This Perkins engine is the only one available in the chassis but the five-speed synchro mesh gearbox is used and also in the other tractive units.
The three other new Dodge chassis are rigid two-axle machines. The K850 is designed for 13 tons gross weight and supersedes the original K800, the K950, 14-ton gross machine supersedes the K900 and the K1050 for 16 tons gross supersedes the original K1000. In all three cases there is no change to gross weight rating but these three now have the Perkins 6.354 diesel as standard. The two lighter chassis have the Chrysler/ Cummins V6 140 bhp diesel as the option, whereas the K1050 has the 170 bhp version of this power unit. Brakes are changed and on the K850 the original hydraulic system has been replaced by a divided-line airhydraulic system with spring parking brakes on the driving axle.
Both the K950 and the K1050 have full air wedge-brakes with split service brakes. Lock actuators are incorporated in the diaphragm chambers at both axles to give more powerful parking brakes.
The Dodge 500 Series now consists of two-axle rigids, six-wheelers and tractive unit models covering gross weight ratings from 10.27 to 28 tons. The Chrysler/Cummins V diesels are fitted in many models and significant detail improvements have been made to these power units. , Dodge is now using engines to the Phase V condition and it is said that this has had a beneficial effect on performance, reliability and the economy. But the company states "driver training will still be necessary in a few cases before benefit is obtained from these engines". The Phase V units feature a strengthened and stiffened crankshaft and also a strengthened cylinder block.
A water filter is fitted between the water pump and cylinder water jacket to combat liner cavitation which can be caused due to impurities in the cooling water. Other improvements include swirl plates fitted in the cylinder head that improve combustion efficiency while new seven-hole injectors improve fuel economy and reduce the smoke under certain conditions.
AU these V6 and V8 models have been fitted with extensive sound-deadening material around the power unit and beneath the cab while an improved silencer system consisting of a twin-chamber silencer with an expansion and baffle unit should help to keep the exhaust noise level to acceptable proportions. As a further aid to silencing, the V8 models have been fitted with an engine under-tray which not only assists sound deadening but also keeps the unit clean and protects it.
Remaining models in the 500 Series have had similar brake modifications to those mentioned earlier, and brakes have also been improved on the medium range which covers gross weights from 6.47 to 12 tons. These chassis are dual-marked--being originally Commer models and now marketed by Dodge.
Like the Dodge vehicles, all these Commer chassis comply now with Code of Practice braking standards. As a result, the company has increased the gross weight rating. The final chassis in the Commer medium range is VC8 which is designed for plated operation and 13 tons gross.
In all cases where there has been an increase in weight rating the suspension has been modified.
The new uprated Walk-Thru vans are redesignated the KC Series. There are three basic models covering gross weights from 3.8 to 5.54 tons. All-synchromesh gearboxes are now fitted as standard.
The KC30 is made in two versions, the main difference being in the engine fitted. With the lower-capacity petrol or diesel engine the weight limit is 3.8 tons, offering a nominal payload capacity of 1.5 tons but with the higher output power units, the figure is 4.06 tons giving a nominal payload capacity of 1.75 tons.
The KC40 is given an extra 1,0001b of payload capacity than the model it replaced; gross rating is now 4.91 tons as against 4.5 tons making the nominal payload capacity 2.45 tons. And the heaviest WalkThru, now the KC60, has a maximum weight figure of 5.54 tons for a payload capacity of about 3 tons.
At the heavier end of the Commer ranges there are the C-range chassis which employ the Rootes three-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine as against a vertical unit in the medium range. There is an overlap between the heaviest medium and the lightest heavy, as the CE8 is designed for 13 tons gross.
Except for the engine, the chassis is similar to the VC 8 in all respects.
At the top end of the weight scale there is the Maxiload which is made as a 16-tongross rigid or as a 24-ton-gross tractive unit. Both of these have the 135 bhp Rootes diesel and another tractive unit made by the concern is designed for 18 tons gross being available with either the Perkins 6.354 or the Rootes diesel.