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ritain's first Fting fifth-wheel
Page 53
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ork Trailer Co. Ltd. announces that it w manufacturing and marketing its iydraulic lifting fifth-wheel coupler, the spotter. It is believed to be the first 1-made lifting fifth-wheel to come on narket. York formerly imported a ade lifting coupler, but shipping costs le recently introduced import deposits make the American unit too costly e Dockspotter speeds up trailer shunt y making it unnecessary for the trac nit driver to leave his cab to wind the landing gear up and down. He simply ; up and couples to the trailer as usual, operates a control which activates the , system. The coupler is raised hydraul, lifting the front end of the trailer so the still lowered landing gear is well clear of the ground. The air-operated coupler release mechanism is also controlled from the cab, so all the coupling and uncoupling operations can be handled without the driver leaving his seat.
Mechanics of the Dockspotter are similar to those of the US unit, but the robust York coupler is actuated by two hydraulic rams instead of one. The rams raise the coupler by altering the geometry (reducing the base, increasing the height) of the triangle formed by the subframe and the pivoted lifting arms. The Dockspotter has a lift of 10in. and is suitable for kingpin loads of up to 12 tons, which means that it can be used for shunting any trailer up to and including those that operate at 38 tons gross combination weight. The fifth-wheel is a York Big D: the hydraulic system is self
contained and powered by a pto pump.
The Dockspotter sells for £446. The pto, pump and a three-way valve add £107 and installation is £128, making £681 completely installed. This is £124 less than the imported US coupler.
With the Dockspotter, the only shunting operation that cannot be controlled from the cab is the application and release of the trailer parking brake. In most yards, however, the need to use the brake can be minimized by placing bolsters to serve as wheel chocks at the regular coupling and uncoupling locations.