Enter the 16-ton-payload Maxitrail
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by Paul Brockington • A retractable type of tipping trailer has been announced by Welford Engineering (Oldbury) Ltd., Hainge Road, Tividale, Warley, Worcs. It is known as the Maxitrail and has a gross rating of 24 tons; when coupled to a Ford D1000 tractive unit, it provides a payload of 16 tons.
Capacity of the standard body is 16 cu.yd.
The well-type, scow-ended, dumper body is linked by side-mounted radius arms to a cross-bearer attached to a hinged plate at the base of the ram gear. This is a Welford single-ram three-stage gear which provides a tipping angle of 70 degrees.
At the front the body floor is angled at about 10 deg. and the downward slope of floor at the rear is 15 deg., the well being located well forward of the rear axle in the travelling position. When the body is tipped the rear of the floor is about 50 deg. to the horizontal. Because the ram-mounting plate provides a hinge point for the body, the fifth-wheel coupling is locked so that it cannot pivot.
A particularly robust top rail is a specir feature of the body, which is in effect sut pended from the rail. While the radius arm relieve the ram of side stressing, each rar is fitted with a collar to give extra bearin area.
Weight of the trailer is 3 tons lOcw and the body is 15ft long and 7ft 4in. wid( A three-line air braking system is fitted, th air chambers being located ahead of the axle which is a Rubery Owen unit. The systen is equipped with a load-proportioning valve In standard form the trailer costs abou £1,600 and the price of a typical outfit wouli therefore be under £4,000. Mr. L. A. Fent(» of Welford Engineering observes that a vehi cle of this type represents the most economica form of vehicle that the typical haulier cal employ in carrying sand and gravel, foundr] waste and so on. He points out that employ ing a longer retractable trailer necessitate: the use of heavier gear and that this reduce: the payload gain to a marginal amount. Ii his opinion long trailers are also unstable.
A special version of the Maxitrail has beer produced for an operator for carrying a loos( material. The body is enclosed and a valv( is fitted at the base of the well to enable th( material to be discharged by gravity. Nc tipping gear is fitted to the vehicle.