Fork Truck on Manceuvres A LTHOUGH the original Matbro ri-Pneustae
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fork-lift truck was not designed for cross-country work, it was able to carry its full load of 30. cwt.. -over grassland and on gradients of unusual severity. The potential market for a machine specifically designed to operate under such conditions, has led to the production of a prototype, the first demonstration of which was given last week,
As with the Pneustac, Fordson Major industrial units are the basis, the chief difference between the two types of machine being the front-wheel arrangement. The latest model is fitted at the front with standard Fordson tractor rear wheels in twin formation equipped with 11.00 x 36-in. Groundgrip tyres.. By reversing the position of the crown wheel and coupling up the normal frtint wheels, Messrs. Mathew Bros., Sandy Lane North, Wallington, Surrey, has produced a rear-wheel-steered vehicle which will climb a 1-in-2-1 gradient with full load.
The truck demonstrated was powered by a Perkins P6 oil engine, but production .models will have the Fordson Major 40.5 b h.p. oil engine. Fordson Major petrol and vaporizing-oil units will also be offered.
in the series of tests carried out, the truck carried a 30-cwt. load with which It was driven over appalling surfaces. To show its usefulness on building sites it was driven without a falter through
138 a quagmire up to 18 ins. deep. A gradient which caused the driving wheels to spin was easily surmounted in reverse, but without hesitation the truck climbed numerous hillocks varying in gradient from about 1 in 3 to 1 in 6. The maximum speed on the road is given as 20 m.p.h.
The machine demOnstrated has a 9-ft. lift. Its capacity, with an outreach of 18 ins., is 3,500 lb. All lifting and tilting operations are carried out hydraulically, all controls being conveniently arranged on the left-hand side.
A crawler-track design has been prepared. This model will be of 2-ton capacity and will have a maximum road speed of 8 m.p.h. It will have tiller control for the steering, brakes and clutches.