A Light Cross-country Conversion
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ALIGHT four-wheel-drive crosscountry chassis has been developed by Douglas Equipment, Ltd., Cheltenham, based on the Commer 7-ton underfloor-engined chassis. It is 3n 8-ft. 6-in.-wheelbase model retaining the 109 b.h.p. petrol engine and fourspeed gearbox, but equipped with a Douglas two-speed transfer box with ratios of 2.204 and 1 to 1. Both axles, with a ratio of 7.14 to 1, have spiral
bevel drive and fully floating shafts. There is a 12-in, ground clearance below the axles when equipped with 11.00 by 20 tyres, single wheels being fitted front and rear. The optional tyre equipment is 9.00 by 20-in., with twin rear wheels.
As a cross-country model it has a rated payload capacity of 4 tons, but for normal road operation it can carry a full 7-ton load. Initial models, supplied for use on the Trucial Coast,
are equipped as tractive units for semitrailer operation and have a 10,000-lb. front-mounted winch, which is driven from the power take-off of the transfer box. The Commer standard cab has been modified, the alterations including insulated panels and the fitting of an extractor fan to keep the cab cool under tropical conditions.
The Douglas six-wheel-drive tractor, a road-test report of which appeared in"The Commercial Motor" for June 2, 1950, has proved a popular model with the oil companies, and a batch is now being prepared for operation in the Syrian desert. For this type of work they are equipped with an oil cooler and an auxiliary water tank of 25-gallons capacity. The oil-cooling tubes are arranged in front of the normal radiator tube stack, and the System includes a low-pressure pump having '.approximately three times the normal circulating capacity of the main engine pump. These cooling arrangements have been planned for the tractor to operate in the desert where maximum day temperatures reach 110 to 123 degrees F.
This tractor unit, designated the Transporter TK6, is designed for an imposed load of 16 to 18 tons and for operation with gross loads up to 44 tons. It is equipped with the A.E.C. 9.6-litre oil engine developing 125 b.h.p. at 1,800 r.p.m., and 430 lb.-ft. torque at 1,000 r.p.m.