Converting a 30-cwt. Chassis into a Six-wheeler
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Details of the Conversion of a Dodge Brothers' Chassis
IN our issue for July 29th We described the new conversion system that has been introduced by A. Ferraris, Ltd., of 200-220, The Broadway, Cricklewood, London, N.W.2, for increasing the permissible pay-load of the latest Ford 30-cwt. chassis by adding a trailing axle. It may interest readers to know how the company is dealing with other makes a chassis for which similar conversion sets are popular, and we have just examined one of the Dodge Brothers' T156-type 30-cwt. machines which the Ferraris concern has turned into a six-wheeler.
The chassis has been suited to the special requirements of travel over unmade ground, and to obtain the wide range of articulation necessary the Dodge Brothers' propeller shaft, universal joints and centre steady-bearing have been dispensed with and replaced by a shaft with ring-type universals and a sliding yoke at the front end, this permitting up to 20 degrees of angular movement at each joint.
As the torque and thrust in the Dodge Brothers' chassis are taken by the springs, spherically mounted radius rods of the type employed on the Ford are used, not only for the trailing axle, but for the driving axle, the centre of articulation of these rods being so arranged that the angular movement of the bevel
• pinion shaft in relation to the horizontal is negligible, this tending to lessen wear of the universal joints in the drive shaft.
The same type of spring mounting for the driving axle is incorporated as with the Ford, but the spring saddle is fixed rigidly to the square-section axle case so as to resist the driving and braking torque.
The only other variation from the Ford conversion set is in the brake transmission, this being simplified in the case of the Dodge Brothers' chassis because hydraulic brakes are fitted, and there is no problem of centres for rods and levers, also no problem of equalization. It may be mentioned that the standard Dodge Brothers' 15-in brake drums, shoes, etc., are fitted on the trailing axle.
The chassis examined had a wheelbase, to the bogie centre, of 10 ft. 111 ins.; for six-wheelers of longer wheelbase the centre steady-bearing for the propeller shaft would probablybe retained.