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Durability.
Page 100
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TheTask Force Answer:
The Bedford Rig Test Laboratory and Proving Ground are designed to put years on vehicles in a matter of days.
A process which we also carry out all over the world; clocking up millions of miles to test durability on all kinds of roads.
On the Proving Ground we drive them over blocks of Belgian Pave to test the suspension.
We drive them over king-size potholes.
We drive them up muddy, crippling hills and start, stall, start, stall them all the way up.
And all the time a group of experts are looking for ways to make them stronger and last longer.
At the Rig Test Laboratory the question in our mind is: how can we make our vehicles go on going? As an example of how we do it we'll take our classic test for the crownwheel on the back axle which takes the load and the drive. We start by overloading the vehicle by 5% and locking the back wheels.
Then we jack them up and take the motor up to maximum
revs.
And snatch the jack away.
The shock is massive and we demand that the axle components take this shock too times in first gear and too times in reverse before we accept the materials or the design. We run tests on our vehicles all over the world: in deserts, mountains, through ice, snow anc torrential rain.
And we examine each part anc strengthen any stress points.
It's a process which goes on even when your Bedford is on the road. Our Dealers run over I( Test Centres throughout the country to test up to M.o.T. standards. And it's just part of a system which keeps Bedford Dealers in touch with Bedford performance.
The result: Bedford vehicles work harder year in, year out.