More interest in beer from Pickfords and chemicals from Harold Wood
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• New Pickfords and Harold Wood tankers, shown at the official opening of the companies' (Tankfreight) depot at Widnes (CM last week) exemplify the former's growing interest in beer and food transport and the latter's increasing activity on the Continental front.
A Pickfords' 120-barrel (4850gal) articulated frameless tanker designed for operation at 32 tons gvw was shown together with a Harold Wood hazardous-chemical frameless tanker of the same gvw (but 5300ga1 capacity) which will be employed for deliveries in Europe and could readily be converted to a 6300ga1 (24,0e0 litre) outfit with a gvw of 38 tons by the addition of an extra section.
Both tankers are of EN58J stainless steel; Pickfords favour the use of this material for any tanker other than a bulk powder type — for which aluminium is suitable — because of the cargo flexibility it provides, and this is in line with Harold Wood's policy, about 90 per cent of whose vehicles are of stainless steel.
Universal Bulk Handling Equipment Ltd is the maker of the tank shell in each case, the running gears being produced by Hands Neway and Crane Fruehauf respectively, The beer trailer is equipped with a four-spring suspension with multiple leaves and the chemicals tanker with a four-spring single-leaf type.
While the Pickfords' tanker was developed in close liaison with the major breweries it is of a type that could be adapted to carry milk. Pressure discharge by carbon monoxide is employed at 30 psi; milk would be discharged by pressure or by pump. Of special note, a hatch at the rear facilitates internal cleaning with spray balls. The shell is insulated with 2in, of glass fibre and is clad in aluminium.
Complying with DTI, ADR and TIR requirements, the Harold Wood tanker is discharged by compressed air supplied by a pto-driven compressor on the ERF 464 CU220 tractive unit. Lagged with 4in. of polyurethane and clad in glass fibre, the stainless-steel shell has steam coils welded to it on its underside, steam heating, being required for a variety of cargoes to unfreeze the load at the destination. The versatility of the design will increase the scope of the tanker for the carriage of back loads.