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Easy On for Quic

28th September 1962
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Page 66, 28th September 1962 — Easy On for Quic
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By P. A. C. BROCKINGTON,

IN a typical case a pallet-loading body represents a degree of specialization that is acceptable to a wide variety of operators because its design and equipment are not so specialized that the vehicle cannot be used for general goods traffic. The transport of goods in containers can also afford specialization with regard to handling methods without necessitating a purely one-purpose vehicle, and on the bulk side progress in the design of discharge equipment has enabled the variety of materials that can be carried by the same vehicle to be greatly increased. In every case, therefore, quick loading and unloading methods can be employed to reduce terminal delays with the minimum sacrifice

of operational flexibility. . When a vehicle can be loaded over the sides by fork-lift truck there is norD2 mally no need to move the pallets from the as-placed position, but rear loading is often a necessity, and the problem has then to be tackled of transferring the pallets to the front of the vehicle. This can be overcome by employing roller conveyors or the equivalent, and if the height of the floor can be adjusted to the height of the loading deck the pallets can be transferred from a deck conveyor to the vehicle without a fork truck. Of potential value to the bodybuilder is the fact that the weight of the pallet loads is concentrated on runners and the structural weight of the floor and supporting members can be reduced.

The number of pallet loading vans at Earls Court and reports by stand holders of increasing demand for such vehicles show that the system is rapidly gaining ground and that traders are, to an increasing extent, planning or modifyir their dispatch bays to facilitate median cal handling. As evidenced by the diffe ing layouts of the vehicles and the vane of equipment offered, bodybuilders ar equipment manufacturers are close co-operating with traders to meet indiv dual requirements.

The Palletaire system demonstrated t the Duramin company (Stand 28) con prises a pneumatically elevated palle carrying trolley which lifts pallets abor the floor so that the trolley can be free. moved towards the front of the vehiel whilst the concern's Aerola system affor4 the same advantage in a different wa pneumatic elevation being applied recessed rollers that make direct conta.

• with the pallet. The systems are fitte to a 2I-ft. 7-in, light-alloy boxvan boc equipped with a special narrow-pillr lit that was evolved by the company injunction with the Service Engineer7.o., Ltd.

Retract-a-Track pneumatically ated roller system is shown by the Lie company on Stand 116 fitted to concern's recently introduced 1,800t. frameless light-alloy articulated The gauge of the roller tracks on eft of the vehicle matches the width the 52.5-in. by 32.5-in. pallets tged longitudinally (with the longest parallel to the chassis centre line) whilst the gauge of the tracks on the right of the floor is increased to enable the pallets to be mounted on the rollers transversely. Six pallets can be accommodated on the left of the body and 10 on the right and the pallets can be stacked in two tiers. The van is finished in the livery of the Rowntree company and is coupled to an Albion tractive unit.

Simplicity is the keynote of the roller system fitted to the Normand light-alloy rear-loading pallet body (Stand 29) in that the recessed roller sections are fixed to the chassis frame and no elevating device is employed.. The roller tracks are arranged to suit the standard pallets of the operators, runners on the pallets being supported by the rollers and guided by the sides of the tracks. Pallets can be loaded direct from the deck of the dispatch bay or by fork-lift truck. Internal body dimensions comprise a length of 25 ft. 8 in., a width of 7 ft. 8 in., and u height of 7 ft. 3 in., and the structure based on a Crane 15-ton straightframed semi-trailer coupled to a Leyland Beaver tractive unit..

Although the Marston Hi-Lift palletloading boxvan shown on Stand 46 is of the scissors type designed for aircraft loading it will be used by the operators, Airborne Aviation Services (Gatwick), Ltd., for long-distance work, and the makers consider that scissors-action vehicles could profitably be employed for more general traffic, in particular to cater for loading and unloading at varying levels. Of all light-alloy construction the body has an interior length and width of 23 ft. 3 in. and 8 ft. respectively and a height of 7 ft. Edbro twin-ram lifting gear and Access Equipment scissors mechanism provide a lift of 14 ft. with a payload of 7 tons, the thrust capacity of the ram gear being greater than that of any unit yet built by the makers. The body floor is equipped with Rolarnat recessed tracks for the handling of standard aircraft pallets, which are also fitted to the Edbro 2-ton double-lilt tailgate.

Exhibited for the first time at the 1960 Show, J oloda trolley-type pallet-loading equipment is a feature of a Gardner light-alloy insulated van body (Stand 124) mounted on an A.E.C. Marshal chassis and affords an interesting contrast to the other types of roller system mentioned. Two trolleys are inserted under the pallet and run on recessed rails, elevation being manually controlled by detachable rods. The rods can be "pumped " to assist pallet movement, and the system affords a high safety factor in that manual braking can be immediately applied and

automatic brake stops are provided to prevent overrun at the front and rear.

Ideally, a bulk discharge system should be capable of handling virtually every type of loose material, and although this ideal has yet to be attained the equipment exhibited indicates that notable progress has been made by a number of makers in the past two years. If a bulk-discharge system is used for a number of powders, handling problems are complicated by the differing effects of humidity and temperature and by the need to obviate physical damage to the material. Moreover, noisy operation of the blower may represent a decisive disadvantage if the vehicle is discharged at night in a residential area, and with some types of material it is essential to eliminate any possibility of air contamination by oil fumes.

Modifications Since the last Show, modified handling equipment has been produced by the Bonaflack company (Stand 23) and by , the Bawn concern (Stand 106), and it is interesting to compare the basic principles of the systems because they indicate a completely different approach to the handling of the same types of material. Both cater for the special needs of operators carrying animal foods, grains and granulated solids, but both are suitable for a much wider range of products.

The Bonaflack Pneumarator system is of the pneumatic-rotary-seal type and is applied to a 550-cu.-ft. aluminium body based on a Bedford TK 7-1-ton chassis. the body being tipped by Edbro 4LNX front-of-body twin-ram lifting gear. Driven from the power take-off, a Godfrey blower supplies air under pressure to a side-mounted rotary seal into which material is fed from the rear of the body by a transversely-mounted canvas belt, both the seal and the belt being driven by an hydraulic motor supplied by a p.t.-o.-driven pump. The belt system increases the useful scope of the equipment because it enables the rate of feed into the seal to be varied to suit the material being handled. The nominal maximum rate of discharge is 15 tons per hr., but it is considered that higher rates are obtainable.

D4 Hydraulic motor drive is also employed for the augers of the Bawn Bulkveyor multi-compartment body which has a capacity of 19 cu. yd., and is based on a Thames Trader chassis equipped with an Edbro front-of-body lifting gear. After the body has been tipped, a transversely located rear auger feeds the material into a vertical auger-equipped duct, from which it is transferred to a side-mounted augered boom having a length of 20 ft. This can slew through an angle of 330 degrees and has a reach" extending from ground level to 26 ft. Hinged partitions are available to separate different types of material.

The outstanding advantage of the Bulkveyor in some applications is that it can be used for power loading of the material as welt as power discharge, a dispersing auger being employed to distribute the materials being loaded to the appropriate sections. A flexible sock is fitted to the rear end of the boom and to the inlet of the dispersing auger, the housing of which incorporates a number of slides controlling apertures above each section. Rates of discharge and loading vary according to the material handled, up to 40 tons per hr. It is claimed that the system is' relatively quiet in operation compared with the pneumatic type, and that it can be used for a wider variety of materials. If required, a full-length floor auger can be employed to dispense with the need for tipping.

A discharge rate of 13.5 tons in six seconds is claimed for a raw-sugar bulk vehicle shown by the British Trailer Company on Stand 97 mounted on a Four-in-Line 15-ton semi-trailer. Built by Woodwards of Formby for the Tate and Lyle company, the body structure comprises two containers both of which incorporate a full-length pyramid section, the raw sugar being carried on the sloping sides of the pyramids and the sides of the body. These are hinged at the

top and are opened by an external crank mechanism linked to the p of a pneumatic cylinder. The vehic unloaded on a special island site the sugar is discharged through a to an underfloor conveyor after riled cally operated blades have been n to contact the lower sides of the ye to form a chute. Pneumatic powi supplied at the site, flexible pipes connected to unions on the outsid the vehicle. Average turn-round tin about 45 sec., whereas unloading 12 of sacks formerly occupied a gan men about 40 minutes.

Bulk Milk

Bulk-milk collection schemes, s sored by the Milk Marketing Board, created new and interesting problem tanker manufacturers, in particular need to evolve a fast-filling syster loading that can be operated withou engine running so as to avoid cord nation of the milk by fumes at the fr Loading by vacuum is now fully e lished and approved by the M.M.B., a vacuum system is a notable feE of the Andrews Bros. 2,700-gal. compartment stainless steel milk-cc tion articulated tanker (Stand 117) h on B.T.C. Four-in-Line running ge

The fractive unit is fitted with a 1 capacity generator and heavy-duty teries for the operation of an electri driven exhauster, which can be when the vehicle is on the road to c a vacuum in the tanks in preparatioi loading. An overflow detector incorporated in a cylinder adjacen the exhauster, comprises an elect probe which cuts out the motor in event of overfilling.

The advantages of employ itu demountable container (or body) extremely diversified and vary from facility the system provides for ss to the chassis running gear to an htial role in a fully developed :hanical-handling system. One aspect !ontainer traffic is, however, of special rest because it relates to the prospect this country entering the Common rket, and it is pertinent that a number manufacturers and operators are ewing the possibility of employing vehicles with demountable bodies dace of articulated outfits.

he makers of Rolamat light-alloy er sections, Armstrong Whitworth iipment (Stand 96), have evolved an -loading roller system for complete ies or containers and are particularly rested in the possible application of scheme to vehicles delivering goods the Continent. The system offers a !able saving in capital cost and also lepot storage space if the bodies are seasonally.

lickleover Transport (Stand 27) )rt a growing demand for their alltics foamed-core insulated containers, tbly for direct-export, and the corny envisage that ships will eventually built specifically for containers. tough the concern's non-insulated van ies are rather more costly than the ventional types, insulated containers can be built at a competitive cost, a feature in favour of the foamed-core method of construction being that the thickness of the core can be increased to provide efficient insulation without complicating fabrication. The largest container shown is a 12-ton, 19-ft. endloading insulated type designed for the transport of general goods requiring a measure of protection against extremes of temperature; in this case a 2-in, sandwich is employed which compares with a sandWich of 4 in. applied to a fullyinsulated 4-ton container.

A last-minute surprise at the Show, a Duramin light-alloy collapsible container (Stand 28), has a length of 6 ft. 9 in., and a height and width of 6 ft., whilst its collapsed height is 15 in. Designed to meet a particular customer's requirements, the Show container is fitted with a double-door at one end. Goods can be stacked on a collapsed container, and it is notable that no " loose parts" are employed in the structure.

A Duramin prototype 19-ft. by 7-ft. container is of plastics-foam construction and features hang-up meat rails capable of carrying a combined load of 12 tons. Two general-purpose containers include one of light alloy and one of steel.

use by village retailers of an easily detachable refrigerated container (owned by the supplier) in place of a cold-room is an interesting development cited by the Smith's Delivery Vehicles company (Stand 85) which not Only saves storage costs but frees the vehicle for other work after removal of the container. Known as the Frigolette, the company's new 72-cu.-ft. light-alloy container can be easily removed by overhead hoist gear and the Winget Dole holdover plates (which are used in conjunction with a Sternette electrically driven compressor) arc of ample capacity for temporary storage purposes. Insulation is provided by 6 in. of polyurethane, and a door at the rear and one on the left side are fitted with Polydrape plastics curtain fOr reducing heat loss when the vehicle is being loaded. The container is mounted on a Standard 15-cwt. chassis.

Built for Allied Services, Ltd., a demountable light-alloy container body is shown by Road .Transport Services I Hackney), Ltd., on Stand 142; it is designed for removal by overhead hoist gear and is fitted with a reinforced tailboard for pallet loading. This body is 15 fr. long, 6 ft. 3 in. high and 7 ft. wide and is mounted on an Austin 5-ton chassis. It weighs approximately 13 cwt.

and the weight of the special pedestal underframe is 5.5 cwt. With the aid of special sling hooks designed for inserting into lifting plates at the base of the body, the container can be removed from the chassis in a few minutes.

During this brief review of easy handling methods it may have been noted that the majority of structures mentioned are built of aluminium with the plastics type coming a fairly close second. At the 1960 Show it appeared that 'plastics materials were losing ground to aluminium, but this year's exhibits indicate a possible reversal of the. trend. A variety of reinforced-plastics cabs are shown by bodybuilders and vehicle makers, and the success of their van bodies reported by the Mickleover company gives promise that general-purpose bodies of this type will increase in popularity. A plastics boxvan is exhibited by this concern, mounted on a Bedford 5-ton chassis, which is constructed of 0.625-in, foamedcore sandwich.

On the Road Transport Services stand, a section is shown of an experimental platform body constructed of Spandomet 404 0.75-in, sandwich lined with glassfibre mat. Made in four sections, the

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completed body will have a length of 17 ft. 4.5 in., the cross-hearers being of hollow glass-fibre construction with castaluminium feet for attachment by U-bolt to the vehicle chassis. An all-plastics cab is also shown by the company, fitted to a special A.E.C. Mercury chassis, the panels of which are stiffened by swaging and the addition of glass-fibre reinforcing sections.

Glass-filament winding is a constructional process of particular interest applied by the 13awn company to two demonstration tank sections. The process is an alternative to mat construction and, it is claimed, offers •fabrication advantages arid a higher strength-toweight ratio. The inner Surface of one of the tank sections is treated with epoxy resin and furane is applied to the inner surface of the second section.

Completed a few days before the Show opened, a glass-fibre 4,000-gal. singlecompartment tanker is being exhibited in Demonstration Park by the Butterfield npany (Stand 101) which is suitable for variety of liquids including Teepol, cerine, diesel fuel and weak to dium solutions of most acids and ails. The tank structure and equipnt has an all-up weight of 2,100 lb., 1 the overall length of the tank is ft. The manholes and manhole covers also constructed of plastics material I the interior surface is treated with chemically-resistant solution. The ker is based on an E.R.F. eighteeled chassis.

rhe increasing popularity of frameless iculated tankers is, in part, indicative the difficulties associated with mounting ank flexibly on a rigid frame to avoid the transfer of torsional stresses from the chassis to the tank structure. Many tanker operators will therefore be particularly interested in the HolmesAlexander Scot petroleum tanker (Stand 133) which is mounted on B.T.R. VibroInsulators. Three pairs of insulators arc fitted to each side of the chassis, no other form of tank support being provided, and it is claimed that they afford complete isolation of the tank from the frame members. The chassis is an AEC. rigid six-wheeler.

Each insulator element comprises two rubber bushes having conical outer ends and loading the rubber compresses air trapped between the bushes. The tank has a gross capacity of 3,355 gal., and when fully loaded deflection of the bushes is about 0.5 in. The insulators offer ample resistance to longitudinal surging and their use enables a lighter sub-structure to be employed.

Representing an important addition to the company's range of tipping equipment, singleand twin-ram lifting gears of the rigid-base type are being exhibited by Weston Works on Stand 113. The gears are of the three-stage telescopic type and are mounted in a heavy-duty cradle to counteract side movements of the body. Available in stroke lengths up to 10 ft 6 in. the gears are suitable for body lengths up to 16 ft. The rams can he easily dismantled from the cradle for renewal of a damaged tube.

Tags

People: Weston Works
Locations: Austin

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