Four-pallet advantage for drawbar operator
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• The outstanding operational advantage of a 32-ton gcw drawbar outfit supplied by John R. Billows (Sales) Ltd, Kettering, Northants to G. G. Papworth Ltd, Ramsey, Hunts, is that it can carry 28 48in. x 40in. pallets compared with the total of 24 pallets that were previously carried on a 40ft 32-ton gvw semi-trailer. And this enables an extra 20 pallet loads to be delivered on long distance runs in a working week of five days.
A Volvo FB88/46 rigid six-wheeler is equipped with a 23ft 9in. platform body and hauls a Tasker trailer with a body of the same length, the coupling being a VBG 800 unit. Plated 24-ton gvw the Volvo is equipped with a 16-ratio splitter gearbox and tandem bogie with a single drive double-reduction axle. It has a top speed of 61 mph.
Overall unladen weight of the outfit is 11 tons 7 cwt, the plated gvw of the trailer being 12.25 tons. The vehicle is currently being used on runs to London from the operator's area and later it will be engaged on deliveries to Scotland. In addition to the pallet-carrying facility it provides the outfit has a split-load advantage in that the prime mover can be employed as a solo vehicle to deliver its load from a depot where the trailer has been left for unloading separately. For this purpose a six-wheeler is preferred to a rigid 16-ton gvw machine. And it is notable that improved handling in traffic is particularly appreciated by the drivers. The platforms are equipped with twistlocks for transporting containers which may be useful later on.