New Cross-country Fork Truck
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THE prototype of a new Matbro 1-ton fork-lift truck, due to be introduced publicly at the Mechanical HandlingExhibition at Olympia, London, on June 4, was demonstrated to the Press last week at the Ford works. Dagenham.
The new model is fitted with 7-in. by 16-in, pneumatic tyres on each of its three wheels and besides being suitable for work on smooth-laid concrete surfaces, it can perform satisfactorily across country.
This capability has not been achieved at the expense of an inordinate length. Transmission of the power from the Ford 10 industrial engine to the forward driving axle is "doubled," the drive from the gearbox to the propeller shaft being through a chain-reduction gear and a shaft lying parallel with, and alongside, the power unit.
Dimensions of the .machine are as follow:—Length without forks, 7 ft. 5 ins.; track. 3 ft. 10 ins.; ground clearance, 9 Ins.; wheelbase, 4 ft. 5 ins.; outside turning circle, 6 ft. 3 ins. Two types are offered, one with a 9-ft. lift and the other with a 12-ft. lift. The minimum and maximum mast heights of the smaller model are 7 ft. 5 ins. and 10 ft. 11 ins, respectively, and those of the larger machine 8 ft. 11 ins. and 13 ft. ii ins.
The tilt-ram is situated mid-way up the mast, necessitating the fitting of an upright member on the body, upon which the ram hydraulic cylinder swivels. Increased strength and stability are afforded by this arrangement. The backward tilt provided is of 12 degrees and that forward 4 degrees.
During the demonstration, the machine revealed its good cross-country capabilities and "The Commercial Motor" representative was able to check the makers' claim that attention had been paid in design to the needs of easy maintenance. The makers are Messrs. Mathew Bros., Sandy Lane North, Wallington, Surrey.
Their 2-ton fork-lift truck is to be offered, in a few months' time, with the Fordson tractor oil engine.