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Light Van Semis from Scotland
Page 104
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A RANGE of light semi-trailer vans has been developed by Highland Engineering Ltd., 11 Castle Street, Edinburgh, 2, in conjunction with Scottish Aviation Ltd., Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, to the design of Mr. K. E. M. Kaye. The semi-trailers are for we behind various makes of pick-up of differing sizes and all have the name Minatie. A joint selling organization has been set up and will be handled from Prestwick, and the range extends from a 7-cwt. 240-cu.-ft. model for use with B.M.C. Mini pick-ups to a 31-cwt. 576-cu.-ft. van for use behind -such vehicles as the B.M.C. J2 M16, Thames 12and i5-cwt and Land-Rover pick-ups. All have full B.M.C. approvaL The first production semi-trailer to have been built is a Minatic 7, the number indicating the payload•in cwt. The body capacity of this is 240 cu. ft., which, incidentally, coincides with the price (£240), the pricing of all these vehicles being at the rate of £1 per cu. ft, of body capacity. The Minatic 7 body, has a maximum length of 10 ft. and a -width of 5 ft, the well section being 6 ft. long and the step-up for the coupling being
2. ft. 6-5 in. The interior height is 5 ft. 10 in., and with the present suspension system the loading height is 10.5 in. The complete semi-trailer has an unladen weight of 335 lb. and the taxation weight with a:Mini pick-up is 15 cwt. The Minatic body has an aluminiumalloy Z-section underframe, with aluminium top-hat-section framing .members for the swaged aluminium body panels. The roof panel incorporates a translucent glass-fibre panel, whilst the flooring is of plywood. There is a 2-ft. 8-9-in.-wide single lockable rear door, the effective height of which is 5 ft. 5.75 in.
The semi-trailer wheels are independently sprung, initial vehicles having Rubery-Owen torsion-bar suspension, although later models are to have Armstrong strut-type springing which will allow the semi-trailer height to be adjusted to suit individual requirements. The brakes are 77in. by 1.25-in. Girling leading-and-trailing-shoe units with a total lining area of 33.6 sq. in. (although the intention is to use Lockheed brakes of the same nominal size in due course) and these work on the overrun principle, a spring being introduced into the linkage so that when running empty and braking normally the semi-trailer brakes are rarely brought into use. A parking brake is fitted behind the coupling ball.
The coupling is a standard .caravantype 50-mm ball, and the tractive-unit section is mounted on a spider which bolts on to the tops of the body sides: the spider is quickly detachable, so the Mini can be used as a normal pick-up when not towing the semi-trailer. A fivepin plug and socketis provided for the electrical connections to the combined tail, stop and indicator lamps at the rear and the white marker lamps at the front of the body. The semi-trailer fittings include twin jockey wheels.
Numerous inquiries have been received from a variety of different trades regarding the Minatic 7, including some from potential overseas custornrs, and it is contemplated that production will build , up to the rate of 20 a day in a few months' time. In terms of body capacity the vehicle represents good value for money, as with a standard Mini pick-up the total price is £609 10s., whereas a B.M.C. LD-type petrol-engined van with a 235-0.-ft. body has a list price of L710. An example is at present being road tested by this journal, and the report will be published shortly.
The larger Minatic Models consist of the 300-cu.-ft. Minatic 11 for use behind Morris and Standard 6-cwt. pick-ups, the 496-cu.-ft. Minatic 21 for use behind B.M.C. car-type 10-cwt., Thames 12-.and 15-cwt. and Land-Rover pick-ups, and the 576-cu.-ft. Minatic 31, J.F.M.