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BODIES THAT MEET THE FARMER'S NEEDS
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THE requirements of the farmer and market gardener, so far as commercial motors are concerned, are strictly utilitarian. Profits are often small, therefore the vehicle owner is always on the look-out for any improvement that will reduce the cost of transport. The adoption of mechanical traction has enabled the products of the land . to be carried over long distances direct from the farm to the middleman or retailer,
Further economies are effected by designing vans and lorries so that time is saved in loading and unloading. Money may be saved also by making the utmost use of the space available and by paying .attention to the details of the bodywork, in order that the load, what ever its nature, may arrive at its destination in the best possible condition, Milk is carried in bulk in tank wagons. When in churns it is conveyed either in a covered or open vehicle. The covered lorry may have a boarded roof supported on pillars. The sides of the lorry are open, thus facilitating loading and unloading.
Many milk lorries, especially the larger sizes, have the sides and back enclosed by means of roller shutters. The churns thus being fully protected, the milk is kept in better condition during hot
weather than if they were exposed.
Platform and sided lorries are also employed extensively in the wholesale milk trade. The platform with a half upper deck in front is most favoured, because by this simple expedient the loading area is increased 50 per cent., with the advantage that the extra weight is concentrated between the axles.
The overall height is reduced by building the main platform with wheel-arches. These do not entail any loss of space, because they are built up square and each accommodates two churns. The whole may be protected by means of a loose sheet carried on hoops.
Men who are interested in milk transport would do well to read this week's instalment of "Problems of the Haulier and Carrier," which deals with the economics of this sphere of the haulage business.
For carrying a bulky load such as hay,. a large forwardcontrol lorry is suitable. The sides are extended by a slatted framework which inclines outwards at the top. At the back there is another arrangement of slats. The outer members of this ladder are held in staples fastened outside the body and the ladder slants upwards to the rear. Additional loading space is provided over the cab by means of another extension with curved front ends.
During the past few years many thousands of tons of sugar-beet have been transported between farm and factory. Ladders are erected above the body sides and tailboard. When a smaller or more concentrated load is to be carried these extensions are removed. An easy method of detachment consists Of a hinge with a removable pin, whilst the ladder is kept upright by means of a slotted stud and key. This type of lorry is also used by the market gardener.
The nurseryman may have a standard type of lorry, but if a large business be done in potted plants, trays of seedlings, tomatoes, grapes and so on, some special form of bodywork is desirable. Potted plants vary in size considerably and many require protection from sudden changes of temperature, as well as from the force of the wind.
The value of the vehicle is inereased if the chassis be cut behind the rear spring hanger and a cranked extension be added. A well floor with sufficient headroom for the accoramodation of large palms may then be built at the back.
On each side of the interior of the body r e wide shelves having guard rails, and the whole is ventilated by means of a deep set of louvres at the sides and front. These louvres should have inside sliding panels so that the amount of air allowed to pass through may be regulated.
Thelivestock lorry is designed to carry either large or small animals. The dual-purpose vehicle is, therefore, a double-decker, which, when the occasion requires, may be converted into a single-decker, either wholly or in part.
An upper deck which may be raised or lowered by means of gearing simplifies loading, because the same ramp may be used for both decks. The lifting floor is confined chiefly to small and mediumsized vehicles, but it should be possible to use it for the largest livestock lorries by increasing the strength of the mechanical parts and reducing the gear ratio, or employing the power of the engine. A large upper deck can be loaded by lifting it in two portions, each having an end gate.
Horseboxes for holding up to six animals are now available, 'because t h e largest passenger chassis are employed for this purpose. The particular advantage of this type of chassis is the low loadline, which enables the slope of the ramp to be more gentle than in the case of a vehicle with a higher floor.
At the other end of the . scale is the single horsebox trailer, which, in view of its economy, is capable of much development not only for livestock transport but agricultural produce in general.
The trailer has a floor of minimum height because it incorporates
a cranked axle. Each end of the body forms a ramp so that the horse enters and leaves without any manceuvring being required. Each ramp is guarded with detach
able or hinged side boards.
A back door, separate from the rear ramp, keeps the animal in position when the ramp is lowered. At the front there is a hinged bar for securing the horse, whilst on the near side there is a small door so that the horse may be inspected without lowering the ramp.
Elsewhere in this issue the subject of horseboxes is dealt with in a more comprehensive form.
An important development in connection with the horsebox is that of pneumatic padding, which should be of great value for use in vehicles employed for the transport of particularly valuable animals, because it minithizes the risk of injury,