The B.I.F. Holds Its Own
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New Mechanical Handling Equipment Includes Electric, Oil and Petrol-engined Models
W1TADRAWAL of the Treasury's subsidy of around £120,000 to the British Industries Fair, the discontinuance of the Olympia and . E3,rls Court sections, and concentration of the Fair at Castle Bromwich under the management of a public company • in place & the Board of Trade has, claim many industrialists, given new life to an exhibition of declining significance since the war.
The 1957 Fair may have started a new era, and although the range of mobile handling machines does not compare favourably with last year, a number of concerns has taken the opportunity of showing new models, some of which are of unusual interest. The Fair opened on Monday and will continue until May 17.
Most outstanding of the indoor displays of mobile equipment is that of Fodens. Ltd., who show a 6-7-cu.-yd. dumper with °wigged underbody twinram lifting gear, and a 101-cu.-yd. dumper, fitted with an Asham body, the vehicles being based on FED.4 and FED.6 chassis, respectively. An outdoor exhibit is a Foden FGD.6 chassis shown by Stothert and Pitt, Ltd., as the mount for a truck-mixer operated by an oil engine.
At the time of the 1956 Fair, a range of Spacemaster battery-electric fork-lift trucks had been developed by CoventryClimax Engines. Ltd.. but they were not announced until the Mechanical Handling Exhibition. All the batteryelectric models are displayed this year together with an entirely new low-priced solid-tyred fork truck in the Sky-Zone oiland petrol-engined range.
This is known as the Economist and is available with a lifting capacity of 3,500 lb. or 4,000 lb. and rated lifting heights of 9 ft. or 12 ft. The appliance may be equipped with a Coventry Climax or Perkins oil engine, and can also be supplied with a petrol engine. Mechanical features include hydraulic steering, load-control and braking.
A new flameproof battery-electric fork truck of 4.000-lb. capacity at 20-in. centres, a recently introduced loadclamp attachment and a hydraulic power-steering unit are included in the exhibits displayed by Conveyancer Fork Trucks, Ltd. Another attachment of particular interest is a stabilizing clamp. Power assistance is now available for the steering mechanism of the TC.6 fork truck, which has a capacity of 6,000 lb. and is equipped with a petrol or oil engine and torque-converter drive.
The sections of the load clamp are _articulated to equalize the pressure on the load and thus provide safe handling of fragile loads such as cartoned television sets and packages of glassware. Developed to prevent load slip during transport, the stabilizing clamp comprises a plate mounted above the forks on pivoted arms, the power being applied hydraulically. At ' any one setting of the arms, the clamp can be employed over a range of 1 ft.
New Automatic Gate
Some weeks ago the first public demonstration of the Kwikway automatic grid gate was held by the makers, Tansley Brothers, Ltd., and this gate is a feature of the concern's stand.
Essentially comprising grids with counterbalance weights, the two sections of the gate are normally held at an angle of 30 degrees to the ground. When a vehicle (or person) enters the gate from either direction, depression of the first section is relayed by arm extensions to the second section, and the gate is automatically lowered to the horizontal position pending release.
After it has been relieved of vehicle weight it automatically closes. A Boydell-built Muir-Hill dumper is employed to demonstrate the gate, the vehicle being a comparatively recent addition to the maker's range. it has a capacity of 1 cu. yd. and is powered by an air-cooled oil engine.
Another Tansley exhibit of interest to transport operators is the Kwikway Trukbin. This is a mobile caec supported on two brackets and a single wheel. A manually propelled bogie may be inserted under a peg at the front, when the bin can be moved to a waiting vehicle with the minimum of effort.
All the electrically operated, pedestrian-controlled loaders and stackers displayed by Lodematic, Ltd., offer advantages for vehicle loading, and the smaller models are available with a new
feature, a novel control counter. The machines are equipped with a long lead for mains operation, and the counter can be preset to a predetermined number of lifts, so that the current is automatically switched off when the required load has been lifted.
A new model in the range of truckloading machines can raise 2 cwt. to 4 ft. and was specially designed as a lightweight, manceuvrable loader for use by female labour. Of the .five remaining models, the largest is a stacker with a capacity of 4+ cwt. and a 12-ft. lift.
There is a dairy model with rod-type forks designed to facilitate the movement of bottle crates. A sack lifter produced for the corn and coal trades, which is equipped with the counter, has a platform-type carrier and can lift 2+ cwt. to 6 ft. A standard feature of all the models is a hydraulically operated lifting gear.
Powered by a Reliant four-cylindered petrol engine with three-speed gearbox, a new platform truck exhibited by Gough and Co. (Hanley), Ltd., is a four-wheeled vehicle capable of travelling at a relatively high maximum speed and possessing ample power for steep gradients. The driver is seated on the right-hand side of the bonnet and controls the truck by means of a conventional steering wheel.
Movement is transmitted to separate forks carrying the front wheels which have a large angle of turn. Other features include hydraulic brakes, a sprung rear axle and a relatively narrow rear track.
A driver-controlled fork-lift truck is featured on the stand of Lansing13agnall, Ltd. Known as the model F.O.E.R. it is available with capacities of 1 ton or 3,000 lb., both at 20-in. load centres.