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SPECIAL BODIES for

11th August 1933, Page 36
11th August 1933
Page 36
Page 37
Page 36, 11th August 1933 — SPECIAL BODIES for
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BUILDER'S VEHICLES

THE characteristic feature of the builder's lorry is the gantry which supports the front end of any lengthy material, such as timber, constructional ironwork or piping. This gantry consists of a pair of uprights, a crossbar and suitable bracing to give it rigidity. As a rule, a 1-ton or 30-cwt. lorry has only a front gantry, but many of the larger vehicles have also a centre bolster. This is removable, so that the whole of the interior of the body is available when required.

The height of the cross-bar of the centre bolster is determined by the height of the cross-bar of the front gantry, also by the height of the bearing surface on which the back end of the load rests. This rear support may be the top of a closed full-height or low tailboard, the rear edge of the open tailboard, or the back bar of the body.

In each instance the angle of the load is different, consequently it is an advantage if the centre bolster be adjustable lengthwise. An adjustable bolster has lengthwise members which are drilled to register with the holes of floor plates. The bolster is held in position by removable iron pins.

B26 A tailboard which is used, either open or closed, to support the load, should be made of hardwood and strongly plated, particularly on the bearing surface. Similar reinforcement is necessary when the hind bar of the bottom framework is supporting half the load. Some lorries have an extra bar laid on the hind member of the body ; thus the wear is transferred to a bearer which is more easily replaced.

When long lengths of material are carried on an open tailboard, less stress is imposed on it, as well as on the side chains and their fastenings, if the tailboard be adjusted to the same angle as that taken up by the load.

When the lorry is sent out on a building repair job, probably the Only lengthy item of the load is a ladder. This may be lashed to the

front gantry, but it is more quicklr secured in position if the gantry be equipped with a pair of uprights which engages with one of the rungs. A similar method of fastening may be fitted to the tailboard, or made up as a special cradle. A ladder could also be quickly loaded if the lorry were provided with a sloping skeleton trough-shaped support. By this means the ladder could be slid on from the rear, and there would be no necessity for lifting it on to the front gantry.

If piping, or other material, is liable to be bent when transported on a gantry, provision is made for carrying it horizontally. The front end. of the loading portion, where it projects beyond the side of the cab, is hinged or removable, so that the piping may lie, not only outside the cab, but also at the side of the bonnet. Wood troughs are mounted on the front wings, and may continue to the front of the loading portion.

This method of loading obstructs the cab door. If confined to one side, the other door is free. When there are troughs beside both doors it is considered that the driver should have some sort of an emergency exit, such as a hinged window frame, or a door having separately hinged upper and lower portions.

When the trough is not in use, the door portion should he removable. Alternatively, by bolting a part of the trough to the door, it may open with it if there be a gap wide enough to allow for the swing of the door and its attachment.

Joinery is made up in the workshop, so that the amount of fitting on the site of operations is reduced to a minimum. Such pieces of joinery are of various shapes and sizes, and require careful arrangement if they are to be transported without injury.

To facilitate loading, the plainsided lorry requires some device whereby additional points are provided for securing and tying the load. Some side posts are the simplest way of solving the problem, but horizontal rails are equally serviceable, if not more so.

A good plan would be to equip the lorry with loading frames, so as to double the height of the sides of the body. These frames extend to the floor, and are Mounted on the top of the body side by means of angle plates and secured by thumb screws.

The loading frame, also, has a bearing on the floor and is kept in position by a side fillet. The bearing surfaces on the body side and floor are of half-round iron, and the frames are slid on from the rear. A body 10 ft. long may have three loading frames on each side, and some or all may be mounted in posi tion, according to the requirements of the load and the number of points necessary for tying up.

Glass is carried in an ordinary lorry on a removable rack which slopes a few degrees from the vertical. The rack is secured on one side of the lorry, or, if it be double-sided, then it is placed in the centre of the floor.

Racks are also mounted outside

the body, which gives scope for a large rack without increasing the overall height of the vehicle, because it extends below the floor level. If additional height be required, a top section may be added, which, when ,pot in use, folds on to the roof.

The outside glass reek is a disadvantage if a rear wheel

has to be changed during the course of a journey. Although such a contretemps may seldom occur, easy access to the wheel still remains necessary, for which purpose that portion of the rack which covers the wheel is hinged. Where the bottom trough of the rack is cut, it has a bearing on a lip plate secured stoutly to the fixed portions of the rack.

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