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Supavol draws a paper profit
Page 12
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• Ray Smith Demountables is claiming a 33% gain in cargodeck length over conventional articulated vehicles with its latest Supavol drawbar, now running with the Rankin contracts division of Cleveland Tankers.
The new drawbar outfit has a 150mm coupling gap between the prime mover and trailer when in a straight Line on level ground. This is achieved using an extendible drawbeam fitted with sensors that trigger a valve which admits air to two cylinders to push the trailer backwards, sliding on its drawbeam, whenever the vehicle passes over bumps in the road, or departs from a straight line.
The tiny gap between the Leyland Daf 2500 rigid and the Ray Smith 18-tonne trailer allows bodies of 8.15 metres in length to be fitted. Ray Smith claims the vehicle can carry 12, 1.34-metre pallets in each body — one more than a conventional centre-axle drawbar trailer.
Ray Smith's chief designer John Dalzell says the new Supavol rig has the smallest coupling length yet produced by the company, being lOmm shorter than the Murfitts drawbar exhibited at last year's Motor Show. He says the close-coupled outfit costs around £8,000 more than a conventional centre-axle drawbar unit.
Both bodies on the vehicle are demountable, produced by We'ford Truck Bodies of Consett in County Durham. Their overall height is 4.4 metres, held constant by the vehicle's air suspension.
Rankin will use the vehicle to carry bulky paper products nationwide for Kimberly-Clark.
Ray Smith Demountables is currently building a closecoupled drawbar for Dorlux with a 500mm coupling.