Self-tracker for Tate and Lyle?
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• A rigid six-wheeler having a self-tracking axle immediately in front of the driving axle is being tried for urban delivery work by Tate and Lyle Transport Ltd, The vehicle is a Bedford TK of 12ft 7in. wheelbase, with an air-sprung Ceschi selftracking axle fitted ahead of the rear axle by the Primrose Third Axle Co. Ltd. The added axle has single tyres.
Having three axles over which to spread the load has enabled smaller wheels to be used; they are I 7in„ rather than the customary 20in. diameter. Consequently, the floor height is only 3ft 2in.—a useful factor on local delivery work. Yet the payload has been increased to over 8 tons as a result of the conversion. The gross weight is 13+ tons, compared with 101 tons for a four-wheeled 7-ton ner.
Moreover, with the three-axle vehicle, Tate and Lyle Transport does not have the problem of temporary overloading of axles as load is removed from either end in the course of delivery.
Because the Primrose-converted low-loading six-wheeler has exactly the same wheelbase as when it was a four-wheeler, the turning circle remains the same, 464ft.
The body takes the form of a canopied flat, with PVC curtains sealing each side and a roller shutter closing off the rear. This arrangement affords three-way access to any part of the load. The body is 16ft llin. long.