Value for money in public works
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NEARLY 700 companies are represented at this year's Public Works and Municipal Services Exhibition held at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham this week.
Energy, its conservation and future, were the main subjects to be discussed during a special seminar session in which Dr John Cunningham, MP, Minister with special responsibility for energy conservation, was the principal speaker.
Terotechnology is fast becoming an important factor in public works and industry was the message from the paper entitled Value for money on Local Government given by John Hart, manager of the Maintenance and Operations Division of the Greater London Council.
"Physical assests can represent as much as 70 per
cent of a company's total value and is rare for them to be under a single person's control,he said.
In conjunction with the main exhibition, three others, on en vironmental pollution control, effluent and water treatment and site services, accompany it.
On the stand of the Avon Rubber Company were several examples of industrial chassis, one with a standard four-wheel turntable steering system, an other equipped with a T-bar on a two-wheel chassis complete with adjustable height hitch and a second two-wheel system all designed to meet the rigours of on and off highway operation.
Better ride characteristics are claimed for the Avonride axles which feature a rubber-in compression system. These are marketed in complete axle form where the hub suspensions are independent or can be supplied as pairs of stub units for use where the track centres may vary.
Shelvoke and Drewry Ltd. are showing examples of both its continuous and intermittent loading refuse collection vehicles, a 4 X 4 chassis cab fitted with Molex tank and equipment as well as a Vertipack static compactor and a range of rectangular containers.
Shown for the first time were examples of a new PN and PNL series steel tilt cab with a grp roof section. Full width chassis and narrow track vehicles are able to accept the cab which tilts hydraulically to 45 degrees.
It has a wide doorway and low step access. Two options are available, a three-man single cab or a five-man crew cab.
The design meets all current and proposed UK /EEC safety regulations.
Displayed on the Sheepbridge Engineering stand is a Scum (214cuft) truck mixer and trailer concrete pump from the
Ritemixer range of concrete handling equipment.
Riternixer say that this size of drum is the most popular although the range extends from 3cum to 8cum (107cuft to 286cuft). This model incorporates a diesel-powered donkey engine to drive the mixer drum through an hydraulic transmission system but other forms of drive are available.
Also on show was a concrete pump with a 30cum (107cu ft) per hour capacity suitable for operation anywhere in the world. When truck-mounted it can be used in conjunction with a 17.5m (57ft) placement boom.
Edbro which now produces a wide range of solid waste equipment including compactors, containers and scrap balers, introduced two new items at the show.
A Tip-a-lift skip loader has been built to handle containers up to 5.8m (19ft) long and 1.95m (6ft 4in) wide with 25cum (890 cuft) capacity. Load capacity is rated in terms of lifting moment and designed for 37 ton-metres. Actual lift . capacity depends on the reach employed by the double-jointed arms which allows the container to be lifted from a lower level and to be tipped while it is suspended above the vehicle bed.
An additional model, the 700-Series has been added to Edbro's range of pto's to suit gearboxes with rear flanges for auxiliary drives such as the 900-Series Eaton Fullers, Mercedes-Benz G3/65 and G3/90, and the Volvo R51, R61, and R62 models.
At 1000rpm they are rated at 22-28kW (30 to 37hp) with corresponding torques of 116 to 136Nm (158 to 184Ibft) and for the Fuller boxes there are shaft drop options rated at either 16 or 46kW (21 or 62hp). The cylindrically-shaped pumps de liver from 90 to 150 litre /min (20 to 30 gal/min) with a choice of controls consisting of cable, rod or compressed air.
Built to Continental standards the Supervac com bined gully cleanser and emptier can be seen on the stand of Buckingham Vehicles. The continuously rated exauster compressor pump is driven hydraulically, while the vacuum-pressure change-over mechanism is pneumatically operated and the gully arm is hydraulically assisted. Controls on the gully pipe start and stop the exhauster pump, operate the vacuum-pressure change-over mechanism, raise and lower the gully pipe and start and stop the hydraulically-driven water pump.
The Big Bite Junior is a smaller version of a machine that has been produced for local government and private contractors over the last 18 months by Jack Allen (Motor Bodies) Ltd.
The unit, on this occasion mounted on a 16-ton Seddon Atkinson 200-Series chassis, is said to be able to lift and empty between five and eight 7.6 cum (10cuyd) skips before needing to discharge its load. Two hydraulic arms to the rear lift, empty and return the skips to their original position. With the unit mounted on a 16-ton chassis, similar manoeuvrability to a normal skip loader is pro duced but does not have the disadvantage of having to travel to the tip after visiting each pick-up point.
A new generation of snowploughs has been purpose-built by Rolba Ltd to meet the demands of efficient snow clearing. The Rolba Snowbaby R-60 is the smallest rotary snowplough in the company's range, shown alongside the medium-sized R-200 and the high capacity R-400.
While the Snowbaby is a pedestrian-operated machine, both the larger models, designed with a special chassis and powered by an air-cooled engine driving through a hydrostatic transmission to the. rotary plough, are equipped with heated cabs.
Of the two gritters on show, the smaller version, a semipermanent unit mounted on a 4x2 Ford chassis, is the more interesting. An Archimedeantype screw is used to move the material along to the spinner disc giving a regulated feed and accurate .spread, which can result in substantial savings in the purchase of salt. The hopper is sealed to prevent the corrosive material spreading over the chassis.
Moving away from cold weather machinery, the Rolba Bambi is a cross-country personnel carrier with a three-man cab and loading space for equipment, having an all-up weight of half a ton.
A much larger vehicle is the Robe Carrier equipped with a two-man cab and able to carry a payload of up to four tons.
ZF Gears (Great Britain) Ltd are showing a range of powershift gearboxes, Qxles and steering equipment., The Transmatic six and eight-speed gearbox and torque convertor assemblies form the centrepiece of the stand.
Examples of the countershaft type of the Hyriromedia reversing gearbox, designed for all-wheel drive, said to be suitable for use in shovel loaders, graders and wood tractors, etc, are also shown.
Two vehicles from the Hestair Dennis Bulkmaster range are offered with a choice of manual or automatic transmission. The hydraulic loading system will clear the large 1.37cum (1 ,8cuyd) hopper into the
13.18cum (17.25cuyd) aluminium/ steel body in just 15 seconds. The body will accommodate up to a 7-ton payload.
Hestair Eagle are showing the Phoenix intermittent rearloading refuse vehicle with a 15 cum (19.6cuyd) body and a 2.1 cum (2.74cuyd) hopper with a low loading height. The Phoenix is produced in 12, 15, and 18cum (15.7, 19, 6 and 23.5cuyd) versions. The Warwick-based company is also showing a tipping sweeper with a 4.9cum (6.4cuyd) body, a 1100 litre (242ga1) water tank and a four cylinder auxiliary diesel engine.
Hestair Wheatley Ltd is exhibiting two examples from its range of trailers, four-tonne cable drum trailer equipped with an hydraulic lifting mechanism and air brakes, and a 10-tonne Crusader for pulverised refuse.
To be able to operate in very rough conditions is an advantage for any piece of equipment. Cotil Mobile cranes claim its product will do just this, being able to lift loads up to 2540kg (2.5tons) from excavations a hundred feet deep up to heights of about 35ft.
The hydraulic lorry loader range starts with the K.54 which has a capacity of 1,150kg (2,520Ibs) and has a boom length of 2.13m (7ft). At the top of the range is the K.1000 with a capacity of 5,080kg (11,200Ibs) at a 2m (6ft 71n) boom length. Unlimited slewing in either direction, hydraulic boom extensions and hydraulic stabilizers are part of the standard specification.
The units can be placed at whatever position on the vehicle it best suits the particular loading requirement. All the company's cranes are said to be suitable for static operation and are supplemented by a full range of augers, grabs and attachments for handling most types of material.
The PK 16,000: a 16tonnemetre vehicle-mounted crane
having a lifting capacity of 2.5 tonnes at 6.1m (20ft) has only recently been introduced by manufacturers Palfinger.
The crane can be slewed in an arc of 400 degrees and has a reach of either 7.3m (24ft) or 9.1m (30ft) which can be increased with extensions to a total of 15m (49ft).
It can be folded within the width of the vehicle occupying Only a similar space to that of cranes of a much smaller capacity.
On stand 5T54 Temperature Filtration Ltd, attending the exhibition for the first time, has a range of roof-mounted vehicle cab conditioners. The units are designed to remove 95 per cent of harmful dust and control the temperature within the cab. A continuous stream of fresh air to part-pressurise the interior prevents the ingress of dust from other areas.
A new addition to the company's product range is the non-recirculation Hupp-air, a refrigeration air conditioning unit intended specifically for the construction industry.
The principle of using one vehicle to handle and carry a variety of vehicle bodies is fol lowed to the full by the Multilift range of chainlift equipment. The ML range of 16-20 ton capacity allows high capacity containers, toilet units, mess huts and items of plant all to be handled.
The new Norba Alligator skip handling collector, suitable for mounting on a twoor three-axle chassis, is one from a range of rufuse collection vehicles produced by Multilift. The jaw action of the compression mechanism enables the unit to consume the load from some 10-12 containers before having to discharge the semi-pulverised cargo.
Manual removal of sludge is eliminated by the use of Whale's Jetvac. It is possible to complete jetting for descaling purposes, to clear blockages
and remove the sludge in one,
visit. On the hip-volume models, a high-pressure hos* reel of a large diameter is a standard fitment. Being narrow and mounted on a swivel allows the hose to be paid out at any
angle on a 180-degree arc. In the stowed position the reel fits neatly in a transverse position at the rear of the tank.
Northern Industrial and Marine Services Co Ltd, as winch supply specialists, have on show examples of several models both for hire and sale. The Somia compressed air winches, ranging from 0.5-5 tons safe working load, are equipped with failsafe brakes. Clydesdale are diesel and electric-powered construction winches with a one to 20 ton swl. N.I. & M. also offer chain and general lifting gear.
Amongst the range of sweepers and snowblowers shown by Danline International is the Hy-Dan, a frontmounted hydraulic model and the latest addition from the company. The controls include brush lift and angling and the pto allows other attachments to be used without disconnecting the hydraulic pump. Two sweeping widths are available, 2m and 2.12m (79 and 84ins) which enable the machine to cope with dirt chippings, snow or slush up to a depth of 250mm (10in).
A snowblower is shown by Eagle Airfield Equipment, an associate company to Danline International. The SM1 Series 500 is a self-contained dieselpowered machine with ca bover-engine all-wheel-drive chassis. A telescopic loading chute enables up to 30 tons of snow to be deposited at an accurately controlled distance from the vehicle, while the fourwheel drive offers maximum traction, Ryder Autoservice (GB) Ltd are UK concessionaires for vehicle winches made by Warn International of the USA. Besides being fitted to trailers, transporters, low loaders etc to assist in loading and unloading, some models can be mounted at the front of utility vehicles for self-recovery purposes.
The Warn winches on exhibition include electric remote control, powered from the vehicle's 12 or 24V battery system and some others, manually operated have fast and slow wind facility.
It takes only 42 seconds to complete the tipping cycle with the 32-ton version of the Magirus Deutz 310D 32AK 6 X 6 dump truck fitted with the Magirus heavy-duty Lineflow body. This model, intended for mainly off-highway work, is powered by a V10 air-cooled diesel engine, has all-wheeldrive transmission which includes inter-axle and cross-axle diff locks.
The high tractive power of the 232D 26AK 6 X 6 attributed to the hub reduction axles, makes it an ideal vehicle for snow-clearing work. In this instance the air-cooled V8powered machine is equipped with a gritter body and Bellhack snow-clearing equipment by Atkinson of Clitheroe.
A new version of the Precinct suction sweeper, designated the Precinct II from Me!ford Engineering, features a redesigned suction nozzle, and a linkage ensuring that the angle of the nozzle follows the contours of the road surface. The re-designed suction fan has resulted in a reduction of noise level, claimed to be well below the stringent levels laid down by some other Euopean countries, The cab, too, has undergone some changes so that access is improved and controls are placed to better advantage.
An hydrostatic transmission has an improved cooling and purging system so that oil
changes need not be so frequent and component life is extended. Chrysler's C08 series chassis cab is used by Armfield En
gineering Ltd on which to mount a lightweight aerial work platform. Three models give working heights of 8.5m, llm and 13m (28ft, 36ft and 43ft) with a safe working load within the cage of 200kgs.
The design emphasis has been on safety and the specification includes dual levelling rods, holding valves on all rams, safety harness anchorage points and a hand pump for emergency power.
Mansun Hydraulics Ltd, which forms part of the Atlas Copco Group of companies, has on show a range of hydraulic, pneumatic, electric and manu ally-operated range of directional control valves, auxiliary valves and medium and large cylinders for the construction industry.
The main display consists of a power control cab as used on hydraulic excavators, showing an ideal application for the company's remote control valves.
Leyland's dirty dozen are fitted with refuse collection bodies and skiploading gear. The 12 vehicles shown range from the Sherpa through to the Octopus eight-weeler Amongst them a Boxer 1235 4x2 fitted with Ferguson M11 gully emptying equipment, is rated at 12.35 tons. The Lacre compactor-sweeper is also based on the Boxer 1235 chassis cab, while the Norba Constrictor refuse collector uses the 1450 chassis at 14.5 tons gvw.
For operation at 16 tons gvw, with the Eagle Phoenix intermittent rear-loading refuse collection eqipment, the Boxer 1600 is equipped with Leyland's own turbocharger 6/98 engine rated at 102 kW (137bhp) at 2,500rpm, similar to the two 12.3-tonnes, while the 14.5-tonner here uses the lower rated 81 kW (109bhp) naturally aspirated engine.
Also at 16 tons, the Clydesdale 21D with the Jack Allen Collectomatic 61 cum (80cuyd) refuse collector equipment is on display. At 24 tons gross, the Bison employs the TL11A engine with a power output of 155kW (209bhp) at 2,200rpm in conjunction with the Fuller RTO 609 nine-speed rangechange gearbox and hub reduction rear axle and equipped with the Mackrill M5 22/26 container-handling unit. '
Again at 24 tons is a Reiver for concrete mixer work fitted Out by Stothert and PH. A sixspeed gearbox includes overdrive driven by the Leyland 410 engine with a net rating of 107kW (133bhp) at 2600rpm.
Edbro's Rolatip is mounted on the 30-ton 8 X 4 Octopus chassis fitted with the L12 engine which produces 151 kW (203bhp) at 3,200rpm.
The Jaguar-Rover-Triumph Division of BL cars has a LandRover equipped as a mobile workship. Bateson Trailers Ltd are displaying a selection of its commercial and industrial trailers up to 3.5 tons gross. The 4500 is a light general-purpose trailer designed for carrying light plant and equipment up to a maximum of 2,286kg (45cwt). It measures 3m (9ft 10in) long and 1.67m (5ft 6in) wide and is constructed mainly of hardwood over a steel framework. Avonride rubber suspension and four five-stud 406mm (1 6in) Land-Rover wheels with 254mm (10in) overrun brakes, make up the undergear.
The larger 600 model is similarly constructed but measures 3.6m (12ft) long and 2m (6ft 6in) wide, while the undergear is made up from 50mm (21M solid square-beam axles with leaf-spring suspension. Extra options include a steel-covered floor, frontmounted ladder rack and power operated brakes.
Appearing on the Metaquip stand is a recently introduced mobile concrete mixer. A short turn-round time of 12 minutes per. 2cum (26cuft) mix is made possible by the high-capacity loading shovel and accurate integral weight batchieg equipment.
Metaquip also produce a range of high pressure and ultra high pressure water jetting units up to 138,000 kN /sqm (20,000 psi). The standard 12,800 kN /sqrn (2,000 psi) unit, powered by diesel, petrol or electric motors with a capacity of up to 681itimin (15gpm) is however, the one recommended for use in cleaning plant and machinery. . The new Russian Karnaz
chassis cab unit has been bodied by Carrimore Ltd with a 10.7cum (140cuyd) steel body for carrying aggregates.
UMO Plant Ltd has just began to market this vehicle in the UK.
Power is provided by a V8 diesel engine giving 156kW (210bhp) at 2,600rom. A fivespeed synchromesh gearbox with splitter is fitted as standard and the drive axles include air operated diff locks. The chassis is similar to the Russian built Belaz on /off highway vehicle, with rear springs mounted in a centrally-mounted pivot.
Single-ram tipping gear with a tipping angle of 60deg is also provided by Ca rrimore Ltd.
Fitted with a scow-ended exhaust-heated body, the dump truck is rated at 22,360kg gvw,
A demountable aerial platform, jet rodder and skip carrier combine to complete the Ford range on show. A Transit 190 chassis cab, powered by the 2.4 litre (146cuin) York engine, fitted with a Ray Smith demount system is shown in the form of a mobile workship. Destined for the Yorkshire Electricity Board, the body was built by Service Garage (Brighouse) Ltd.
An A-Series chassis cab is shown fitted with a Hy-lift hydraulic platform built by Harrison Access Ltd. Levelling legs are provided to give a firm base so that the 10m (132.8ft) extendable boom can rotate a full 360deg. An automatic blocking system prevents the work platform from being positioned outside safe working limits.
The D1614 chassis is used as the basis of the Vactor Rodder sewer cleaner, with
which high pressure jetting and collection of back-flushed effluent may be achieved by a single operation.
A second D1624 is exhibited with the new Telehoist container handling system. The Load Lug ger CH 503 has a lifting capacity of 12 tons while the maximum bucket capacity is 12curn (16cuft). A low bed height is said to improve the vehicle handling characteristics over that of the previous model.
In addition, Ford is also showing a selection of its gas, diesel and petrol-driven indust rial engines, a comprehensive choice of steel axles and four and five-speed transmissions suitable for use with the industrial range of engines.
Ford's industrial problems have not caused a repeat of the situation which prevailed through the recent Motor Show. Engines shown by Detroit Diesel Allison international are the SV-92T rated at 298kW (400bhp) and a GM Bedford 500 power pack at 48kW (65bhp) at 2,800rpm.
Three transmissions from the Allison range of fully automatic
units, the AT540, HT650 and HT750 are shown in cutaway form. All three units are suitable for engines up to 317kW (425bhp) and 1,650Nm.. (1,2201laft) torque.
A • two-cylinder version of Deutz Engines' low pollution air-cooled diesel engine is exhibited for the first time at the show. The new engine replaces the FL 411-Series, with an increase in power of 25 per cent rated at 25.7kW (34.4bhp) at 3,00Orpm.
The FL 511-Series are direct
injection engines but a twostage Combustion process enables the engine to be used in confined areas.
A first showing in the UK, too, for the BAM816 range of engines available in both in-line and V-type. designs. In-line configurations are of six and eight cylinders while the V-type of unit B available with 12 and 16 cylinders. The engines range in power output from 200kW (268bhp) to 950kW (1,273bhp) at between 1,500 to 2,000rpm.
Collar, basket and double leg slings are just a few of the more popular assemblies that make up the wide variety of chain components in the Kuplex range .of chain slings from Parsons Chain Company. The entire range is manufactured in grade T alloy steel which is of grade 80 rating (80 tons minimum breaking load for one-inch diameter material).
The BMV 5,500 refuse collection vehicle shown on a Chrysler G13 chassis fits neatly in the range between Bradley Municipal Vehicles' two other models. A grp moulded sevenman crew cab represents a new venture for BMV, while the capacity of the welded alloy 13m (17cuyd) body is increased by 3.4 to 1 due to the inclusion of compaction machinery. A second vehde, the standard BMV Comm Sita 6000 matched to a Seddon Atkinson Municipal Lowlirte chassis, incorporates a Reeves-Burgess two-door stand-up crew cab with accommodation for seven men.
• by Bill Brock