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THIS year's Show confirms the trailer industry's preoccupation with sound,

straightforward money-earning models. After the major changes in vehicle weights and configurations which followed the Construction and Use alterations in 1964, the trailer industry tended to suffer from what might be termed "emergence" pains. Between the exhibitions of 1964 and 1966 many elaborate ideas were born and just as quickly died: and between 1966 and 1968 there occurred an influx of American firms which many people expected to sweep up the British companies and to reduce sharply the variety of designs available, with the substitution of their own very functional-looking products.

It has not turned out quite like that; but competition has been so severe that, in general, only the large firms with high production capacity and the small firms with very low overheads have been able to survive. Although, of course, we have seen the survival too of those specialist companies which continue to make quite healthy profits from relatively small production.

At Earls Court this year there is again an emphasis on the need to handle the container traffic which continues to gain ground in the overall picture of transport. In part this need has been filled by a swing towards dual-purpose trailers that will carry equally well containers or general flat traffic, this reflecting the business sense of hauliers. An interesting development is the emergence of light skeletals to carry 20ft containers on outfits grossing 16 tons (the carriers' licensing dividing line); this recognizes that 20ft does not necessarily mean 20 tons.

One company has cornered a large part of the running gear and suspension market, while the use of pressed-steel main frames has ceased completely.

Bogies with steering axles are being made by only two firms, both the units being of Italian origin, and only one being suitable for a 10-ton axle load.

To sum up the trailer scene, there is a distinct consolidation of sound workhorse ideas embracing many products which should give a good long period of service at extremely low costs per ton-mile.

145 ARAN

Aran Trailers Ltd, Naas Road Factory', Dublin 12, Ireland.

A NEWCOMER to Earls Court, this firm manufactures the German Blumhardtdesigned trailers. On its stand there are two trailers, a 10-ton-capacity drawbar vehicle with a ball-bearing turntable and two 5-toncapacity axles fitted with 12.25in. by 5in. brake units operated through a two-line air system. Suspension is by semi slipper-ended leaf springs and the vehicle is mounted on twin 7.50 x 16in. tyres. The steel-framed aluminium body is designed as a foreman's office cum workshop.

The other exhibit is a 33ft-long platform trailer for use with six-wheeled tractive units under off-road conditions. It features trunnion type suspension, 16.5 by 7in. brakes operated through a two-line air system and is mounted on 14.00 x 20 22-ply tyres. It has a stakesided body and a 1.125in. tongued and grooved Keruing floor laid transversely.

120 BODEN

Boden Trailers Ltd, Royton, Oldham, Lancs.

FOUR vehicles ranging in capacity from 10 tons to 30 tons are shown by Boden.

The smallest is a platform skeletal design for operation at 16 tons gcw handling 20ftlong ISO containers. The 15.75in.-deep main frame, reduced to 8.25in. over the fifth wheel, has been developed to cater for distributed and semi-concentrated loading. Rolled-steel 1-beams are threaded through the main frames to form the cross-bearers. A 1.125in. hardwood floor is half-lapped and laid longitudinally. being secured by self-tapping screws to the cross-bearers and side raves.

Crane Fruehauf CD1 suspension is used— a conventional multi-leaf spring unit with the leading ends of the springs secured and the rear ends on slipper pads. A 16,000lb axle is fitted which, because the show model is fitted with an automatic coupling, has 15.25 x Sin. brakes of the wedge-operated type. The service and emergency systems are served by a two-line system while the auxiliary brake is powered mechanically through the coupling dolly.

At the other end of the weight scale a platform skeletal designed for operation at weights up to 44 tons gcw has fabricated I-beams for the main frames and rolled 1-beams for the cross-bearers. Tubular cross-members are extensively gusseted to the frame as are all other highly stressed areas such as those adjacent to the spring hangers, landing gear and spare wheel carrier. A Crane Fruehauf F2 running gear is used, this being a slipperended laminated spring unit with the axles located by rubber-bushed radius rods. The S-cam-operated brake units are 16.51n. diameter by 8.625in. wide and powered through a standard three-line system. A ratchet handbrake is fitted for parking.

Two-speed, heavy-duty landing gear with elephant's feet and with its internals running in an oil bath is fitted. All the couplings for air and lighting services are protected by a hinged steel cover which gives ready access to the units for servicing.'

Twistlocks are fitted to accommodate all three main sizes of ISO containers, while a permanent 2ft headboard is fitted, A curtain-sided hardtop trailer is on the stand, this being a single-axle unit with 191n.deep main frames. This is another of the wellestablished Baden Mark 3 range of vehicles and follows very closely the design features mentioned in the description of the 40ft PSK above.

The last exhibit on this stand is a van trailer. Unlike many builders of van trailers, Boden decided very early on in the race to concentrate on vans with a chassis. There are six models of the exhibition vehicle with payload capacities ranging from 13.5 to 22 tons. Again the chassis is of the Mark 3 design, with the side pillars for the body picking up on the ends of the rolled-steel 1-beam crossbearers. The front corner members of the body are specially designed to withstand impact loads and the van is panelled throughout with Alcan Alloy Transport Sheet.

138 BOOTH

J. Booth (Trailers) Ltd, Featherstall Road, Oldham, Lancs.

A NEWCOMER to Earls Court, J. Booth (Trailers) is showing a low-deck three-axled TIR semi-trailer. It is a 40ft-long step-framed vehicle mounted on a Moss three-axle suspension and three 7.5-ton Moss axles. These are equipped with S-cam brake units and mounted on 8.25 x 15in. tyres.

The vehicle has a main deck height of 37in. unladen and provides for a clear length of 30ft behind the step. On the show trailer the deck is of 1in. nominal thickness half-lapped Meranti.

The main frames are 18in. x 6in. universal beams profiled to 10in. over the fifth-wheel. Intertruck two-speed landing gear is fitted and cargo and deck lashing rings are fitted as standard equipment. Dual kingpins are fitted on the show vehicle to permit easy interchanging between tractive units of different types.

83 BROCKHOUSE

J. Brockhouse and Co Ltd, Vehicles Division, 25 Hanover Square, London W1R ODD.

OF THE five trailers on this stand four are designed for use in the UK while the largest exhibit is destined for use in Scandinavia. The Brockhouse trailers all bear the name Expeditor followed by a suffix which, in the case of the show models-with the exception of the Scandinavian unit-is F (flat) followed by the gross tonnage to the next lowest whole ton. So the 27.25-ton-gtw tandem is designated F27 followed by the running gear designation T for tandem, F 27T.

The tandem-axled versions of the Expeditor models are mounted on the Brockhouse non-reactive suspension having interlinked rearmost shackles on each set of springs counteracting the braking torque set up in the axles and preventing wheel-hop.

The unit for Scandinavia is a 40ft-long dual-purpose model with tvvistlocks for 20, 30 and 40ft-long containers. It has dual folding kingpins, a wide-spread bogie on single taper-leaf springs, load-sensing equipment in the braking system, automatic slack-adjusters and drain-valve. The floor of the vehicle is constructed from Vameglas 30 composite plywood and it has special chock-rails to permit the fitting of a drop-sided body so constructed as to accept standard Europallets between the side boards.

An interesting feature of the vehicle is the legally required duplicated lighting system across the rear of the trailer.

There are three single-axle Expeditors on the stand, for gross trailer weights of 10.5, 14.75 and 19.5 tons and a tandem-axled van at 27.25 tons, The largest of these four is equipped with a refrigerated body by Silverdale Motor Bodies Ltd. The smallest is an automatic-coupling type and it features special load-retaining equipment. The other units are standard flat platform vehicles which the company offer in lengths up to 40ft in increments of lft.

115 BTC

British Trailer Co Ltd, Richmond Road, Trafford Park, Manchester, M17 1RR.

THERE are four semi-trailers exhibited on the BTC stand which reflect the versatility of the company. BTC is one of the few UK trailer builders still producing its own axles and certainly the only firm which uses full-width solid axles.

There is a flat-platform tandem-axled semi-trailer suitable for 30 tons gcw featuring the firm's own four-spring suspension. This has the outer ends of the springs on fixed shackles and the inner ends coupled to a balance beam through swinging shackles. The shackle pins are all rubber bushed and maintenance-free. A three-line air-pressure system operates 15.5 x 6in. cam-expanded brake units through double-diaphragm chambers and a multi-pull handbrake is provided for parking.

A rolled lightweight 1-beam main frame is braced with joists and channel-section cross-members, and profiled outriggers tapering from 4in. at the rave to 9.5in. at the main frame provide adequate support for the flooring. Both cross-members and outriggers are set down to permit the floor to be ranged level with the tops of the main frames.

A Four-in-Line, 30ft long and fitted with a platform and retractable twist-locks positioned for 20ft and 30ft-long ISO containers is shown. This vehicle is fitted with the well-known BTC Twin Spring suspension with twin-oscillating axles. The suspension is automatically lubricated through a system operated from the brake levers.

A 14-ton capacity low-loader is shown, this having a conventional knock-out rear axle. A clear main deck 21ft-long by 8ft-wide is provided and in the reduced-width upper deck, storage for tools, tackle and jacks is provided. Steel chequerplate covers the deck of the unit and the hand parkingbrake is mounted on the axle to avoid the need to uncouple mechanical linkages when this is removed, and to allow the axle to be parked safely once detached.

A pole trailer with adjustable bolsters giving maximum loading centres of 271-t is shown. This unit is a single-axle trailer also featuring the Twin Spring suspension. The flanges of a roiled-steel channel are closed with plate of similar thickness to form a box section member for the pole, and locking-pin holes are provided to permit front and rear bolster adjustment in increments of 24in. The bolsters have

sliding scotches, and detachable stanchions which can be adjusted for width by fullwidth chains and keyhole locks. This vehicle is also fitted with automatic lubrication.

107 CARRIMORE

Carrimore Six Wheelers Ltd, Harelaw Industrial Estate, Stanley, Co Durham, A CAR transporter with a 49ft 2.51n.-Iong upper deck and a 40ft 6in. 'long lower deck is shown on this stand. The vehicle utilizes hydraulic power to lift and lower the upper deck which is pivoted on an A-frame at the front, and at the rear by a pair of tubular supports. Integral pull-out ramps are provided to permit cars to be driven on to the upper and lower decks.

Suspension is by four convoluted airsprings with the axles located by rubberbushed parallel links and Panhard rods. Brakes are 15.25in. by 4.25in. twoleading-shoe units operating through a three-line air system and there is a parking brake on the leading axle only.

A 30-ton-capacity low-loader with a detachable swan neck is shown and this vehicle is constructed with 18in.-deep main frame members, It has a lower deck dimension of 24ft by 9ft and a 1.875in.thick hardwood floor covered with steel chequerplate. Pull-out extensions are fitted to each side of , the bed to provide for 12in. of extra width. Carrimore trunniontype suspension carries a pair of 13-toncapacity axles in tandem and the unit is mounted on 11.00 x 20 16-ply tyres in twin formation. Type 30 air chambers power 16.5 x 8.625in. S-cam brakes, while alignment and securing of the swan neck is by rollers and screw-operated hooks.

A tipping semi-trailer with a capacity of 24 tons and having a main frame with dimensions of 16in. x 5.5in. is shown. It employs a Rubery Owen suspension and has a pair of 20,000lb axles mounted on twin Michelin D 22.5 tubeless tyres. Three-line air pressure brakes with 16.5 x 8.875in. S-cam units are powered through type 24 air chambers and there is provision for parking by the leading axle brakes only.

The vehicle features a body of integral construction by Anthony/Autolifts in light alloy and with a capacity of 47 cu yd.

118 CHARROLD

Charrold Ltd (Vehicle Division), St Peters Road, Huntingdon PE18 7DL.

A PNEUMATIC-delivery tipping-bodied semitrailer is shown on this stand. The body is of 1209 cu ft capacity and is carried on 1-beam main frames 16in.. by 5.5in. Single taper-leaf springs are used on the Rubery Owen-Rockwell running gear, together with 20.000Ib axles equipped with 16.5 x 7in. S-cam operated brakes incorporating SAB automatic slack adjusters.

Michelin 10-22.5 tubeless tyre equipment is fitted and the trailer has Intertruck two-speed landing gear. Brakes are operated through a three-line system incorporating Davies and Metcalf-triplediaphragm type 24 chambers.

82 CRANE FRUEHAUF

Crane Fruehauf Trailers Ltd, 655 London Road, lsleworth, Middx.

FIVE different classes of semi-trailer, including a van, an alloy bodied tipper and a tanker, are shown on this stand. Also on show are an automatic fifth-wheel coupling, a 40ft tandem-axle flat platform trailer and a low-loader, this being for a payload capacity of 18/20 tons and featuring a tandem-axle running gear permitting it to be used within the Construction and Use Regulations at up to 32 tons gcw. Under special authorization the vehicle can be operated with a 25-ton indivisible payload at up to 12 mph. The trailer can be supplied either with the bogie. designed to be quickly detachable, or with a detachable swan-neck at the front end. The model on show has both running gear and swan neck detachable.

With most models of tractive unit it is possible to provide for a lower deck length of 21 ft while retaining an overall combination length within the C and U maximum of 49ft 2.5in. The trailer is fitted with longtitudinally laid 1.875in.-thick hardwood flooring and is provided with lashing rings along each side. It is mounted on 9.00-20, 14-ply tyre equipment and equipped with 16.5 by 7in. S-cam operated brakes.

With 19in.-deep fabrication I -beam main frames and I -beam cross-bearers. the 40ft tandem-axled platform trailer is virtually a Boden Mark 3 chassis with Crane Fruehauf running gear and suspension. The vehicle features two-speed landing gear and 1.125in. half-lapped hardwood floor and a 2ft-high steel-framed timber headboard. It has 16.5 by 7in. wide S-cam operated brakes powered through type 24 brake chambers.

The 33ft-long single-axle Vanguard lightalloy frameless van features Crane Fruehauf square-section two-speed landing gear reputed to have a 14-long-ton lifting capacity. The single axle running gear is of the Crane Fruehauf F series which, dependent on the axle plating weight, can be fitted with either 16.5 by 7in. or 8.625in.-wide brakes. The running gear is attached to the frameless body construction by a pressed high-tensile steel sub-frame to which is attached the under run bumper and the bracketry for ancillary equipment.

The 32 cu yd light-alloy tipper is mounted on a tandem-axled chassis having 22in.deep fabricated main members with full depth pressed-steel channel cross-members designed to minimize racking of the main frames. The chassis is designed to permit a maximum tipping angle of 46.5° and it is mounted on Rubery Owen 20,000lb axles.

Like the frameless van, the tanker exhibited employs a sub-frame-mounted running gear and suspension carrying all the necessary brackets for brake equipment and spare wheel, etc.

The fully automatic ProPar fifth-wheel coupling with safety lock lubrication for an operating lifetime and suitable for up to 50,000Ib imposed loads is also shown on the stand.

133 DIXON-BATE

B Dixon-Bate Ltd, Bridge Works, Chester.

A 21ft-LONG Unibox semi-trailer is shown On this stand, where the emphasis is on flexibility and economy of operating. The Unibox is an independently sprung step-framed boxvE designed for light, bulky traffic. The suspension is of the trailing arm type utilizing Aeon rubber units as the suspension medium. Because there is no axle to foul the floor-line the excep

tionally low loading level of 16in. laden and 18in. unladen is obtained.

The trailer on show is a 21ft-long version and is plated for a gross trailer weight of 7.75 tons. This allows for a payload of just about 6 tons. The name Unibox was derived from the unit construction of the vehicle, both the chassis and the body of which are load bearing. The design was a joint venture between Dixon-Bate and Arlington Bodybuilders Ltd. of Bedwas, Monmouthshire.

Three versions of the trailer are available. It can be fitted with either a lightweight automatic coupling as on the show vehicle, or it can be supplied with a heavy-duty auto coupling or a fifth wheel, when its plated weight becomes 8 tons gtw. When fitted with the fifth-wheel type coupling the trailer has screw-down landing gear.

Also shown on this stand is a 220ga1 tanker trailer, a cross-country unit with a capacity of 25cwt and a two. wheeled plastics bodied van trailer with a capacity of 6cwt. This trailer is fitted with rear opening doors and its wheels are interchangeable with those on the BLMC Mini range of vehicles.

Other products on the stand are a range of towing jaws and attachments including the Dedloc range of automatic drawbar couplings with capacities of from 3 to 35 tons.

126 DURAMIN

Duramin Engineering Co Ltd, Harbour Road, Lydney, Glos.

ONLY one semi-trailer is shown on this stand, a frameless coMposite-construction van. The running gear is by Rubery Owen and is built on to a short sub-frame before fitting to the body.

The trailer is the Duravan and is a singleaxle unit 26ft long: it is shown in the livery of Key Supermarkets.

85 DYSON

R. A. Dyson and Co Ltd, 76 Grafton Street, Liverpool S.

DYSON is showing a converter dolly at Earls Court. With the changes in C and U regulations permitting a drawbar trailer to be towed without a second man in attendance on the towing vehicle, the way has opened wide for companies employed on journey work to haul an artic semi-trailer on a dolly, as a fourwheeler between towns and then put it on to a lightweight tractive unit for delivery work. The Dyson exhibit is one of a range of dollies called the New Concept range. They have capacities of from 5 tons to 10 tons. Its Rubery Owen suspension has been modified to allow the radius rods to be mounted inboard of the springs, which are underslung to procure a lower overall height for the fifth-wheel. The unit has a pressed-steel frame and the hinged drawbar is fitted with an adjustable stay to hold it up when uncoupled.

A van-bodied semi-trailer is to be seen on the stand desigried for use with a "pit" loading system. This works on the principle of the vehicle being lowered on a lift into a pit in the floor of the warehouse so that the loading deck or decks are ranged level with the floor for loading. The trailer shown is one of a number designed for Hoover and has three decks. The trailer chassis is a Dyson Grandon incorporating the interlinked suspension designed to eliminate axle hop when braking. The suspension is a wide-track unit and the running gear is mounted on Goodyear Super Single tyres. The frame was designed to integrate with the body, the main frames being stepped to allow the floor to be kept as low as possible. Also in aid of a low floor line the cross-bearers are set down to permit the floor to range level with the tops of the main frames.

A 25-ton semi-low-loader can be seen on the stand. This vehicle is destined for service overseas and is not equipped with suspension. Its axles are mounted on walking beams, are of square section and are carried in rubbermounted brackets. Designed for the carriage of wheeled or tracked plant, the unit has cutouts over the wheels, permitting a much lower deck level than would be the case with a solid deck. An interesting point about the vehicle is the inverted bolster type of coupling fitted to permit interchangeability with the pole wagons employed by the organization which has bought it. The vehicle is 38ft-long with a lower bed length of 16.5ft. The deck is boarded with 2.5in.-thick longitudinally laid hardwood, the beaver tail being covered with steel cheque rplate.

A unit designed to operate at the 16 tons gvw rating with a brewer's dray body fitted is shown. It has a platform height of 3ft 2in. and beneath the platform are racks to carry CO2 bottles, sack trolleys and barrel skids. The trailer provides for a payload of up to 10 tons depending on the unladen weight of the tractive unit. It is 24ft long and has a 1.5in.-thick hardwood floor. It is mounted on a single axle with 12.25in. x 7in. S-cam brakes and it is fitted with 8.25 x 15in. tyres.

A tandem-axle running gear is shown and this features the Dunlop Stabilair suspension on which anti-roll control is through convoluted solid-rubber rebound units mounted at the foot of each of the fabricated radius arms locating the axles. A surprising feature of the running gear is that it has four-line braking equipment, the extra line controlling the release of the spring powered parking brakes which, through the control in the tractive unit cab, permits those on the semitrailer to augment the parking brakes on the tractive unit under service conditions.

The sub-frame of the unit is made up from rectangular box-section and rolled-steel channel-section members, electrically welded to provide a completely unitized assembly. It is for an 18-ton load at the ground and mounted on Michelin 18-19.5 low-profile tyre equipment. Load-sensing gear is included in the air pressure circuit for the brakes.

58 HIGHWAY

Highway Trailers (Great Britain) Ltd, Multiwheeler Works, Southampton Airport, Hants, S09 2UW.

OF FIVE vehicles shown by Highway three are dual-purpose machines and one is a Super Lightweight model. A coil carrier cum platform unit plated for 32 tons gcw is shown coupled to an Atkinson tractive unit. The semi-trailer is one of the 75 Fleet Special range and features 18 x 6in. high-yield steel I-beams pierced at 24in. intervals to accept full-width cross-bearers.

The platform is 36ft-long while the coil well measures 24ft x 3ft 1.75in. It is veeshaped and covered by six 4ft-long hatches. A 1.25in.-thick longitudinally laid Keruing floor is used and the specially designed Highway side rave pressings cap the ends of the cross-bearers and support the outer run of the timber flooring. Rubery Owen M-series suspension with 20,000lb axles fitted with 16.5 x 7in. brakes is used and the trailer is mounted on Michelin 020 tyres.

A dual-purpose flat platform/container carrier is shown and this is a 37ft-long unit with twist-locks for a 20ft container. It too is decked with 1.25in. Keruing but has a 16 x 5.5in. main frame. The constructional details are as for the vehicle described above but this unit is mounted on Dunlop tyres.

The third model shown is a 20ft container skeletal which has been produced for running at 25 tonnes in Denmark, where it has received type approval. A two-line air pressure brake system features a Westinghouse variable-load valve.

The other two models shown are both flat platform units, one for 30 tons gcw being of standard construction while the other is a Super Lightweight designed for 32 tons gcw. This latter model is claimed to weigh only 3 tons 11 cwt and is 36ft long. It features tubular cross-members and light-alloy crossbearers. Light alloy side raves are Huckbolted to the cross-bearers which support a 1.25in. Keruing floor laid flush with the tops of the main frames. This is the first appearance of the Highway 75 Fleet Special range of semi-trailers at Earls Court.

24 KING

King Truck Equipment Ltd, Riverside, Market Harborough, Leics.

ONLY one trailer is shown on this stand but it is a vehicle worthy of attention. Designed for 60-ton payloads it is an eight-axled drawbar trailer which steers on all its axles.

A 25ft-long bed is supported between two swan-neck assemblies, each of which is quickly detachable leaving the bed clear for loading or off loading. Connected to the drawbar is a system of drag links which transmits the lateral movement of the drawbar to the rear bogie, so causing the steering action of the axles on that bogie to match exactly that on the front bogie. Each bogie comprises four oscillating axles each carrying a pair of wheels. The axles are each carried on a central kingpin which permits them to pivot. Interconnecting drag links form the bogies into Ackermann-steered units, ensuring correct tracking of the rear bogie over the path of the front unit. The vehicle is 51.5ft long and 9.5ft wide and has an unladen deck height of 24in.

The drawbar can be connected to either end of the trailer and the interconnecting linkage from the front bogie can be isolated to permit the rear bogie to be steered manually through a hydraulic system.

121 MERRIWORTH

Merriworth (Engineering) Ltd, Eonit Works, Richmer Road, Slade Green, frith, Kent.

THE EXHIBITS on this stand are all for unit loads of one kind or another. Two of the trailers shown are built for container transport, one being a pure skeletal, the other being equipped with a platform as well. The third vehicle is a TIR-bodied trailer featuring the Merriworth Open Span body design.

The platform skeletal is a 32ft-long unit plated for a gross trailer weight of 27 tons and for a gross combination weight of 32 tons. The twist-locks retract beneath the deck level so as to provide a clear deck for general cargo.

The skeletal is designed purely for the carriage of 20ft-long containers. It is 23ft long and features threaded-through twistlock bolsters, tubular cross-members and a substantially trussed rubbing plate assembly. It also is plated for 27 tons gtw and 32 tons gcw respectively.

The TIR vehicle on show has a gross trailer weight rating of up to 29 tons. It has a 39.75ftlong body with removable side pillars which are claimed to provide clear openings of two sections of 19ft within a clearance time of 5min.

All the Merriworth vehicles feature unitized running gear: that fitted to the TIR unit is a wide-spread design. Other features of the TIR unit are a specially reinforced main frame, a full double Europallet interior width of 2.41m and recessed lashing rings inside the body for securing cargoes.

59 MULTIWHEELERS

Multiwheeler (Commercial Vehicles) Ltd, Southampton Airport, Southampton, Hants 509 2UW A CLOSE-COUPLED drawbar trailer for the carriage of plant is shown on this stand. The unit has a capacity of 10 tons and has a tilting platform controlled by a single-stage hydraulic ram. The body platform size is 18ft by 8ft and it has permanently attached, hinged loading ramps. Slipper-ended Rubery Owen tandem suspension is used and the axles are fitted with 12.25in. x 7.5in.-wide brake units. A swivelling draw eye is fitted. together with a support leg to support the trailer when uncoupled

136 M and G

M and G Trailers (Lye) Ltd, Hayes Lane, Lye, nr Stourbridge, Worcs.

A NEWLY introduced low-loader for 24 tons gcw is shown by this company, which also shows a dual-purpose coil/container carrier.

The low-loader has only recently been added to the company's range of products, most of which are made to customers' specification. It can be provided with a specified lower deck length of between 18ft and 20ft and features a main frame assembly of four I-beams substantially braced by rolled-steel crossmembers and carrying a 1.5in. hardwood floor. The springs are underslung and fixed by a simple-to-operate quick detaching method permitting the axle to be removed for loading. The vehicle is plated for 19.5 tons.

The dual-purpose vehicle is a coil carrier cum container transporter and flat platform. It is mounted on a wide-spread bogie with single taper-leaf springs. A wide vee-shaped well extends along the rearmost section of the trailer for a total length of 26ft while over the reduced section of the main frame in the area of the fifth-wheel rubbing plate a smaller half-round coil well is provided.

Twistlocks are fitted to accept two 20ft or one 40ft container and the vehicle is fitted with a substantial detachable headboard.

34 MURFITT

R. Murfitt Ltd, Weasenhall Lane, Wisbech, Cambs.

ALTHOUGH this firm manufactures straightframe semi-trailers there is none shown on the stand. The majority of vehicles produced are specialist dry-bulk carriers and the one semi-trailer exhibited is a newly introduced tipping grain-tanker of a frameless design mounted on a widespread tandem bogie.

The vehicle is for operation at 32 tons, the running gear and suspension being of York manufacture. The tank is of light alloy with the running gear mounted on a sub-frame which is extended rear-wards to provide mounting space for the auxiliary-engined blower unit.

64 NEVILLE

Neville Industries (Mansfield) Ltd, Bradder Works, Bradder Street, Mansfield, Notts.

TIPPERS are the mainstay of this company's business and on the stand are shown three examples of the range_ The largest of the three is a chassis-equipped type for operation at 30/32 tons gcw. The tipping body is mounted on a Peak trailer chassis fitted with a Rubery Owen single taper-leaf M series suspension and axles. The light alloy body is tipped by a single Telehoist ram powered by a pto-mounted hydraulic pump.

A second unit which uses the Villiers system of tipping is shown, this one having a frameless construction. The suspension is identical to that on the vehicle described above but the hangers are mounted directly on to the bodywork. An Edbro 6SC ram tips the unit which has a capacity of 17 Cu yd. The vehicle is called the Ratesaver, and it is designed for operation at 28 tons gcw. The third semi-trailer unit exhibited is called the Omnitrailer and is a single-axle Villiers-type tipper for operation at 24 tons gcw. It employs Rubery Owen singleaxle running gear.

139 NTE

Neville Truck Equipment Ltd, Lindleys Lane, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Notts.

TIPPING trailers are the speciality of NTE but the need for the high degree of stability required on tippers has resulted in its producing some rather special running gears.

The centrepiece of the stand is the 15 Cu yd Uni-Dump tipping trailer. This is an extremely robust unit utilizing the Villiers system of tipping around the rear axle. .A vertically articulating frame is connected between the tractive unit and a point mid-way along the trailer body. As the front of the body is raised this frame goes into tension and with the body forms a triangulated structure which is inherently stable. Another advantage of the type is that the trailer wheels are pulled forwards toward the tractive unit as the trailer is tipped. This has the effect of clearing the area into which the load is being tipped so avoiding the need to move the vehicle while tipping in order to clear the body completely.

The suspensions used on the NTE vehicle are of interest. York axles are used, the singleaxle versions of the units having the axles complete with the chevron-shaped rubber springs mounted and located in a fabricated suspension housing.

Also on show on this stand there are two rubber suspension running gears suitable for mounting on frameless tanks or vans: one is a single-axle unit, the other a tandem. Both feature York type 92 axle assemblies but whereas the single-axle assembly has the suspension units mounted directly on to the axle the tandem axles are mounted on a walking beam which is in turn suspended on the chevron suspension units. Both the running gears feature load-sensing.

.The single-axle unit shown is suitable for loads up to 10 tons while the tandem is for 18 tons bogie-weight. Both were designed specially for tipping trailers and provide for a high degree of lateral stability. The central tube of the tandem axled walkingbeam assembly is mounted on urethane elasmer bearings and when used on a tipper forms the tipping fulcrum. When a body is tipped on the running gear all its wheels remain in contact with the ground.

6 NORTHERN

Northern Trailer Co Ltd, Old Mill Park, Kirkintilloch, Dunbartonshire.

THERE are three semi-trailers exhibited on the Northern Trailer's stand, one of which is equipped with a self-steering rear axle.

This unit is a 40ft-long dual-purpose trailer fitted with twist locks for 20ft, 30ft and 40ft containers. It also has a 1in. nominal thickness t. and g. flooring laid longitudinally. The main frames are fabricated I beams 20in. deep with 6in-wide flanges. Cross-bearers are threaded through the main frames at 18in. centres and are of 4in. x 2in. rolledsteel channel. The leading axle is a Rubery Owen 22,500Ib unit, while the trailing axle is a Northern/Rigo self-steering unit also with a capacity of 22,500lb. The axles are carried by a Rubery Owen widespread suspension with single taper-leaf springs and the vehicle is mounted on 18-22.5 low-profile tyres.

The Northern/Asse Rigo axle is a castorsteered unit and as such is locked by solenoid operated locking mechanism for reversing. The unit embodies a recently developed anti-flutter device which prevents wheel wobble at high speeds. The trailer is plated for a gross trailer weight of 36 tons for operation at 44 tons gcw.

The other trailers on the stand are both lightweight designs, one being tandem-axled and the other single. For a gtw of 27.25 tons the tandem is 33ft long and has 16in.-deep main frame members with 4 x 2in. cross bearers at 21 in. centres Single taper-leaf suspension is used and 20.000ib axles are fitted with low-profile tyre equipment and 16.5 x 7in. brakes. Two-speed landing gear is used and the trailer is decked with 22mm plywood flooring. A 2ft headboard is also fitted.

The specification of the single-axle lightweight trailer is identical with the tandem version described above except for the single axle. Again the vehicle has single taper-leaf springs and low-profile tyres.

55 PEAK

Peak Trailers Ltd, Woodbanks Works, Turn croft Lane, Stockport, Cheshire.

ONLY ONE trailer is exhibited on this stand and this is a 38-ton gcw 12-metre TIR unit mounted on Rubery Owen metric axles of 22,500lb capacity and equipped with oilfilled hubs. The suspension also is by Rubery Owen. Three folding king-pins are fitted to the vehicle, making it interchangeable between numerous different types of tractive unit.

The landing gear is by the German Jost company and the main members of the chassis are 20in. deep with 6in.-wide flanges. A 1,125in.-thick hardwood floor is laid longitudinally and the bodywork is designed to Continental standards, having a clear width of 2.42 metres 17ft 11.5in.) inside the structure.

Also exhibited is a tandem version of the Peak Mammoth suspension featuring independent fabricated 'swinging arms suspended by helical coil springs. This suspension was used in a series of Commercial Motor stability trials in 1969 and 1970.

63 PITT

Pitt Trailers Ltd, PO Box 54, Wigan, Lancs.

TWO MODELS, both introduced in the past few weeks, are on show on the Pitt stand. One of these is for operation at 16 tons gcw, putting it below carriers' licence weight and the other has been designed for operation at up to 44 tons should gross weights go up to that figure.

The lightweight unit was designed with the assistance of Loughborough University and in the joint exercise the main emphasis was on the need for the lightest possible trailer compatible with adequate strength. The end product weighs only 2 tons 1cwt, providing for a payload of between 10 and 11 tons depending on the tractive unit weight. The unit on the stand is a 26ft-long version mounted on Rubery Owen M-series suspension and is plated for 13 tons gtw.

The other unit displayed is a 40ft-long platform/skeletal fitted with twist-locks for 20ft, 30ft and 40ft containers. It is mounted on M-series suspension with two 10-ton axles in widespread formation. A three-line air pressure system operates the 16.5 x 8.6251n. S-cam brake units.

A third unit on the stand is one of the Tandem 4 models introduced at the 1968 Earls Court show. This is another lightweight, designed to afford the greatest possible stability for high loads such as timber and wool. The vehicle is a 32ft-long unit mounted on wide-track axles in tandem with 10.00— 20in., 16-ply tyre and wheel equipment in single formation. Although the show unit is a flat platform model, the vehicle is available fitted with twistlocks for the carriage of 20ft containers. A further model of the range is now being produced, a full skeletal.

72 SCAMMELL

Scammell Lorries Ltd, To!pits Lane, Watford, Herts THE SEMI-TRAILER exhibited here will naturally be overshadowed by the tractive units on this stand but it is nevertheless worth attention. The unit has been designed specifically for use with tipping bodywork and is an addition to the Challenger range of trailers which the firm makes for gross train weights of 24 tons and over.

The tipper chassis is designed for operation at maximum permitted gcw of up to 34 tons should regulations change. It features tubular cross-members of 6.5in. diameter in the forward portions of the frame and of 10in, diameter over the running gear.

I-section main frames 16in. deep are carried on Rubery Owen M-series suspension and axles. There is substantial gussetting of the cross-tubes to the main frame and in all other highly stressed areas such as the spring hanger connections-----whence the stresses are passed into a span of the main frame twice as large as normal.

The trailer can be sprung by single taperleaf springs if required: the 26ft-long versions are available on only a closecoupled bogie while the 28and 30ft-long versions can be supplied on either closecoupled or widespread bogies. Although the vehicles are not over-heavy, the use of single table-leaf springs and single low-profile tyres can save up to 5cwt in unladen weight. The weight of a standard 30ft-long unit with a widespread bogie is claimed to be 3 tons 7 cwt.

84 TASKER 0

Taskers Trailers Ltd, Anna Valley, Andover, Hants THERE ARE five semi-trailers exhibited by Taskers at Earls Court, ranging from a 6.8-ton urban delivery unit to a 40-ton low-loader, The company is showing a 40.25ftlong dual-purpose unit with a widespread bogie plated for a 20-ton bogie weight. The unit is for 32 tons gcw and has twistlocks for 20, 30 and 40ft containers.

Fabricated main frames are used and these are 19in. deep. have Bin. -wide flanges and are manufactured from highyield steel. Cross-bearers of 4in. by 2in. 1-section rolled steel are pierced through the main frames at 21in. centres and support cold-rolled side rave members. Substantial 1-section bolsters support Tasker's retractable twistlocks and the vehicle is decked in with a 1.25in, nominal thickness hardwood floor laid flush with the top flanges of the main frames.

A three-line air system powers S-cam operated 15.5 by 8,625in, brakes and a multi-pull handbrake Is linked to both axles for parking. The vehicle is shown in the livery of F. B. Atkins Ltd.

The well-known and developed Little Giant low-loader is shown. The unit is an 18ft bed-length version plated for a gross trailer weight of 19.25 tons, 9.25 through the kingpin and 10 through the rear axle. It has a Taskers' 10-ton axle mounted on a knock

out slipper-ended suspension. It is in the colours of Graham Adams of Kingston.

A 12-metre 139ft Sin) TIR unit is shown with a maker's plate for 32 tons gtw. The frame construction of this unit is similar to the dual-purpose vehicle described earlier except that sockets are let into the side raves to accept the tilt pillars. Dual folding kingpins are fitted and the Ruhery Owen widespread tandem running gear features 22,500lb axles with ail filled hubs.

Drop-sides and tail boards on the vehicle are made from t. and g aluminium planking and secured through sliding-action lever locks For payloads of around 5 tons, the Urban 'trailer on show in the demonstration park has bin. x 2.5in. rolled-steel-channel main members with 3in. cross-members. Outriggers are fitted on to the outsides of the main frames and a 2.5ft headboard is fitted. The vehicle has a Taskers' Double Safety small-size automatic coupling and is mounted on a 3.8-ton-capacity axle with 12.375in. x 3.5in, two-leading-shoe wedge brakes operated through a two-line system.

The 40-tonner also in the demonstration park is the new model announced by Taskers recently (CM September 4). It has a detachable swan-neck secured in the running condition by a pair of high-tensile steel round pins The main frame is constructed with four main members with the cross-members set down to permit the 1.5in. hardwood flooring to be laid flush with the tops of the main frames. The floor is covered with steel treadplate and will bear the full load capability of the trailer at any point.

A narrow swan neck manufactured from high tensile I-beams, profiled into a heavy section at the most highly stressed point, remains attached to the tractive unit when detached from the main bed. Manual hydraulic jacks are used for raising and lower-Mg the main bed. Rubery Owen 22.500lb axles with 16.5 x 8.625in. S-cam brakes are mounted on Taskers" two-spring trunnion suspension, A Hope anti-jack-knife device is fitted and the trailer is in the livery of Saville Tractors.

Taskers also shows for the first time on its stand the Strickvan, a frameless unit designed in America and built by Cravens Homalloy and Taskers under licence. This is a 40ft-long unit for operation at 32 tons gcw. It features exterior-post body construction and a one-piece roof. Taskers is now a member of the John Brown Engineering Group.

134 WEEKS

Weeks and Co (Engineers) Ltd, fridge Works, Ferry Road, Hessle, E Yorks.

THIS COMPANY specializes in the manufacture of a stillage transport system, shown at Earls Court. It manufactures the stillages, which comply dimensionwise with the requirements of the C and U Regulations, and it also makes the trailers for handling and carting the stillages.

The trailers have a narrow track to enable them to be driven between the village legs. A hydraulically powered sub-frame working on the parallelogram principle lifts sufficiently to clear the stillage legs from the ground for transporting. The system is speedy and eminently suited to inter-factory transport over short distances. At Earls Court this year Weeks has introduced a new model to its range, with a capacity of 15 tons. Previously the largest model was for 12 tons. The semi-trailer is a tandem-axled unit with narrow-track axles manufactured by an associate company, A. W. Hunton of Norwich. The trailer exhibited is 21ft long and has three hydraulic rams powering six lifting arms on the sub-frame. A leaf-spring suspension, with the spring-eyes shackled at both ends, is used.

Two other trailers are shown, one being a drawbar unit with a close-coupled bogie and designed for off-highway use with a capacity of 10 tons, and the other a slightly smaller version of the newly introduced unit but with a capacity of 12 tons.

131 YORK

York Trailer Co Ltd , St Mark's Road, Corby, Northants.

THE THEME of the York exhibits is to demonstrate the availability of units that will fulfil operators' requirements in the event of the proposed increases in vehicle gross weights. On the York stand is probably the most universal semi-trailer ever seen. It embodies a flat platform equipped with container locks for 20ft and 40ft containers, has a demountable TIR tilt assembly and dropsides which can be used without the tilt if required, and has dual kingpin positions and a sliding bogie. It would be hard to visualize a general haulage job that it could not undertake. The vehicle is called the Europa and is plated for a gross trailer weight of 36 tons for operation at 44 tons gcw if and when that weight becomes legal.

A three-line air system powers S-camoperated 15.5in. x 8.25in. brake units, adjustment being through SAB automatic slack adjusters.

The main frame on the unit is based on the well-known York castellated 1-beams which are 22in, deep with 7in.-wide flanges. Cross-bearers are threaded through the frame at 21 in, centres and continuous full-width 1-beams support the twistlock.

The rest of the York trailers on show are all from the Freightmaster series. There is a refrigerated van, again built for operation at up to 44 tons, and this is constructed with alternative positioning for both the kingpin and the running gear so that alteration at a later date will be simple. Unlike the vehicle described above, kingpin and running gear are not readily adjustable. The vehicle is 40ft long and features a new all-steel fabricated base-section, again having crossbearers at 12in. centres throughout.

A widespread running gear is fitted and this has 22,5001b axles spaced at 7ft 1in. centres making it suitable for a gross bogie' load of 20 tons.

A dry-freight single-axle unit from the new Series 4 Freightmaster range is shown and this is plated for a gross trailer weight of 19.75 tons for use with a two-axle tractive unit at 24 tons gcw. This vehicle is 30ft long and it features a new design of floor, a single-sheet roof and containertype rear doors.

A converter dolly for use with semitrailers and load-carrying prime movers is shown. This unit has a capacity of 10 tons and has a one piece A-frame and coupling sub-frame carrying a York Big D fifth-wheel coupling.