LORRY AND TRACTOR CONVERSIONS.
Page 18
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THERE HAVE BEEN a 'number of lorry and tractor conversions designed for the Ford ear, some of which have been satisfactory, whilst others have failed entirely. A new lorry conversion which appears to us to have many points of me.z-it is the Zone-Ford, manufactured by Zone: motors, Ing Road, Wakefield. This is designed to carry a net load of 25 cwt., and allows for a comparatively large van body.
With this attachment, the Ford frame is strengthened by an additional frame extending.as far as the radiator, and all the original frame is called upon too is to carry the'engipe and gearbox. Certain of the Wit. attachments merely strengthen the frame for a portion of its length and thus put undue stresses upon those parts which are not reinforced by the supplementory frame.
With the Zone device the Ford rvr axle is merely used to. transmit the drive to the stoutly-built axle of the transformer, and as the Ford axle is on the frame above the springs it is practically isolated from heavy road shocks; The makers claim that there is less weight and wear and tear on a Ford chassis when fitted with this device and carrying a 25 cwt, load than when carrying 7i cwt. as originally designed. No parts are removed from the Ford except the tear wheels, and standard Ford replacements can be used for everything except the transformer.
The frame is of 4 in. by 2 in. channel steel with •a width of 3 ft., but it is inswept at the'iront-to.the..normal width of the Ford frame. Theeaxle is of solid. steel with a section of q sq. ins. Semielliptical springs, 40 ins/ long and of ample width, are provide& The wheels are of the heavy artillery type (though steel wheels can be fitted.if desired); and they are provided with solid rubber tyres of standard Britishi size. The.bearings are Timken roller. SPecialiattention has been paid to the brakes, which are of the internal-expanding type, fully enclosed.
When fitted with this device, the length of the chassis is increased to 14 ft. 6 ins., and the wheelbase to 10 ft. 10 ins. Provision is made,for a body loading space of 11 ft. by 5 ft. 6 ins.
As. regards the tractor converter, the one which weelmve under. notice is the. Rejax-Adapto-Tractor for Ford cars, the makers of which. claim that it has fea-.. tures not possessed by the majority of the converters which have been produced. heretofore.
' The wheelbase is shorter than that of
the standard Ford, which enables the machine to be turned in a restricted space. A power pulley attachment is included, and farm machinery of practically any type can be operated by means of this. Included in the outfit is a paraffin vaporizer, and petrol is only necessary for starting. The foot-brakes and the side brakes of the Ford remain operative when the adapter is fitted.
It is claimed that a Ford car can be converted into a light tractor or reconverted into an ordinary motorcar in 20 minutes.
The outfit consists of straked tractor
• wheeLs which are fitted a. little forward of the Ford rear axle. from which the ordinary wheels are removed. The tractor wheels carry "internallytoothed rings which are driven by pinions attached to the Ford axle shafts, the differential action being thus not interfered with. The power pulley is ;fitted in glace of the Ford starting handle, and a frame, which is bolted to the front of the radiator, carries a powerful fan which blows air through the radiator from the front, and which is driven by a belt from the power pulley.
Further particulars of this outfit may be obtained from Relax, Ltd., 4, Percy, Street. Tottenham Count Road, London, W. 1.