A Heavy-duty Trailer
Page 43
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for trunk-road work
IN our issue for last week we dealt at some length with the transport organization of Bouts Brothers, Ltd., 137, Bow Road, London, E.3, a concern which has developed rapidly in the past three or four years, so that it now operates a fleet of about 130 motor vehicles. The company's main work is that of transporting large quantities of goods between London and the North of England, particularly Leeds and Manchester, and for this purpose it employs four-wheeled and six-wheeled motors, many of them drawing large pneumatictyred trailers.
Frederick Braby and Co., Ltd., Ashton Gate Works, Winterstoke Road, Bristol, which has hitherto supplied several of the trailers, has now developed a new design of six-wheeled trailer, two of which have already -been built for Bouts Brothers, Ltd.
The six-wheeler is available at a chassis price of £.310 and is reckoned to carry a load of 8-10 tons. The chassis frame is of pressed channel section with eight cross-members and 10 pressedsteel consoles to support the body. The forecarriage incorporates a solid pressedsteel plate and a ball-bearing pivot assembly is employed, this being springloaded to relieve the ball race of road shocks. The king-pin is not subjected to shearing stress.
Square-sectioned forged-steel axles are employed, these carrying forgedsteel hubs of high tensile strength. S.K.F. roller and ball bearings are used for the wheels. The four rear wheels support the frame through two inverted semi-elliptic springs, these pivoting beneath a sturdy fulcrum member extending across the frame between two massive brackets. The wheels carry 40-in. by 9-in. Dunlop tyres and have totally enclosed 15-in, brake drums, in which operate 3-in, expanding shoes. The brakes are controlled by either a slide handle or a cable from the towing vehicle, and are arranged to be applied automatically in the event of the drawbar, which is of channel section, becoming uncoupled.
The Braby 5-6-ton four-wheel trailer is another interesting product of this Bristol concern. The chassis price in this case is £198, this including totally enclosed 17-in, brakes on the rear wheels and the fitting of 36-in. by 8-in. single pneumatic tyres.