Auto Seddon for dock work
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FOR vehicle handling in a short-haul internal shunting operation at Avonmouth dock the Port of Bristol Authority is using six Seddon 28-ton-gross tractive units fitted with Allison automatic transmissions and hauling highsided M. and G. tipping trailers.
The operation consists of transferring imported animal feedstuffs from cranes and hoppers at the wharf to a dock warehouse where they are temporarily stored. The one-mile round trip involves several bends and cross-roads as well as crossing railway lines.
The Allison MT640 gearbox is fitted behind a Perkins V8 510 engine and although for road use the vehicle would be plated for 28 tons gross operation, for internal dock work the vehicles work at 32 tons gross.
The 10m (33ft) trailers have steel bodies built by John Pitt Ltd, of Bristol, and are fitted with Thompson hydraulic tipping gear. In spite of the high sides of the trailers the feed stuffs are sometimes disturbed by turbulence. The ' port authority is experimenting with 61 cm (2ft) high side extensions which are angled inwards around the top of the trailer to reduce the turbulence in windy conditions.