A New Oil-engined Articulated Chassis
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British Mercedes Benz, Ltd., Produces an 114onner with Carrimore Trailing Unit. The Standard Fourwheeled Model In Shortened Form
A, N interesting new machine has re.tleently been completed in the works Of British Mercedes-Benz, Ltd., 111, Grosvenor Road, London, S.W.1. This incorporates a modification of the well-known oil-engined four-wheel goods chassis and a trailing unit which, with its turntable, has been supplied and fitted by Carrimore Six Wheelers, Ltd., Great North Road, London, N.,12. The complete vehicle will be able to carry within the legal limit a pay-load of approximately 11 tons.
The Modified tractor chassis was specially produced at the German Daimler-Benz works, the wheelbase being 13 ft. 14 in_ instead of 14 ft. ii ins., as in the standatd, or shortwheelbase, • four-wheeler. The standard chassis has an enclosed torque-tube drive, and this has not been altered in any way, the original angle and length of the propeller shaft being preserved. The spherical bearing for the frontend of the torque tube, however, has been
brought right forward towards the gearbox, involving the shortening of the exposed intermediate shaft, which carries a single fabric coupling.
The Carrimore turntable has its axis 1 ft. before the driving-axle centre, and the wheelbase of the trailing unit is 12 ft. 2i• ins. Within an overall vehicle length of 33 ft., a useful body length of 22 ft. is obtained, the front end of the body extending 5 ft. 91 ins, beyond the driving axle. The trailing unit has a single axle mounted beneath rearshackled semi-elliptic springs, and on this Simplex twin wheels are mounted.
Both driving and trailing axles are, therefore, supported on twin 42-in, by
pneumatic tyres, and the same size of tyre is fitted to the front wheels.
The brake equipment is of interest. It comprises a Bosch-Dewandre vacuum cylinder mounted on the tractor, and a Clayton-Dewandre cylinder mounted on the trailer frame. A hose coupling is carried to the latter cylinder. A simple vacuum-storage system, embodying a
reservoir and an automatic valve, is employed so that power may be available even when the engine is not rotating. Additionally, a cable, operated by a hand lever and passing through a tubular connection between tractor and trailer, is linked up to the cross-shaft of the trailing-wheel brakes, this being intended for parking purposes.
We may take this opportunity for mentioning certain improvements which have been made in the Mercedes-Benz six-cylindered 1,650 r.p.m. oil engine in the latest form in which it appears in this chassis.
For the heater coils, which are required only when starting from cold, a separate battery is now employed, this being a 2-volt unit. It is included in the charging circuit, but the charge is broken down by a resistance coil. The original series-to-parallel switch, by which a pressure of 24 volts is obtained to turn the starter, 4s, of course, retained, but an ingenious inter-connection prevents the starter switch from making contact unless the spring"off heater-coil switch is depressed.