56 ATKINSON

20th September 1968, Page 121

20th September 1968

Page 121

Page 122

Page 121, 20th September 1968 — 56 ATKINSON

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Atkinson Vehicles Ltd., Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lancs.

A HEAVY-DUTY road-haulage tractor for operation at a gross rating of 100 tons is one of five exhibits on this stand. Designed and built especially for Pickfords Ltd., the normal-control six-wheeler has a Cummins 250 bhp diesel and semi-automatic transmission through an Allison unit. The rear bogie of the 100-tonner is a Kirkstall design with twin double-reduction axles on a two-spring suspension system. ZF power-assisted steering is employed and the bonneted crew-type cab has an extension which will be used as a luggage compartment.

The Mark II version of the Atkinson cab is to become a standard fitting in 1969 and this unit is being exhibited on a 26-ton-gross eight-wheel tipper. This has a Gardner 6LX diesel engine driving through a ZF six-speed gearbox.

Two tractive unit exhibits will have the high View-Line cab introduced at the last Commercial Motor Show and this will be an alternative to the Mark II. But Atkinson's rear-steer, a 32-ton-gross tractive unit is being shown without a cab. This is designed for 36 tons gross combination weight and is powered by a Cummins 220 bhp diesel engine incorporating a Jacobs retarder and the drive is through a ZF overdrive six-speed gearbox to the new Kirkstall axle. The second steering axle on the Atkinson has air suspension and by exhausting the bellows load can be transferred on to the driving axle. ZF power steering is fitted.

The two tractive units with the View-Line cab are a 6 x 4 model with Rolls-Royce 220 bhp diesel and designed for operation at 38 tons gross combination weight. The gearbox is the same as that fitted on the rear-steer chassis and the bogie is a Kirkstall T.48 incorporating larger brakes and the new square-section casing. The second is a two-axle 32-ton-gross tractive unit with Gardner 6LXB engine and David Brown 6.500 overdrive six-speed gearbox.

The Mark II cab which made its first appearance at the last Glasgow Show looks similar to the earlier design but it is wider and has an improved interior. Compared to the Mark I the new cab has a lower entrance step and the bottom line of the doorway has been dropped by nearly 2in. to give easier entrance. The floor is now completely flat with no intrusion from wheel arches and the control pedals have been relocated. Visibility has been improved and a heating system with greater output is now fitted.

On the subject of cabs, Atkinson has an interesting exhibit on the demonstration park, this being an eight-wheeler with reinforced-plastics cab brought over from Australia specially for the future operator of the vehicle. The cab is built by Reinforced Plastics Pty. Ltd. of Melbourne and another interesting feature of this eight-wheeler is the use of Holset-Willetts Velvet-Ride rubber suspension for the rear bogie, a design which has been used in America by White. Holset Engineering took up a licence for marketing this system in the UK at the end of 1967.