76 BEDFORD

20th September 1968, Page 122

20th September 1968

Page 122

Page 123

Page 122, 20th September 1968 — 76 BEDFORD

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Vauxhall Motors Ltd., Luton, Beds.

THE main exhibit on the Bedford stand at this Show is one of the new factory-built 22-ton gross six-wheelers recently introduced by the company. It is one of 12 Bedfords on the stand and as well as vehicles, Vauxhall Motors Ltd. is putting on a comprehensive display featuring the Bedford Transport Specialist programme. This includes a 1 /20th scale model of a vehicle test-lane which is representative of nearly 100 that will be established by Bedford dealers before the end of the year. As well as the model test-lane which gives facilities matching those to be used at Ministry of Transport testing stations, there will be an information desk on the stand manned by personnel involved with the BTS scheme who are available to transport operators for consultation on every aspect of vehicle suitability.

The actual example from the six-wheel models announced last week, is a 16ft 7in. wheelbase 6 x 2 chassis /cab. This vehicle which is rated for 22 tons gross has the Bedford six-cylinder 466 cu.in. engine which gives an output of 143 bhp and drives through a five-speed gearbox. The maximum gross six-wheelers now available from Bedford are based on the KM four-wheeler and are built on the production line at Luton. An important feature of the design of four-spring rear suspension is that the proportion of weight carried by the driving axle increases as the gross weight on the bogie reduces and this minimizes the possibility of losing adhesion in the unladen condition.

The KME 6 x 2 is shown as a chassis /cab and of the other 11 goods vehicles on the stand of which two are tractive units, only one other is featured in this way. There are two vans—an EA 8cwt and a CA 15/17cwt—and the remaining trucks have bodies. These cover the full range of vehicles offered by the company with tippers and platform chassis among them. In the maximum-gross category there are two KM chassis—a tipper and a platform—both of them plated for 16 tons gross and with similar mechanical specifications.

The two tractive units are the KG for 18.75 tons gross combination weight and the KM for 24 tons g.c.w. and while the latter has a similar mechanical make-up to the KM rigid and six-wheeler, the KG has the Bedford six-cylinder 381 cu.in. diesel which gives a 125 bhp output.