A STEERABLE TRAILER FOR LONG LOADS.
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WE IN this country know very little of the difficulties of transporting such articles as rough-hewn logs similar to those being carried on the Bernie lorry and trailer depicted in the photographs which we reproduce, but there are other materials which, if not quite so bulky as logs, still require a considerable amount of manoeuvring in order to transport them, particularly where their movements are at all restricted; long steel joists and long scaffolding are articles which come at once to our minds when considering the transport of awkward loads.
The method developed by Fabrique d'Autornobiles Bernie S.A., 26, Short Street., Southwark, London, S.E. 1, for transporting long logs is, on this account, of considerable interest, and there is no reason why it should not be applied to work in this country, although for the present it is being used chiefly in Switzerland.
The lorry itself is a standard 5-ton Berns, platform lorry, so arranged that a separate turntable can be clamped securety to it when required. This turntable is equipped for supporting the front enus of the logs, and is carried on two jacks when not on the lorry. The trailer portion, which supports the rear ends of the logs, is of the twowheeled type, the upper structure being mounted on the spring frame through the medium of a turntable, arranged so that the wheels can be turned relatively to the upper portion of the trailer by means of a chain gear, which is controlled by a man ensconced above the trailer in a seat supported by a special bracket. For this purpose the steering wheel has a long shaft. After the logs are loaded on to the trailer and front turntable, the lorry is run under the latter, which is then lowered on to its platform and encored by special bolts. The rear ends of the logs are thus capable of being steered independently of the lorry, and the trailer wheels can follow any desired track.
One advantage of the system is that two or more sets of turntables or trailers can be utilized, so that, loading can be done with one set while the other set is being employed for transport.
Berna lorries have achieved an enviable reputation in Switzerland, the country of their,origin.