Air pressure used in new Abelson Swop Body design
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AN improved design of Swop Body system has been announced by Abelson Motors Ltd., Birmingham.
It is called the Abel Air and differs from the company's previous design in that the equipment to lift the body off the vehicle chassis is carried on the container instead of on the chassis, and air pressure is used instead of hydraulics.
A similar principle continues to be used: the body is raised from the vehicle and then legs are let down to allow the vehicle to be driven away. The vehicle can have a normal platform or, in the case of SPD Ltd. trucks using the new system, a skeleton frame which keeps licensing weight to a minimum.
Two 12 in.-diameter triple-convolution bellows are carried on hinged plates under the body, one at the front and one at the rear. These lie flush with the underside when raised, and have a maximum extension of 14 in. working at up to 100 A connection is provided on the body which can be coupled to an air supply at a depot or from the vehicle, or a cylinder of compressed air can be carried in the body for the purpose.
In the case of a vehicle with a skeleton-type "licensing floor", plates, have to be provided on which the air bellows can bear. The procedure in getting the body off its carrier is to raise one end, lower the legs at that point, discharge the air and then raise the other end and lower the remaining legs, finally exhausting air pressure.
The legs, which are at the four corners of the body, are locked in the raised position when they lie against the body and to lower them they have to be pulled out. The legs are also locked automatically when down and the spacing between those on opposite sides is sufficient to allow the equipment to be used in conjunction with an 8 ft. 2.5 in. wide chassis.
At present the Abel Air Swop Body system has been applied to smaller chassis only—the bodies measure 17 ft. by 8 ft. by 8 ft.—but the possibility is being investigated of using two containers on an artic and then transferring them to two local delivery vehicles at the end of a trunk run.