Lengthy process adds 8in
Page 12
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BY ADDING 203mm (8in) to the wheelbase of a 13-ton-gvw For Cargo, the Primrose Third Axle Co Ltd, of Blackburn, Lancashire, ha made it compatible with an existing demountable-bodied fleet c Ford D-Series vehicles operated by the Tiverton Poultry Group c Devon.
The wheelbases of Ford's new Cargo and its old D-Series range do not match. Tiverton was already operating 3.96m (13ft) wheelbase D-Series with Cartwright (ex-Dobson) straightlift demountable bodies: The nearest equivalent Cargo 1314 model has a 3.6mm (lift 9in) wheelbase. Primrose's solution was to add 203mm (8in) chassis segment to maintain the correct clearance between the demounting rams and chassi components.
Primrose says that speck welding techniques and flitchin plates were used to suit th high-tensile steel and preserv the chassis strength of th Cargo.
This wheelbase extensior which adds about 35kg (771b) t the chassis weight, costs aroun £350.