A Tractor Unit For. Any Cdr.—By Henry Sturrney.
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T . • HE NUMBER OF TRUCK and tractor attachments for Ford cars which are on sale in the • States to-day may almost be said to. be legion. -There are, at least, a dozen of each. Seeing that these equipments are really useful, a demand exists for
• one, either truck or tractor, which is capable of being used on other 'ears than the Ford.
In what is sold as the "Guaranteed" Tractor Unit, an equipment is furnished which can not only be used with a Ford car, but also with any other standard American car. It is just as well to lay . emphasis on the use of the word American in this connection, because, whilst it is applicable to any , American chassis, it would hardly, I think, be applicable to any European car or, if so, to very few ; the reason being that all American cars have, for some years, been built to the same standard tread, so that axles and differential shafts are all of approximately the same length, whereas in European practice virtually each manufacturer in this. respect is a law unto himself.
However, to return to the particular outfit in question, its conStruction will be followed by reference to the annexed illustration, from which it will be seen that it consists of two parallel frame sides with a rear member connecting the ends and forming the drawbar, which sides carry suitable equipment for attachment to the frame and axle of the car to which the unit is to be applied. Thus, it will be seen these channel steel sides are bolted to the axle easing by saddle pieces, bolts and nuts, the arrangement permitting of a certain amount of adjustment to the diameter of the axle casing, whilst the forward end is attached to the frame sides of the car by corrugated grip plates, .likewise providing a certain amount of both vertical and lateral adjustment. The large tractor driving wheels are mounted on
the ends of a cranked axle shaft, which is braced to the drawbar by stout connections on either ends and the wheels are driven, as with the ether equipments, by pinions mounted on the car axle ends, in place of the car driving wheels which have been removed. The tractor frame is made of 4 in. channel steel, the tractor axle 111 ie. cold rolled steel. The radius
rods, at the ends of the axle make a rigid, extra, strong tractor construction. The work which the outfit will do depends primarily, of course, on the power of the engine of the particular car to which it is fitted, but it is claimed that, as all the parts of the i equipment are extra strong, t will do any work requiring from a four to an eight horse team to accorneomplish.