Something New And a Breath of Fresh Air

23rd September 1960, Page 214

23rd September 1960

Page 214

Page 215

Page 214, 23rd September 1960 — Something New And a Breath of Fresh Air

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IF only as a way to get a breath of fresh air, a tour of the demonstration park outside Earls Court is by no means wasted effort. Although most of the chassis shown there this year appear in similar form on stands inside the hall, there is the opportunity to inspect them more thoroughly because of the extra elbow room. At least two new semitrailers will be exhibited only in the park, whilst much of the passenger and goods bodywork shown out there is not to be found elsewhere.

Rubber Suspension The Scammell Routeman eightwheeler, exhibited with a 3,600-gal. tank, is powered by a Gardner 6LX engine which drives the leading axle of the rear bogie through a six-speed gearbox. It has a plastics cab and is fitted with power-assisted steering.

ScammeIl also display their new 27-ft.long semi-trailer with independent rubber suspension. It is coupled to the latest Leyland Beaver tractor, which has a 200 b.h.p. engine. Other Scammell exhibits are a Super Constructor 6 x 6 tractor with a 40-ton trailer and two Highwayman articulated outfits. A 12-ton semi-trailer is shown with a Super Comet tractor powered by the new 0.400 125 b.h.p. engine.

Guy's demonstration vehicles include a complete Wulfrunian double-deck bus with air suspension and disc brakes, Invincible and Warrior eight-wheelers, a Warrior 14-ton gross four-wheeler with an A.E.C. AV470 engine, and a Gardner 4LK-powered Otter chassis and cab.

One of the L.1786 eight-wheelers shown by Atkinson has a novel third-differential unit incorporated in its double-drive rear bogie. The normal air-pressure-actuated differential lock is replaced by a vacuum-hydraulic unit to suit the chassis, which has vacuum-assisted braking. This 6LXpowered vehicle is fitted with the new David Brown six-speed gearbox. The other Atkinson eight-wheeler has a 6LX engine and the standard production specification with air-pressure brakes.

Bedford's new TI( forward-control 12-ton tractor unit is displayed with a Taskers semi-trailer. The motive unit is powered by a Leyland 0.350 engine. A disc brake unit for the hand brake is incorporated in the transmission line. A 4-ton TIC model is shown with platform bodywork.

The Taskers PV semi-trailer, which has an automatically steered in-line-axle bogie, is demonstrated behind a Commer forward-control tractor unit. Other Commer demonstration models include six 1-ton forward-control vehicles,, an Avenger based 41 seat coach, two 7-tonners and a 5-ton forward-control drop-sided truck.

Morris-Commercial and Austin now offer Edbro or Telehoist tipping equipment as a standard fitting for their shortwheelbase 7-ton chassis. A 10-ft.-wheelbase Morris 702 chassis with a Telehoist 6-cu.-yd. body is available for demonstration. Another Morris exhibit is an FG forward-control 4-tonner with drop-sided bodywork.

A Cranes 10-ton flat-platform semitrailer is coupled to the Trader tractor unit shown by Ford, whilst Taskers display their latest car-transporter semitrailer, with Burtonwood superstructure, behind a B.M.C. prime mover.

The new Transfour in-line-axle semitrailer is shown by York only in the demonstration park. It has a capacity ol 15 tons and employs slipper-type springing for its oscillating axles, the trunnions for which can employ selflubricating fabric bearings. Other models on view are a 12-14-ton drop-frame semitrailer and a maximum capacity tandemaxle semi-trailer.

Duramin are showing the prototype model of their Super-Freighter chassisless semi-trailer, complete with the A.E.C. Mercury tractor which hauled it during its extended tests at Lindley. The semitrailer, 25 ft. 6 in. long and 7 ft. 6 in, high, has a capacity of 1,387 cu. ft. The total weight is 2 tons 14 cwt.

There are three bodies of Holmes manufacture to be seen in the park. They are a light-alloy platform truck on a Commer chassis, a travelling shop on an Austin, and a 12-seater Busette also based on the Austin chas.sis.

Tank for Cider

A dumper to an Abelson specification on a B.M.C. chassis is shown with Weston hydraulic dumper gear. Butterfields are demonstrating a 3,000-gal. three-compartment tanker on a Foden eight-wheeled chassis. This vehicle is intended for the cider trade and is of stainless steel, insulated with 2-in. Onazote and clad in aluminium sheeting. Manholes, pressure gauge, pressure valve, vacuum gauge and snifter valve are all carried under a light-alloy domed cover. The hose tubes are of plastics material and delivery is at the rear via 3-in, Saunders valves.

Mickleover Transport have two vehicles in the park, a 5-tog Austin parcels van with one-piece moulded plastics body, and a Thames with County third-axle conversion, carrying a refrigerated plastics body of 1,030 cu. ft. capacity. The latter is believed to be the largest one-piece moulded plastics van to be built in this country.

Alongside a " high-top " conversion of the Commer i-ton van, suitable for use as gown van, mobile shop, caravan or ambulance, Marshall are showing a 12-seater Busette on the Bedford 15-cwt. chassis. A wide choice of seating and upholstery arrangements is offered.

Willowbrook display their new Viscount 41-seater luxury coach on an A.E.C. chassis, together with a 43-seater express service coach on the Leyland Leopard chassis. The latter is largely of metal construction, with plastics front and rear ends. Air-operated glider-type doors are provided, and the driver's compartment is glazed at the rear and enclosed to waist height by a door to the saloon.

EXCLUDED from the Commercial Motor Show proper by their limited production, M. G. Rowe (Motors), Doublebois, Ltd., have, as in 1958, hired the forecourt of West Brompton Station, adjacent to Earls Court, to display two examples of their Hillmaster range. These are a new lightweight 14-ton-gross

Duple (Midland) show a 42-seat service bus on the Bedford SB8 oil-engined chassis and an export 23-seater on the Bedford 11 This 23-seater was developed in conjunction with the United Africa Co. and is available in c,k.d. condition. It is, in fact, a " utility" version of the Duple small-capacity service bus which appears on Stand 36. Duple Motor Bodies present further models of their Super Vega (Bedford), Yeoman (Thames) and Britannia (A.E.C.) coaches.

Martin Walter will have one of their 12-seater Utilabuses on -the demonstration park. Built to p.s.v regulations, this Bedford conversion offers forward four-wheeled chassis and cab and an S/M/8 tipper.

The 14-ton-gross chassis, with a wheelbase of 13 ft. 6 in., is powered by an A.E.C. AV410 6.754-litre engine which develops 98 b.h.p. at 2,000 r.p.rn. and 282 lb.-ft. torque at 1,300 r.p.m. It is coupled, through a 14-in.-diameter clutch, facing seats for seven of its passengers, the remainder occupying longitudinally disposed seats at the rear. Entry is by a single door at the rear.

With the exception of aluminium front and rear‘ domes, the Marshall-Mulliner single-deck bus is of all-steel construction. This front-entrance 42-seater is shown on the Bedford SB C.1. chassis and is equipped for the horrie market. The tubular-framed seats have Dunlopillo cushions and are upholstered in p.v.c. material. The entrance is enclosed by a Deans jack-knife folding door. Topsliding windows and four roof extractors provide adequate ventilation.

to a five-speed synchromesh gearbox. A divided propeller shaft takes the drive to the single-speed spiral-bevel rear axle which has a ratio of 6.14 to I.

The chassis frame has 81-in.-deep side members with 3-in.-wide flanges in 1-in.-thick steel. The cross-members are bolted to them. The semi-elliptic springs are 4 ft. long at the front axle and 5 ft. long at the rear. • Steering is by Mules earn-and-doubleroller gear, and a Hydrovac assists the hydraulic-brake system which acts on two-leading-shoe units all round. The rear brake drums are 151 in. in diameter with 6-in.-wide linings whilst 41-in.-wide linings operate in 15+-in.-diameter drums at the front wheels. • Standard equipment on this chassis includes three-piece wheels with 9.0020-in. (14-ply) tyres, a 26-gallon fuel tank, 24-v. electrical equipment and a de luxe forward-control cab.

The S/M/8 tipper shown has . an 8-cu.-yd. wooden body and a Meadows 4DC 330 four-cylindered oil engine which produces 90 b.h.p. at 2,400 r.p.m. It drives the single-speed rear axle, which has the unusually high ratio of 4.73 to 1, through a five-speed constant-mesh gearbox with direct drive top gear.

The 9-ft, 3-in.-wheelbase tipper can carry 8 tons.