Gardner-engined Bedford Conversion to be marketed
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APROMISING venture is being launched by Beech's Garage (Hanley), Ltd., Hope Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. It involves the use of a popular chassis, the Bedford 3-tonner, and a well-known oil engine, the Gardner, model 4LK. The resulting vehicle, which is to be offered at £565, should make an appeal to both large and small operators.
The longer of the two Bedford 3-ton chassis is used, the wheelbase dimension of 13 ft. 1 in. being large enough to allow a drop-sided body, 14 ft. long by 6 ft. 6 ins, wide and with a capacity of 5 cubic yds. to be carried. An important point is that the complete vehicle will have an unladen weight of less than 24 tons.
A factor contributing to the large body space is the semi-forward control. The driver actually sits behind the engine, but the pedals are arranged alongside it. In installing the Gardner unit in the Bedford chassis the standard dashboard panel, scuttle and cab are used but a door has been built into the rear of the engine casing to facilitate replenishment of the crank;chamber oil.
The -Bedford chassis should have an ample margin of strength to resist any heavier stress to which, it might be subjected as a result of the conversion, for the frame is of good materials and is substantially constructed. The sidemembers are no less than 8 ins. deep
1326 amidships, with 3-in, flanges, and are braced by six cross-members, all of which are well gusseted to avoid local stressing.
Outrigged semi-elliptic springs are used at the rear. They are of the progressive loading type, with seven primary and three secondary leaves, the measurements between the spring eyes being 50 ins. To carry the extra load imposed by the rather heavier oil engine, an additional leaf has been built into each of the two front springs. Few alterations to the chassis. have been necessary. The front cross-member has been replaced by a dished pressing to carry a trunnion support for the forward end of the crankcase. At the rear a steel plate, I in. thick, runs right across, the unit being held between the back of the engine body and the flywheel housing. The ends of the plate rest on special brackets attached to the frame.
The construction of these brackets in not withbut interest, for they are 51) arranged that the loading is distributed throughout the whole depth of the side-members, yet the channels -have not been pierced. On each bracket are lugs, machined to receive the extremities of the cross plate and these are attached to the frame by means of long LT-bolts which straddle the channels. A block of wood is, of course, inserted
to resist any crushing tendency. .
With the exception of the primary propeller shaft, which has had to be shortened by 4 ins. to accommodate the longer Gardner engine, the transmission is exactly as on the standard machine. When 34 by 7 tyres are specified at the rear, an axle ratio of 6.2.5 to 1 is used, this ratio affording the most suitable engine-speed and roadspeed characteristics. If 32 by 6 tyres be fitted, a final reduction of 5.75 to 1 is recommended. The chassis can be obtained with a five-speed gearbox at an extra charge of £25.
The brake layout remains unaltered, except that a vacuum reservoir is coupled to the air exhauster which; of course, is a standard auxiliary to the 4LK engine. As a safety measure, a new Serck radiator block with reinforcing pieces fitted to the shell is specified.These supporting pieces are carried beyond the headlamp brackets, thereby adding rigidity to the whole structure at the front end.
Before concluding, it might be opportune to give an analysis of the weights of the chassis with various tyre equipment. The bare chassis shod with 32: by 6 truck tyres weighs 1 ton 17f cwt. complete with oil; water, eti..
With 34 • by '7 tyres 'on the rear wheels, the chassis scales 1 .ton 131 cwt., leaving a body. and Cab allowance. of 11 cwt. The price of £565, already mentioned, for the chassis, includes the dashboard panel, front wings, running boards and engine casing.