New semi-trailer models from revitalized Highway organization
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• Important developments have been announced by Highway Trailers (Great Britain) Ltd. The information was given by Mr R. J. Herdman-Grant, chief executive of the company and Mr D. Marshall, marketing manager. Details were given of a new version of the Highway 75 Fleet Special semi-trailer, of a recent big delivery of coil-carrying semi-trailers, of a new Multiwheeler trailer for the Ministry of Defence, which has resulted' in the company's biggest-ever single order, and of the complete reorganization of the company first announced in CM on July 24, 1970.
The changes to the company itself comprise a move of hq and transference of trailer manufacture. Operations at the company's Southampton Airport factory ceased at the end of 1970. Now, administration, marketing and engineering divisions for all three companies in the Group—Highway Trailers (Great Britain) Ltd, Multiwheeler (Commercial Vehicles) Ltd and D. H. Morgan (Engineers) Ltd--are centralized at Clifford House, New Road, Southampton, Hants. And all Highway Group trailers and semi-trailers are manufactured under contract by Crane Fruehauf.
A production line has been established at the Crane Fruehauf Boden factory in Oldham on which only Highway semi-trailers are manufactured—to Highway design and specification. Highway models are being produced under a contract signed in October last year and they retain all their existing features such as high-tensile rolled-steel I-beam main members and Rubery Owen axles and suspension.
Special designs such as Multiwheeler low-loaders are manufactured by Crane Fruehauf at Dereham and drawbar trailers by Dennison in Northern Ireland; drawbar models include twoand three-axle designs, and trailers up to 36ft long have been produced for Sweden.
Changes .made to the 75 Fleet Special range, now in Series II form, include a redesigned front-end structure to strengthen the area around the fifth-wheel without increasing weight and the use of Crane Fruehauf two-speed tubular-design landing gear positioned to retain a wide spacing to give stability. At the rear, the design has been restyled to incorporate new-regulation reflective plates and an anti-underrun bumper bar, and the parking brake—operating still on two axles of the tandems—is now vertically operated.
As well as high-tensile main members the cross-bearers are of this same material; they are at 2ft pitch. The company claims that the design allows for lower weight than competitive models to be obtained and that in a 32-ton outfit an extra 1-ton payload can be carried. To save even more weight, options available include plywood flooring, taper-leaf springs, tubeless low-profile tyres and main frames with a series of holes pierced to reduce weight. The new range continues to be available in single-, tandem-, widespread-tandemand three-axle configurations.
The Ministry of Defence order is worth over £300,000 and is for 10-ton capacity tilt-platform drawbar trailers of a special new design. The trailers will be made from standard Multiwheeler components at the Crane Fruehauf Dereham factory. They have a close-coupled four-wheeled bogie and platform measuring 20ft by 8ft. It is intended that a similar design will be offered for civilian use eventually.
The coil carrier order is the biggest yet completed by Highway. A total of 37 semitrailers has been delivered to BRSL these being based on the 75 Fleet Special and incorporating a V-configuration of crossbearers and cross-members providing platform strength in both vertical and horizontal planes.