CF aiming to clean up in the hydraulic low-loader market
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CRANE FRUEHAUF'S new range of hydraulic neck low loading trailers (CM, July 20) look set to be winners. Last week in Suffolk, CM saw a demonstration of a prototype 25-ton-capacity model in action, collecting and delivering a Hymac trench digger for the Anglian Water Authority.
The Water Authority's public duty is to prevent coastal erosion, so it is now putting in new groins or breakwaters along the beach at Aldeburgh and for this they needed the digger.
Anglia Water contacted haulier V. C. Cook Ltd of Ellough Airfield, Beccles, Suffolk and arranged for them to collect the digger from Eye, near Diss, where I joined the driver and digger operator to watch the low-loader being put through its paces.
The machine it had to carry, a Hymac, only weighs 12 tons so there was plenty of spare capacity. Our prototype lowloader was fitted with the optional Lister ST1 donkey engine to drive the hydraulics. A pto-driven set-up can be specified.
When I arrived they were just loading the digger on to the trailer bed, which had been dismounted from the neck, so I was able to watch the recoupling operation. The trailer bed was on uneven ground which is where the CF lowloader system really scores.
Unlike some hydraulic necks, the CF can be connected eveh if there is misalignment both longitudinally and horizontally. This is because there is no need to insert any locating pins until after the bed has been raised from the ground.
V. C. Cook's driver simply backed his Fiat 170 26 unit, complete with neck attached, until it met the front of the low-loader. Then, using the donkey engine powering twin hydraulic rams, he raised the neck to locate with the lugs on the trailer front. As there is no balance restrictor in the hydraulic system, the neck rises to find its own level.
Once the bed and neck are raised, hydraulically operated pins stop the two from collap. sing should the hydraulics fai' and make the rig solid. At th( bottom, two slide-in pins an used to complete the connec. tion. This is then the standar( running height, but for hump back bridges and the like, thE neck can of course be raised Alternatively the front end cai be lowered as required.
On our journey ti Aldeburgh, neither wa necessary, although ove a piece of particularl lumpy road surface, th underside of the trailer caugh once. This, because the Hyma was so close to the trailer' front end and the very lonl relatively soft springs on th Fiat unit, which deflected great deal. It seems tractiv unit makers do not offe special spring options for by loaders._ Unloading the trailer I Aldeburgh was simply reversal of the loading, usir two strong steel ramps.
In addition to the hydra] lics, the CF low-loader hi several other unique feature The lashing rings along tl side are not pinned and ti side extensions have be cleverly made to swing ot and yet be fully sel supporting.
In this position they are u able to support the tot weight of the trailer (unlade 6.5 tons).
Construction of the lo, loader follows standard pn tice with fabricated ma beams and a beaver ta Standard CF F-Series suspe sion is employed, but wi special hanger brackets.
Operator resistance 380mm (15in) wheels has CF to use low-profile 70-ser tyres and these only impos, 76mm (3in) height penalty the tail end.
The prototype trailei watched working had a 6. (20ft) bed, but CF can bt any length to order. The ot models, the 30, 40 and 50 N sions, can also be built to dividual specification. 1 larger 40 and 50 models an tri-axle configuration.