Low-loading Freight, master trailer vans
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• The York Series 4 Freightmaster frameless semi-trailer van range intro-' duced last autumn which has hitherto been built only as a flat-floor model is now available in semi-drop-deck and full-drop-deck forms. The York Series 3 design has been offered in these two styles in which the term "semidrop-deck" indicates a trailer with a drop of 12in. behind the king-pin plate and then a flat floor to the rear, while "drop-deck" is used to describe a van that has a drop of lft 9in. which necessitates wheelboxes in the rear floor area.
The latest models share a number of new features with the Series 4; these include an all-steel, one-piece base assembly with an aluminium body shell. The base is built in jigs from a new, deeper steel bottom rail and box section steel cross-members on 12in. centres. The assembly is welded throughout into a one-piece unit.
The semi-drop-deck models follow the same basic configuration as the comparable previous Series 3 Freightmaster units except that the drop is now standard throughout at 12in. Wheel and tyre equipment has been changed. The standard tyres are now 8.25-17 whereas before most models had 8.25-15 tyres; the switch is because of supply difficulties. But despite the increase in tyre diameter, loading heights of the new vans-have been reduced by changes in the running gear area; the average is 3in. less than previously.
The full drop-decks are also to the same basic design as before but there are some completely new models. One is the tandemaxle version of the 1D20, namely the ID28. By moving to tandem axles, the plated gross trailer weight of the ID20 moves from 17 tons up to 23.25 tons.
Two other new models make use of a wide track (78in.) York axle fitted with single 10.00-20 tyres on centre-nave wheels. The Model ID15 is a single-axle version and the ID26 has two single-tyred axles in tan dem. With single tyres very little space is taken up by wheelboxes. Each wheelbox makes an intrusion of only 20in. into the interior which permits a clear gap of 4ft 7in. between them. With this layout it is possible to provide a trailer van with an exceptionally low-loading height and a carrying capacity of up to 3000 Cu ft.