Fitting the Lorry fl Farmer's Transport
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Soon Many Additional Vehicles will be Needed for the Transport of Farm Produce, and There are Many Ways in Which Valuable Adaptations can be Made to Existing Types THE efficient transport of vegetables, fruit and arable crops of all kinds is of particular importance at the present time and, as the land area to be cultivated is being increased, not only will additional vehicles be required but existing ones will be adapted in order to facilitate the carrying of bulkier loads. No doubt many fixed-sided lorries will have the sides increased in height. If the sides be hinged the superstructure may prevent the movement of the sides, or it may be designed so that the hinged portions can still be operated.
A lorry which is to be converted in this way should be overhauled and any defects, such as broken and weak parts, remedied. The top board or plank of the body side, also the corresponding part of the tailboard, may require renewal.
In other instances, the top board may be reinforced with an outside wooden rail, or by the addition of a steel wearing-plate of channel, halfround or angle section. If the hinges are to be replaced, then these. may have flaps of angle or channel section.
A lorry may be converted for carrying farm produce in the following manner. The tops of the body sides are reinforced with an outside rail, as already mentioned. This rail is wide enough for it to be recessed for the full-height corner and other pillars or standards. These pillars are bolted through the body sides to inside battens, and are framed at the top to a cant-rail. The cant-rails are connected by removable spreaders or hoop-sticks, which have hooked ends. These spreaders have a moderate camber in order that they may be cut from the plank and do not require bending by steam. There is a full-height boarded front.
The height of the body sides is increased by means of battens screwed on the inside of the pillars, each bottom batten resting on top of the body side.
• Dealing With the Tailboard • The existing tailboard may be retained without alteration, or it can have a slatted extension which may be fixed or hinged. If of the lastnamed type, then the uprights of the extension are hinged to the top of the tailboard. When the tailboard is lowered the extension may be retained at right angles by a pair of hooked stays, or may be folded over completely and held between a pair of clips on the tailboard.
A lorry which may be utilized for several purposes has drop sides and an upper floor, also central and end gates. The corner pillars and central stanchions are framed to hoops, to support a waterproof sheet. A strong waist-rail has an angle iron on the inside, which supports the upperfloor sections: also, it provides a foundation for the hinges of the upper drop sides, which are of slatted construction. These sides close under a cant-rail or top rave.
The centre stanchions of the dropsided lorry have lift-off hinges on the inside, on which are mounted a pair each of upper and lower gates. Thus, each floor has a central partition, so that portions of the load are, when required, separated from one another and each portion is independently accessible from either side of the vehicle. A similar pair of lift-off gates is hung above the tailboard.
Such a lorry may be operated as a single-decker, or with the whole or half of the upper deck. Any of the centre gates may be removed if division of the load be not required.
When setting out the hinges of the centre gates, the upper and lowerhinge centres are riot directly under one another, but one is an inch or so in advance of the other, so that the lower gates may be lifted when the upper ones are in position.
For the transport of a bulky load, such as trusses of hay or straw, the utility of a platform lorry is enhanced if it be fitted with a loading frame. A platform with high front and back boards answers a similar purpose, but, usually, the front and back boards are connected at the top by a ridge pole.
The loading frame consists of a bottom made of cross-bars which rest on the side or chock rails of the platform. On the ends of these cross-bars is mounted a pair of side
rails. If the platform be not of maximum width, then the cross-bars overhang the platform side-rails, thus increasing the width of the loading area. Blocks or distance pieces are secured under the cross-bars so that they have a bearing on the floor.
End gates or loading racks are hinged at each end to a cross-bar which is bolted on top of the side rails of the loading frame. These end gates are held at an angle of about 105 degrees with the side-rails by iron rods which have an eye at each end. When the end gates are not required they are folded inwards.
• How to Increase Vehicle Length • The loading frame may also be utilized for increasing the length of the vehicle, if not already of maximum rear overhang. The side-rails only are extended if about 12 ins, of extra length be required, otherwise the rear overhang is supported by the addition of a pair of intermediate longitudinals to the rear half of the bottom of the loading frame.
If the platform already has a front board, this is increased in height if necessary and the front end gate is omitted. A loading frame with a pair of inclined end gates is particularly suitable as an addition to a platform trailer.
Two-wheeled agricultural trailers, suitable for the allotment holder and other small producer, should, in the near future, be much in demand. A trailer to carry from 15 cwt. to 20 cwt. is about 8 ft. long, 4 ft. wide and 5 ft. high. The sides are closeboarded from floor to waist, above which they are of open-slatted construction. Hoops are provided to support a loose sheet, or these are detachable when more headroom is required.
As with the larger type of bodywork, the utility of the small trailer is increased by fitting it with an intermediate floor. This floor, which is supported on side angle-irons, is in two sliding portions. At the back there is a tailboard with a pair of lift-off doors above it. The front may be fixed or of construction similar to the back. A low floor is obtained by having a cranked axle.